Monthly Archives: October 2014

Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost: A Transition in Leadership

Reading

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Transitions are both exciting and downright scary. A new adventure—job, move, school, [whatever “it” is]—is always exciting, because we are one step closer to achieving a long-term dream. However, the new adventure can also be scary, because it means a dozen changes in our lives—new city and new home—and leaving behind our comfort zone—our friends and family, our local surroundings, and our community. Transitions involve changes that excite and challenge us.

The Israelites are facing a transition: entering the Promised Land. The Lord shows Moses the land he promised to Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac from Mount Nebo before he dies (Deuteronomy 34:1–4; Numbers 27:18-20). However, the Lord does not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land. After forty years of following Moses in the wilderness, the Israelites are at the edge of the Promised Land where they must say farewell to their leader. When Moses dies, the Israelites mourn for thirty days before entering the Promise Land.

The transition involves two major changes for the Israelites. First, the Israelites must accept Moses’s appointee, Joshua, son of Nun, as their new leader (Deuteronomy 31:14, 23). After forty years of following Moses, the Israelites have grown used to Moses’s leadership style and have a relationship with him. Now the Israelites must say goodbye to Moses and follow Joshua. Anytime a change in leadership happens, people have to mourn the loss of their previous leader. The Israelites take thirty days to mourn Moses’ death and to get their minds wrapped around leaving him behind to follow Joshua into the Promised Land. A new era awaits the Israelites, but they pause to honor Moses and his leadership.

Second, the Israelites transition from wandering in the wilderness to living in the Promised Land. However, war against the Canaanites would have to transpire before Israel would take hold of their promised nation. Transitions usually involve some kind of loss. My family has suffered an unusual amount of loss the past month. Two of my grandparents went to heaven. Now we are left to mourn and begin to process what that means: who will look after my widowed Grandma, who will comfort and reassure us, who will say grace at the family gathering, and [whatever “it” is] that they always did. Although we know they are in heaven with the Lord, we pause and reflect before moving forward into a new era that will be led by the next generation.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Moses’s leadership for those forty years in the wilderness. Help us to transition into the next phase of our lives. Lead the next generation to walk in your ways and to continue the work of those who went before us. Thank you for being with us in these transitions. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. What kind of transitions are you going through right now?
  2. After whom do you model your leadership skills?

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Where is God Now?

Reading

Exodus 33:12-23

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Have you ever so been emotionally exhausted that God felt far away? My past three weeks have been a constant cycle of pack, fly somewhere, be with family and friends for a big event (funerals, a wedding, and a church event), fly home, do laundry, attend appointments and meetings, and repeat. Two of the funerals I attended were for my grandparents; they died only two weeks apart. Then an uncertain situation emerged, adding even more stress. This week has been the first full week I have been home in my own bed (glorious!). My three pups are glad my suitcase is in the closet, and I am staying home for awhile. As I have begun to decompress from the past three weeks, I have found myself and dealing with some explosive emotions

You too have your own stories of wandering in the wilderness as the Israelites do in today’s reading. Some days and weeks God seems so distant and unreachable.

Moses and the Israelites are wandering around the wilderness and aimlessly following an invisible God. They feel lost and confused. The Israelites are asking, “Where is God? Who is God? What does God look like? Are we still his chosen people after breaking the covenant? Is God still leading us to the Promised Land?” The Israelites are getting tired of being in the wilderness and not knowing the answers to these questions. They are growing tired of the endless cycle of collect manna, break down camp, listen to Moses, walk for hours, set up camp, sleep, and repeat. For forty years the Israelites are living in uncertainty, without a place to call home.

Moses goes to God and says, “You know each of us by name, and you respect and love us, yet you have us wandering aimlessly in the wilderness and have not shown yourself to us. How do we know you or one of your agents is with us? Reveal yourself to us” (Exodus 33:12-13, 15-16, 18).

God reassures Moses, “Yes, I know you by name and respect you. I will allow you to see and feel my back when you stand on the rock. When I pass you, I will put my hand over your head, so you do not see my face. I am a gracious and merciful God who shows grace and mercy to his people” (Exodus 33:14, 17, 19-23).

When we feel lost in an endless cycle of explosive emotions, God feels distant and unreachable. We ask, “Where are you, God? Are you here?” These are times I have to force myself to pray and be quiet – to shut out the drama, the endless cycle of demands, and talk to God. Sometimes I feel like a two-year-old who should be put down for a nap as I whine to God. However, these are the times I most need to feel God’s presence and talk with him. I cannot repeat the endless cycle of life without God’s grace and mercy, because when the load is too heavy (and it always is), he carries me through.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for being with the Israelites in the wilderness. Help us to feel your presence in the endless cycle of life. Wrap us up in your arms and carry us through the darkness into the light. Quiet our minds and allow us to hear you. Thank you for your grace and mercy when we get lost. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. Are you lost? Where? How?
  2. How do you find your way back to God?

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Interceding for the Israelites

Reading

Exodus 32:1-14

Devotion

Peace be with you!

