April 27 - "God Remembers"

​Though God’s purposes move inexorably forward, how is often not clear to us.But God’s vision cannot be stopped. Out of our wreckage, God can bring good. Out of our pain, God can bring love. Out of our hope, God can bring assurance. This isn’t to say that all things in our lives work out well; there is much suffering and loss in this world. But it is to say that, as Paul wrote, “God works all things together for good for the ones who love God.” All things? Even when we harm others? The answer is an emphatic “yes.” 

​May 11 - "Moses - The Beginning"

​Moses stands as a giant among the people of God. The one chosen by God to lead the Hebrews out of slavery. The one to whom God reveals his name and presents his covenant with Israel. A giant. And we don’t usually think of giants as having mid-life crises. Yet, that is exactly where we find Moses in today’s passage from Exodus. The life he thought he had under control was about to be thrown into chaos. 

May 18 - "Moses Meets God"

June 1 - "God v. god (aka Pharaoh)"
​The Israelites are enslaved and God is largely absent, staying so until the closing verses of chapter 2, when God “remembers” the Israelites and acts. It seems odd to us that God would need to remember anything, so that is a clue that something else is going on. For the Hebrews, speaking of God “remembering” was a way to say that God is now taking action. It is fruitless to wonder why not earlier or later; all the text tells us is that God is now ready to act at the end of chapter two.  
​This is not really a confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh. Rather, it is a contest between the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Pharaoh, who thought of himself as a god and was worshipped as such. And the God of the Israelites is determined to force Pharaoh to his figurative (or perhaps literal) knees and admit that it is Yahweh who is the Lord Almighty. In this way, God will be acknowledged before the world and the Israelites will be freed from slavery to Pharaoh. 

June 8 - "Passover to Pentecost"

​From Genesis to Revelation, feasts of one sort or another figure large in our life with God. They define us and shape us. The most important of the Jewish festivals and feasts has been Passover for more than three millennia.

June 15 - "God Parts the Waters"

​Freedom. When we come to the story of the Exodus and to the story of the Last Supper and Jesus’ crucifixion we must keep our eye on this word, “freedom.” In the Exodus, God freed the Israelites from slavery to Pharaoh. In the new Exodus brought by Jesus, we have all been freed from slavery to son and death so we can be reconciled with God as his holy people.

June 22 - "God Forms a People"

​Through the Law and a dwelling place, God shapes a people. On Pentecost, God reshaped his people, now reborn in Christ.

June 29 - "Rebellion Against a Faithful God"

​After being saved from slavery to Pharaoh, at the foot of Mt. Sinai God’s people have been taught how they should live with God and one another. They are about to begin construction of a dwelling place for their God. But, as has been their story, they choose rebellion against God even in this moment. They are impatient and restless. Moses is taking too long.