Devotional 8-21-20

 Please read Exodus 1:8—2:10   THE STORY OF MOSES

Preparing for my devotion, I found myself reading Bible passages I don’t recall having ever read before. I am not surprised. I don’t read the Bible just to be reading it, as one of my good friends does. There must be a reason before I open the Bible (like preparing for this devotion)!

Sometimes when I see one of our church members holding a Bible, I like to check it out. When the Bible is well worn around the edges, and there are places marked inside with little post-its on some pages, I know that person is a frequent reader of the Bible.  Sometimes the little pieces of paper are different colors, and I want to ask what all the different colors mean. And when I can catch them with their Bible opened, I see some highlighted passages, maybe with a note written in the margin. I want to become a reader like that! This opportunity, the story of Moses, seems to be a great place to start. My favorite version of the Bible is the New International Version Student Bible because it has insights and explanations scattered in every chapter that are helpful as you read.

An insight into the beginning of our scripture tells me that the Israelites had endured nearly four centuries of oppression before their exodus. They no doubt believed God had forgotten them. Their large and growing population had the Pharaoh sure of an uprising, that he commanded every boy born to a Hebrew mother would be killed.

The mother of Moses hid her son for three months, and after that time, in order that he would be safe, she placed him in a water-tight basket, and told her daughter to place the baby in the Nile River among the reeds along the bank. The daughter watched to see what might happen; when he cried, the Pharaoh’s daughter found him and claimed him as her own. She named him Moses, which meant “out of water.” As Moses grew to become a young man, he was among the elite of the Pharaoh’s court.

Within the second Chapter of Exodus appears another interesting insight: “After compressing three-and-a-half centuries into a few verses, Exodus devotes chapters 3-40 to the events of a single year. In contrast to Genesis’s large cast of characters, Exodus focuses on one main character, Moses.”

One afternoon, Moses witnessed the terrible beating of a Hebrew slave by an Egyptian centurion. He became angry, and killed the centurion, then knew he must flee from Egypt, and he ended up in Midean. He was welcomed by the town’s priest and his seven daughters and settled in to live with them. He married Zipporah, one of the daughters, and from her he learned of the mountain of God, called Horeb.

It is here that Moses discovered the burning bush. The Lord called out to him by name, and thus began the close and personal relationship between Moses and God. He said to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”  God then told Moses he must return to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of that land, saving them from further misery. Moses resisted the request, believing he was unworthy, with no authority to do such a thing. But when they arrived in Egypt, God said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country….When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it  before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”  Knowing God would be with them, Moses and Aaron did just as God had asked.

I continued reading this fascinating story because I had no knowledge of what would take place. And when I finally got to the plagues, I had a vague recollection of something happening, but what. I have now read to Chapter Seven, well beyond the assigned scripture! Just how far will this story take me? I eagerly dug in, and there were the plagues!

Do you remember them all? Can you name them in order?

1. Water turned to blood 
2. Frogs 
3. Gnats 
4. Flies 
5. Diseased livestock 
6. Boils 
7. Thunder and hail 
8. Locusts 
9. Darkness 
10. Death of the first born

The plagues, found in Exodus Chapters seven through twelve, were horrifying. But it took something so ugly, so devastating to successfully confront the Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave. Reading about them drove home to me the fact that God is there—always.  He knows how we think, where we stand, and what we can do. It’s amazing!  

With God’s help, as well as Arron’s, Moses had the authority and the power to end the suffering of the Israelites. They knew he was chosen to take them to the promised land.

Another insight: “The Bible does not is concern itself with the question of how these natural phenomena occurred; it merely affirms that something supernatural took place. The miracles were an unprecedented display of God’s holy power…. A nation was about to be born, and the Israelites’ uprooting from Egypt called for such power. They had, after all, lived for centuries in Egypt. It would take a strong incentive indeed to motivate massive, abrupt departure.”

Then I eventually came to Chapter Fifteen: “The Song of Moses” and read on. The song is long, they and I’m caught up in it, hearing every word and seeing in my mind the thousands of Israelites, singing and dancing for joy! It’s delightful all the way to the end!

“Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exulted!

The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea!

Then I closed my Bible, finished for now. But I know the meaning of this experience. And it is good.

Diane Feaganes

Devotional 8-14-20

Scriptures: Gen 45:1–15; Ps 133; Rom 11:1–2a, 29–32; Mt 15: (10–20) 21–2  I chose to focus on the Genesis story for this devotion, but I encourage you to read all of the scriptures. 

The Hebrew Bible reading for this week is the story of Joseph's emotional reunion in Egypt with the brothers who sold him into slavery years earlier.  Although this had been a traumatic experience for Joseph, over time he had risen high in the Pharaoh's favor, and was now a wealthy and respected man. Meanwhile, a famine had come to his homeland, and the brothers had journeyed to Egypt in the hope of finding food. Now, in this week's scripture, they stand before him.  When Joseph reveals his true identity to the brothers, they are understandably afraid. But Joseph, from the perspective of his ability to save his family in the present, claims that their mean-spirited actions in the past were in fact a God thing. What he is professing is faith's ability to find meaning and purpose even in painful events. 

I understand this perspective, and have comforted myself at times that my childhood surgeries and therapies were terrible, but enduring them made me a more compassionate person.  I hear similar stories from other Christians, who have faced great tragedy and eventually been transformed in ways they could not have anticipated. People of faith are often given confidence and peace during challenging times, but others may endure a "dark night of the soul" and only gain perspective later. Like Joseph, we might begin to see our disappointments, pains, and struggles as "God things" too. God works for good in all things, and we can praise God for that, while at the same time recognizing that our choices and those of others make a difference. Joseph's positive experience with his brothers was partly because he chose compassion and forgiveness over anger and revenge; it was God at work in him, and Joseph saying a holy "yes" to that. 