As our scene opens, Moses is on the mountaintop, meeting with God for forty days and forty nights and being given the Law (Exodus 24:18). Meanwhile, the Israelites forget about the Lord quickly and impatiently ask Aaron to make them idols to worship instead (Exodus 32:1c). Only a few chapters before this, the Lord gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, including the prohibition against idols (Exodus 20:4). Aaron does it to honor the Lord (Exodus 32:4-5), but he also creates the golden calf to appease the Israelites. However, the Israelites ask for the idol, because they had not seen Moses in awhile (Exodus 32:1d). On the festival day, the Israelites’ activities get out of hand, such as drinking and having sex, (Exodus 32:6), which further upsets the Lord.

Parents can understand God the Father’s anger. Here’s an example from my childhood: I remember my brother and I waiting in our big Ford van; my mom was supposed to come out and drive us somewhere. Well, she was taking too long, and we starting fighting and wrestling in the van. When she finally did come and saw us fighting, she got really angry, started screaming at us, and grounded us to our rooms. I am pretty sure sending us to our rooms was for our own safety as well as being a punishment.

The Lord is stormy upset with the Israelites. He is ready to go back on his promise to Noah and consume the Israelites (Exodus 32:10). Like my mom, the Lord is beside himself with what to do with his people.

The day of the “van incident,” my mom called our grandparents. “We are not coming over today,” she said. “Those kids are grounded.” I am sure our grandparents had to remind our mom that we were good kids normally.

In the same way, Moses appeals to the Lord on the behalf of the Israelites. Moses knows the Lord is a God who keeps his promises and loves his children. The Lord does not want to kill the Israelites, not after delivering them out of Egypt. Moses reminds the Lord about his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel to give them numerous descendents (Exodus 32:12-13). In a way, Moses reminds the Lord of the fifth commandment to honor your family and sixth commandment not to kill anyone. The Lord has to follow his own commandments to earn the trust, honor, and respect from the Israelites.

The Lord changes his mind; he will not consume the Israelites, but will allow them to live (Exodus 32:14). The Lord does not give up on the Israelites just because they have fallen short of his expectations. The Lord loves the Israelites unconditionally and understands their shortcomings. The Lord wants to keep his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel to make a nation from their descendents.

Our mom did not give up on my brother and me either, even when we would stray away or make her crazy. In this way, she embodied the grace and commitment of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving the Israelites numerous second chances. Help us to embody your grace and commitment in our relationships. Guide us with your trust, honor, and respect to share your love, grace, and peace. Thank you for being in a relationship with us, even when we fall. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. Who embodies the grace and commitment of the Lord for you?
  2. Do you know someone who is far from the Lord today? Intercede for them like Moses did for the Israelites.

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Ten Commandments to Govern Relationships

Reading

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Devotion

Peace be with you!

We have different relationships with each person you interact with. Some individuals, we just pass on the street or in the hallway at work and quickly wave hello, while with others we may have a two-minute conversation about the weather. Some friends call us every day to discuss every part of our lives, while other friends only call once a week or month. Each relationship is defined by our interactions and mutual respect (or lack of respect) for the other person.

When God gives Moses the Ten Commandments, he shapes his relationship with the Israelites and gives them ethics to live by. These laws give the Israelites a base on which to live out their lives according to God’s will. The first four commandments deal with the relationship between God and the Israelites: no other gods, no idols, do not use the Lord’s name in vain, and remember the Sabbath (Exodus 20:3-11). God lays out what he expects from the Israelites and sets boundaries for the relationship. God wants to make sure the Israelites are faithful to him and only him. He does not want the Israelites running to other gods and making their own idols when things get tough. God knows we can only be faithful to one God. As his redeemed and holy nation, God expects the Israelites to honor him. In the same way, God redeems us through Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection as his holy nation and expects the same honor and respect from us.

The fifth commandment is to honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12). A relationship between two individuals should be based on mutual honor and respect. We need to respect the people in authority who work to pass laws to keep us safe, like the Lord. When we honor our relationships, we strengthen our relationship with God.

The last six commandments give guidelines to relationships between persons. We should not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet another person’s possessions or relationships (Exodus 20:13-17). When we break these commandments, we break the trust, the honor, and the respect we have with others. In his wisdom, God is giving us counsel here on how to build long-lasting relationships.

When we break the last six commandments, we go against God and those people we love the most. The Lord gives us these commandments to test our ability to be in a relationship with him and to instill fear in us to keep us from going against his will (Exodus 20:20). The Lord redeems the Israelites from Egypt and us from our sins. In return, the Lord asks us to keep the Ten Commandments in order to be in and maintain a relationship with him. The Ten Commandments explain the boundaries of our relationship with the Lord and build upon mutual honor, trust, and respect. In doing so, the Lord gives us the choice whether or not we want to be in a relationship with him.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for wanting to be in relationship with us. Help us to keep the Ten Commandments in order to strengthen our relationships with you and others. Lead us into relationships with mutual trust, honor, and respect. Thank you for helping us to live by honoring you and others. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. How do you work at strengthening your relationship with the Lord?
  2. How do you model your relationship with the Lord through other relationships?