kings and control

Good morning friends,
After God freed Israel from slavery God led them in the wilderness to shape them into the holy people God called them to be. A big part of that shaping was the Law, and Deuteronomy is a review of story and law as Moses finishes preparing Israel to enter the Promised Land. In this section, Moses talks about the rules for having a king. As we continue the story we'll see that the concerns expressed in this part of the law are well founded. Humans are addicted to power, so we need to approach any power with great caution.

God bless,
Sam

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

¹⁴When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,” ¹⁵you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community.

¹⁶Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself, or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the Lord has said to you, “You must never return that way again.” ¹⁷And he must not acquire many wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself.

¹⁸When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the levitical priests. ¹⁹It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes, ²⁰neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel.

Ten Commandments, part 1

Good morning friends,
It's been a little while since we've read from Exodus. Earlier we read how God brought Israel out of Egypt and how twice in the desert Israel cried out to God about being hungry or thirsty and God satisfied them. Our reading moves forward a few chapters. The people have arrived at Mt. Sinai to worship God. If we look back to when God first called Moses to speak to Pharaoh, God said that the sign of God's presence would be that after their liberation the people would worship at Mt. Sinai. Now that promise has been fulfilled and God gives the people the Ten Commandments, which are the "bullet points" of the covenant God makes with Israel to be their God. The commandments are given application and depth by further laws and ordinances that God shares with Moses after the Ten Commandments, but we can tell that these commandments can be read broadly to guide community life. Thousands of years later, they still speak to us. Today we'll consider the first four commandments.

Blessings,
Sam

Exodus 20:1-11

Then God spoke all these words: 2I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.



7You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 8Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

Exodus

Good morning sisters and brothers,
On this morning we remember the fear, grief and loss of ten years ago. This afternoon there are two interfaith worship services in memory of September 11. One is at 1 pm at Third Presbyterian Church, and the other is at 4 pm at George Eastman House.

Our Exodus passage is familiar to most of us. Pharaoh and his army went to retrieve their slaves, the Israelites, to find that God was fighting for them. In Romans, Paul urges us not to fight about our differences, but instead to welcome each other. We may have differences in our faith or practice, but we all want to honor God with our lives. That's a lesson I keep wanting our national church to learn as well as our nation as a whole.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 14:19-31

19The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. 22The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”



26Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.“ 27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

30Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.



*Sunday

Romans 14:1-12

1Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

7We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

10Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

God is with us

Good morning friends,
When God led Israel out of slavery it was a hasty exit, but also clearly thought out. God worried about how the people might react to different dangers and guarded them along the way. God's presence isn't usually as obvious as a pillar of fire, especially when we're going through hard times. But even in the darkness God is always with us. Often we see God most clearly in our friends and family; other times in the kindness of strangers or a subtle feeling of calm in our soul. God is here.

Blessings,
Sam

Exodus 13:17-22

17When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle. 19And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, “God will surely take notice of you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.” 20They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. 22Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

firstborn sons

Good morning sisters and brothers,
On Sunday we'll welcome our new music director, Soo Yeon Kim to Laurelton. Soo Yeon brings wonderful musical and educational gifts, and I'm excited for how she will strengthen our music ministry. Please help make her feel at home.

God and Moses both recognize that education is critical in forming faith generation after generation. That's a big part of the reason for the religious observances God commands. There's special attention to telling the story to the next generation, the folks who didn't see God's amazing action in Egypt and might not have as clear a sense for God's power. This passage encourages us to think about how we tell the story of God to our kids. When your kids or friends ask why you go to church or why you celebrate a holiday or event, what do you tell them? How do you connect God's love to your daily world and help others do the same?

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 13:11-16

11“When the Lord has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and has given it to you, 12you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your livestock that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13But every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem.



14When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16It shall serve as a sign on your hand and as an emblem on your forehead that by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

leaving slavery

Good morning sisters and brothers,
On Sunday I mentioned that I was going to start reading the Bible over the next year, and I invited people to join me. It takes about 15 minutes a day and is very rewarding. I figured if we have a group reading together we could get together once or twice a month to talk about what we're reading. We could also set up some kind of online venue to share thoughts between meetings. This isn't meant to be arduous, but supportive. It also won't replace the daily readings for me; I'll still send these out. But if you're interested in reading the Bible with a small group, we'll begin on Sunday. Send me an email so I can put together a group list and send you a reading plan to organize the reading. You won't regret the time you spend with it.

Today's reading relates the actual departure of Israel from Egypt after 430 years there. It tells us that God kept vigil over Israel to bring them out and that Israel still keeps vigil on that night annually to remember God's deliverance. There are moments that define who we are as people and who we are nationally. This moment is one of the most important events that shape Jewish identity to this day.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 12:37-42

37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds. 39They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. 40The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. 41At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42That was for the Lord a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations.

Exodus

Good morning sisters and brothers,
After nine previous plagues failed to convince Pharaoh to release Israel, God kills the first-born son of all the Egyptians. This is one of those stories in the Bible that I sometimes wish wasn't there. I love God's power and the fact that God acts for the oppressed, but I wish there was less "collateral damage" of God's salvation here. At the same time we know in history and in the news that pride, greed and stupidity on the part of powerful people doesn't just hurt them. The powerful almost always involve others in their mistakes as well. For better or for worse people are not islands; our actions affect others. So as we remember Israel's salvation, we also remember the cost. We pray for wisdom in our own lives to seek the well-being of all people as we consider our actions.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 12:29-36

29At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his officials and all the Egyptians; and there was a loud cry in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. 31Then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, “Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord, as you said. 32Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be gone. And bring a blessing on me too!”


33The Egyptians urged the people to hasten their departure from the land, for they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35The Israelites had done as Moses told them; they had asked the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing, 36and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians.

out of the water

Good morning friends,
As you think ahead to Labor Day weekend, Robyn Fitzgerald has secured a block of tickets for Saturday's (September 3) Red Wings game for the church. It's always a fun night out together, so let Maria or Carl know if you're interested (I'll be away this week) or let me know next week. I hope a good sized group of us can go.

We read this as part of our Old Testament reading yesterday in worship. Moses' mother seeks a way out of Pharaoh's horrible, genocidal policies for her son. Ironically, it's Pharaoh's own daughter who ends up taking him in. I wonder if in the time Moses' mother nursed Moses for his adoptive mother she also taught him about Israel and God's story with them. We never know who God will use to bring light and hope into dark times. I pray we would be open to God's surprising grace each day.

blessings,
Sam

Exodus 2:1-10

1Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.2The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. 3When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. 4His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.



5The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. 6When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said.



7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”