What You Don’t Know…

Exodus 1:6-22

It’s a short verse in the midst of a long and detailed narrative, but this one bit of scripture packs a punch. “Now a new king arose over Egypt,” we read, “who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). All that has gone on before involving Jacob, Joseph and his captivity, the delivery of Egypt from starvation, the eventual reunion of father and son, all of this has been forgotten with the rise of a new ruler who did not appreciate the presence of the Hebrew people, or who, for reasons of national security, did not feel the need to honor the existing relationship. From this point on the story of the Hebrew people will head in a completely different direction as the narrative turns from one of hope and prosperity to one of servitude.

How often the circumstances of life change. How often new realities force new responses. What seems rock-solid today—family, career, one’s standing in the community—may be swept away tomorrow as a “new king” takes the throne, one who “did not know Joseph.” But despite what changes may come the one constant that can be noted, can be relied upon, is the presence of God. Above and beyond the events of human life there stands the Sovereign Lord of all creation and it is this God’s desire to remain connected and involved, to be integral to our existence.

As the book of Exodus unfolds God’s presence will become clearer to those involved. If we will stop and look at our own lives, at the path we have trod, we will likely recognize the hand of God at times when we felt the most forsaken. This is my personal hope, that as I look back on my life in years to come I may be blessed to see the hand of God at work leading me to be the person I should be. Then will I rejoice at the love of God.

Prayer: Lord, help us through the challenges of our lives that we may continue to grow in faith and love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Blessing the World

Genesis 47:1-26

When God called Abraham and Sarah into a covenant relationship a significant part of the promise what that they would become a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Now as we approach the end of the Genesis account we find the promise being carried out. “Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.…Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh” (Genesis 47:7, 10). You would expect that the ruler of a great a civilization like Pharaoh would be the one dispensing the blessings, but in keeping with God’s word to his ancestor, Jacob is the one blessing the king.

We should not overlook the significance of this event. Jacob, a man of faith, has offered a benediction to one outside of his tradition. Jacob has essentially shared the love of God with Pharaoh. As people of faith we, too, have the opportunity to live as a blessing to the nations and to offer grace and benediction to those around us. Even when we feel weak or insignificant, when we ourselves are wrestling with weighty issues, when we feel displaced or set upon, we may reflect the love of God. This was the call to discipleship that Jesus issued over and over again. To follow Jesus is to seek the wellbeing of the world and to work for the coming kingdom. When confronted by evil Jesus offered a different path; with illness, healing; with brokenness, reconciliation. Jesus himself was a benediction to the world, God’s Word of grace, and as the body of Christ at work in the world we are challenged to be the same.

Prayer: Lord, may we be a blessing to the world and in sharing your love may we offer a light in the darkness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Geography

Genesis 46:1-7, 28-34

Before leaving for Egypt to be reunited with Joseph, Jacob experienced a vision from God. “Then (the Lord) said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I myself will go down with you to Egypt…’" (Genesis 46:3-4a). God’s promise to Jacob is to be with him and to watch over him even as he travels to a foreign land. As is always the case, God is not bound by human geography or politics. God transcends the lines that human beings are so fond of drawing.

In our own day we are quite fond of labeling each other. Words such as liberal or conservative are thrown about like slurs or insults. We find it far too easy to except the worst stereotypes of one another based on race, culture, or language. And then, once we have put our boundaries in place we expect God to see things our way. This has never been the case. God has never been confined to the promised land (Genesis 12:1-9), never been stuck in the temple (Ezekiel 1:1-3, 28b), never been relegated to heaven (John 1:14). God, like the Spirit, goes where God wills, chooses whom God chooses, blesses whom God blesses. This is God’s geography, God’s way of interacting with the world. If we would be of service to God (and the world) we should learn to see things God’s way and not expect God to see things our way.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we try to control you or confine you. Instead, help us to be open to what you are doing in the world. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

When Scripture Comes At Right Angles

Genesis 27:1-29
Romans 12:1-8
Sometimes scripture comes to us not in parallel lines as it were but at right angles, creating a certain amount of tension as we try to work through what appears to be conflict. To me there is a right angle of sorts between our readings from Genesis and Romans. Let's start with the words of Paul. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters," he writes, "by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2). Paul is encouraging his readers to live lives of honesty and integrity, justice and righteousness. While the world may lead us off the path of discipleship Paul insists that we remain true to God and focused on the divine will.