We have the opportunity during these challenging days to also say "yes" to God's leadings.  We can choose to love and protect others by following the best medical advice during this pandemic,  we can share our resources with those in need, we can learn new skills and technologies so we can connect with people near and far, we can consider this time of distancing a holy pause in the midst of our lives--- in short, faith's perspective can create new possibilities as we work together with each other and with God. Let's not grow weary of doing good, loving others, and trusting that God is at work in our lives. 

Prayer for the Day:  Loving and gracious God, walk with us through times of trouble, and let us find your peace and compassion.  Give us strength for the day, and hope for tomorrow.  Amen

Rev. Terry Deane

Devotional 8-7-20

Breaking News! You Are Not Alone

Matthew 28:20 And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Philippians 2:4-5 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
 
Headlines from the Herald Dispatch, Wednesday, August 5, 2020

• WV reports 7 new deaths related to coronavirus
• Local family hit hard by coronavirus after funeral – Over 40 members infected with COVID - 19
• Purchase of desk shields approved

I have a confession to make. I am afraid. I know that scripture says that we should not be afraid because God is with us, but sometimes I have difficulty remembering that. Even though I know through personal experience that God provides help when life gets rough, I also know that bad things happen, and I can’t control the outcome.

In the middle of the night I lie awake and wonder if my cough is from Covid 19 or only my seasonal allergies at work. I worry that my significant other will get sick, and I won’t be able to see him or hold his hand. And I can’t even imagine not being able to visit my family members in the hospital. Then I worry about the illness, eviction, hunger, and fear of people I don’t even know. It’s all so overwhelming! When daylight appears, I feel better, but I always know that the nightmare will return because my mind knows it could happen. It has been real for too many already.

I’ll bet that you can relate to my fear. I’ll bet that many of you are nodding your heads as you read. You wake up each day hoping that the pandemic and divided nature of our country is all a bad dream. But then you watch the news, read the paper, check your Facebook page, and look at the faces of your children, grandchildren, and friends. You see uncertainty, fear, and anger where there was once a life plan, hope, and joy. I need to find the joy again and share it, but how?

The good thing about writing a devotional is that it makes one face fears and search for solutions. Of course, the cure for all of this negativity and fear is found in the story of Jesus’ life. Jesus didn’t have it easy even though He was the Son of God! What He did have was the assurance that God would be beside Him during His exceptional life, excruciating death, and resurrection into His Kingdom! So how is this a good thing for us?

Each day we awake knowing that no matter what happens to us, Jesus will be right beside us. What I need to remember is that when Jesus said he would be with me always, He didn’t mean after my death, but during every second of my mortal life and my eternal life. Just typing that sentence relieves anxiety. In addition, I need to remember to remind my family and friends. We learn through repetition, and this concept is not repeated enough in our secular world. Finally, I need to help others though their rough times. Maybe I could take a meal to a neighbor – or maybe not. Surely there are things I could do for someone that wouldn’t end in food poisoning! And I believe you could do the same.

I’m feeling better already. Thank you for allowing me to search for a solution to my fear. Now would you join me in a prayer?

Dear Jesus, you made a promise two thousand years ago that I’m asking you to honor today. Please help us to combat the paralyzing fear that envelopes us each day, and help our scientists find a cure or vaccine that will combat the virus that has changed our way of life. Finally let us remember that we truly are in this together and should act accordingly. You taught us how to live. If we do it right, we will live with love, not fear.

Amen
Becky Warren

Devotional 8-1-20

Good Trouble

I liked the sound of that from the moment I heard it…do the wrong thing for the right reason…or so I thought (I have a feeling that many things spoken by John Lewis will become ‘household phrases’.). We tell our children from their earliest understanding of language to “stay out of trouble.” And we try to do the same. In my mind I can make a case for that to mean stay AWAY from trouble – as in GO THE OTHER WAY! I would be remiss to mention John Lewis and not acknowledge Martin Luther King, Jr.’s influence on his life: ”…true peace is not the absence of conflict…but the presence of justice.”  Perhaps going the other way is the wrong thing for the wrong reason.

The stories of the life of Jesus are full of good trouble. He never went the other way. The right thing was the only way. He counseled, he healed, he fed > often in the face of ridicule and danger. Do we ever dare go against the norm for the sake of the hurting? “Why are you helping hiiiim?” (if you curl your lip like Elvis and say it with a sneer – you can actually make him into two syllables – works with her too). Do we feed the hungry – with food or with money or do we assess (eyes turned down, shaking my head at myself… JUDGE) that they don’t deserve it?

One of this week’s lectionary readings is Matthew 14: 13-21 – the feeding of the 5000. It begins at verse 13 > “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat…” If you will hit rewind and go back as far as verse 8 or 9, you will discover that THIS is the death of John the Baptist. I think that we could classify that as traumatic news. If I had received such information and then had my ‘alone time’ crushed by 5000 people…well, I probably would not be concerned about their hunger pangs. But Jesus was! And not only did he speak to them for a long time, he stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire by offering to feed them. Do you suppose there was not a single person in the crowd allergic to seafood or maybe gluten intolerant? It’s hard to select the exact K-Cup for the coffee maker in an office of five – can you imagine trying to please 5000?

Mother Teresa once said, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” The one may be one and the one may be the first in a line of 5000.

There is injustice and need all around us. While I am knee deep in quotes, lets go back 200 years before Lewis or King or Mother Teresa to Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (people) to do nothing”  

The one may need a sandwich. The one may need a ride. The one may need an advocate against a bully. The one may need a hug. The one may need a prayer. We must be willing to NOT go the other way, to do the right thing for the right reason…we may be the only Jesus they see this day.

Let’s go out and get into some (good) trouble.

Steve Matthews