Category: Year C

Exodus 5:10-23

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             It was God who called to Moses out of the burning bush.  It was God who told Moses to go to Egypt because he heard the groaning of the Israelites in their slavery.  It was God who promised Moses that he would deliver the people from their awful bondage.  But the promised vision of release from captivity ran into the harsh buzz-saw of reality.  Moses did exactly what God told him to do with the result that Pharaoh forced the Israelite slaves to make bricks without being supplied with the straw to do it.  Now the people’s situation is even worse than it was before Moses showed up on the scene.  What’s up with that!?
             Since we know the end to the story, we might understand where all of this was going.  But when we put ourselves in the sandals of Moses, it is anything but clear about what was happening.  It is quite understandable that Moses questioned God:  “LORD, why have you treated this people badly? And why did you send me?  From the time I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has treated this people badly, and you have done nothing to rescue your people.”  
             There have been many times in my life when I have questioned whether I was really sent by God to be a certain place or to do a certain thing.  Maybe I didn’t really hear God.  Maybe it was my own voice in my head.  Maybe it was an emotional decision.  But there is something we must all realize:  Just because things go from bad to worse does not necessarily mean God isn’t in the thing.  We are not always, even usually, privy to the mind of God in the big picture of what he is doing.  In the midst of trouble we might think God is not at work, not paying attention, and slow to act.  Yet, God knows exactly what he is doing and sometimes we need to discern that things will get worse before they will get better.
             Wise God, I trust you that you know what you are doing even though I don’t see what in the world is going on.  Help me to see all things from your perspective so that I might have the wisdom to move forward in faith and patience.  I’m out on a limb for you; please do not let it break!  Amen.

Psalm 51:1-17

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            Today is Ash Wednesday, the first of forty days in Lent (six weeks) on the Christian Calendar which is designed to remind us of our mortality, God’s grace, and the great need for repentance and faith in Jesus.  There is perhaps no better place in Scripture to go than this psalm of David.  It is the consummate prayer of confession and repentance.
 
            If we struggle to know how to respond to our sin when we become aware of it, then this psalm is meant for us.  We are to use it and adopt it as our own.  The words of Holy Scripture are not simply ancient texts for a bygone era; they are living words to be read, prayed, meditated upon, memorized, and engrafted into the soul.  “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”  Notice that David asked for mercy based upon God’s character, and not on the ground of the quality or intensity of his confession.
 
            If we trust only in our hearts, then our hearts will eventually condemn us because they can be desperately wicked.  But if we throw ourselves headlong into the vast ocean of God’s mercy, then we shall receive forgiveness of sins and assurance of pardon because God’s steadfast love never changes.  Ashes upon the forehead today are to be a reminder of our frailty and propensity toward sin; they are a symbol of repentance and desire for mercy.  Of all days, today is the day to set aside the pride of achievement and the pretense of appearing to have it all together, and humbly submit to God in repentance and faith.
 

 

            Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  In Jesus’ Name I pray.  Amen.

Ezekiel 1:1-2:1

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            If anyone ever tells you they are certain about everything in the book of Ezekiel, don’t believe them.  This chapter and initial vision of God seen by Ezekiel is an incredible view.  It almost defies description.  In fact, it does.  It is as if Ezekiel was trying to somehow communicate with the limitation of words exactly what he saw. 
 
            But even though we might not understand or comprehend everything in this vision does not mean we can lose sight of the big picture of what was happening.  Ezekiel got a glimpse of God in his glory, which would explain why it is such a mysterious vision.  Reading over the vision slowly, one can gain the sense of immensity, hugeness, grandeur, and awesome glory.  The Hebrew word “glory” literally means “heavy.”  In other words, God is so large, bright, and holy that he carries a great deal of weight.  As we used to say back in the ‘70’s: “Heavy, man, heavy!”
 
            This was much more than just a neat experience for Ezekiel.  It completely had him undone.  Ezekiel fell on his face because that is about all one can do when encountering such an incredible appearance.  Sneaking a peek of God in his glorious splendor is an awesome sight.  So, when God speaks from the place of his glory, there is nothing to do but listen and obey.
 
            Meeting God, this same God whom Ezekiel encountered, is no small thing.  When we truly catch a glimpse of this holy God, it will forever change us – and this is a good thing.  If we want to hear the call of God upon our lives we need to see God’s glory, otherwise we can too quickly forget him and neglect doing what he says.  May the Lord be gracious in allowing you a glance into his throne room – and may you never be the same again because of it.
 

 

            Glorious God, you carry such great weight that all creation bows to your every word and each move.  I bow before you, and I will stand up so that I might hear what you have to say to me.  Speak, Lord, for I am listening to you.  Amen.

Exodus 35:1-29

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            At first glance this Old Testament passage might seem a bit tedious, perhaps even boring.  After all, getting the details on the furnishings for building the tabernacle (the Ark of the Covenant, the utensils for worship and sacrifice, and the tent that houses it all) can be laborious.  But that is the point.  It took a great deal of planning, effort, and commitment to realize it all.  Although Moses received the instructions and revelation from God on the mountain, he still had to communicate it to the people and solicit their help.
 
            What we see here is a wonderful synergy between God and the people, a kind of divine/human cooperative and a spiritual rhythm of revelation and response.  The contributions and the work were done by people “whose heart stirred” them to give and labor.  The people freely gave of their things and of themselves to realize the accomplishment of the tabernacle’s construction. 
 
            True worship of God has as its epicenter a dialogue between the divine and the human.  God speaks, and the people respond.  God reveals, and the people’s hearts are stirred.  Worship is cheapened when it is mere duty and drudgery, an obligation and nothing more.  What is more, one-way communication is not worship; it is a monologue.  Worship is not designed to be a passive activity of sitting and soaking.  Moses and God’s people seem genuinely enthused to participate and to be a part of what God was calling them to do.  Worship that comes from willing hearts is a beautiful thing, because encountering God and being stirred within by him is a unique and purposeful relationship – and it isn’t boring.
 

 

            Gracious God, just as you laid it upon the hearts of people long ago to participate in the work of worship, so impress my heart with your mission in this world.  I give you my life along with my possessions so that my entire self will be dedicated to the worship of Jesus Christ.  Amen.