Our reading from Genesis, however, displays a completely different form of behavior. It is the familiar story of the younger of twins who is able to steal his older brother’s blessing from their father. "Jacob said to [Isaac], 'I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me'" (Genesis 27:19). We might not find this story so surprising had the scheme not worked so well. Jacob did receive the blessing that belonged to Esau, and Jacob became the one through whom God’s covenant continued to unfold. But Jacob hardly presented himself in honesty or integrity, justice or righteousness to his father. His actions before God, then, were not “good and acceptable and perfect.” How can we deal with such a dichotomy?

Of course, there is no easy answer to the question. Jacob, a real rascal, gets away with all sorts of shenanigans in his lifetime but remains in favor with God. But as Paul reminds us the call to follow Jesus Christ leads us to a more mature faith that seeks to do God’s will, even to our own disadvantage. For me it is helpful to remember that God is able to work in and through sinners like Jacob (and you and me as well). No matter where we are in life God has a place for us and a role for us to play. We should strive for the higher ground, but when we fall short we should not lose sight of the promises that come to us in God’s love. Scripture may intersect in all sorts of crazy ways, but the God we meet in scripture stands over and above it all in truth.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live lives dedicated to you, aware of you, focused on you, and forgive us when we fail you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hope That Means Something

Isaiah 54:1-13

One key aspect to God’s relationship with humanity has been the series of covenants God has established. God bound the divine self to Noah soon after the waters of the flood receded (Genesis 9:8-13). God did the same with Abraham (15:18-21). The blessing that Jacob received at the ford of the River Jabbok is covenantal in nature (32:22-29). And of course at Mt. Sinai God made a covenant with the Hebrew people (Exodus 19:1-9). In our readings for today the prophet Isaiah reminds us of the nature of God’s connection with God’s people. “This is like the days of Noah to me: Just as I swore that the waters of Noah would never again go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isaiah 54:9-10).

Here, then, is hope that truly means something for humanity. Not only has God entered into a binding relationship with creation, but God has renewed that pledge over and over again. For Christians the most grace-filled sign of the promise came in the birth of Jesus, for in this way God entered into our lives standing with and for us even unto death. In Jesus our faith finds a focus that allows us to live more fully just as God has become more fully known to us. The mountains and hills may fall away, but God’s “steadfast love” will never end and God’s “covenant of peace” will not expire.

Prayer: Lord, give us eyes with which to see your love and hearts to share it with those around us that we, too, may live in a covenant of peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Heaven's Gate

Genesis 28:10-22

John 10:7-17

It is interesting to me how the reading from both Genesis and John make use of the gate as an important image. Jacob sleeps at Bethel and dreams of angels ascending and descending a ladder. “And he was afraid,” reads Genesis, “and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven’” (Genesis 28:17). Jacob was so overwhelmed by the presence of the divine that he understood himself to be at the doorway to God’s court. How awesome indeed. But the experience, while profound, frightened him. “I am the gate,” Jesus says in John’s gospel. “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture” (John 10:9). Here Jesus uses the image of the gate much differently. Far from an awe inspiring experience, Jesus offers peace, security, and hope to those who believe in him and enter into God’s coming reign through him.

At first we might be put off by the difference in the way that each reading uses the idea of a gate. Is it the cusp of the divine and therefore a place of holy awe and fear? Or is it an entrance into what God desires for us? Of course the answer is yes to both. Fear before God is always an appropriate attitude, by which I mean to regard with reverence and awe, as one dictionary puts it. This is not a horror movie, but a revelation of what and who God is, and God deserves our full attention, our full respect, a quiet seriousness. But what God wants for us is better seen as a sheep fold, a place of safety and community, of mutual love and support. Jesus offers that to us to accept in faith.

As we begin 2011 and look ahead to the challenges it holds, we should remember to live with reverent awe for who God is and what God is doing, but to also accept with joy the peace and security that Jesus offers to his followers, if not in this life, then absolutely in the life to come.

Prayer: Lord, may we live in that space between reverence and joy, the place where you have called us as your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.