Prepare For The Coming of Christ

For 11/27/2011

Isaiah 64:1-9 from The Message Version

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader.  The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.  Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek through this link http://www.textweek.com/prophets/isaiah64.htm.


A purpose of the Advent season is to prepare for the coming Christ, the coming of God’s presence among and in us through God’s Spirit. The Lectionary scripture from Isaiah speaks to an intense desire for God to make God’s presence known. It is a scripture similar in form to a lament psalm; where was God, why did the Israelites continue to have hard times. It was written after the Israelites had returned from a long exile and rebuilt the temple but times were still hard. It reflects the passionate desire for God to come now! with all of the ramifications of the Almighty actually coming into their presence.

From Isaiah 64: Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend, make the mountains shudder at your presence— As when a forest catches fire, as when fire makes a pot to boil— To shock your enemies into facing you, make the nations shake in their boots!

• What word and images strike you from these verses? Can you imagine us making this Call to Worship with genuine feeling at the beginning of our first Advent Sunday? A commentary had these thoughts for us, what do you think:

One of the cornerstones of my understanding of theology in general, and the human condition in particular, is that left to our own devices, we don’t mind approaching the Divine on our own terms, but we sure don’t want the Divine getting too close. Like a cagey, skittish cat, we approach God…a little. Slowly. With constant suspicion. And at the slightest movement we scurry in the opposite direction.                                                                                     Fr. Rick Morley, a garden path, 2011.

• Do you agree with Fr. Morley? Do you want God to make God’s presence known in this way? How would you like God’s presence to be revealed to us and to the world?
• What must the conditions have been for a spokesperson for the nation of Israel to make this bold a desperate call for God’s presence?
• What situations and conditions today cause you to want God obvious presence?

More from Isaiah 64:
You did terrible things we never expected, descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence. Since before time began no one has ever imagined, No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who happily do what is right, who keep a good memory of the way you work.

• How is God described in these words of praise? Read Exodus 19 for a vivid description of a mountain shuddering and the awe filled presence of God. What does Isaiah say the conditions necessary for a person to sense God’s presence, what would you add?
• The people Isaiah is writing to/for have just experienced years of a sense of separation from God (see Psalm 139:1-8 for some of their emotions) and have returned full of hope only to be confronted with very hard times. What does he intend with these words?
• Has God blessed you in surprising ways during your lifetime? What feelings do you have about and what do you attribute to the God you worship? Write your own version of Isaiah’s words based on your faith life.

Isaiah 64 continues:
But how angry you've been with us! We've sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved? We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves— sin-dried, we're blown off by the wind. No one prays to you or makes the effort to reach out to you Because you've turned away from us, left us to stew in our sins.

• Why does Isaiah say God seems absent to the people? What cause and effect arguments does Isaiah use? Can our behavior or frame of mind make God more or less real for us?
• What sense do you have of Isaiah’s mood as he writes these words? Who does Isaiah suggest is responsible for cleaning up the Israelites problems?
• Meditation and reflection on our shortcomings is a part of the Lenten preparation for Easter. Do you think that a self assessment of ourselves and the need we have for God’s presence is an important part of preparation for Christmas? What are some useful ways for us to do this kind of introspection? What is your reaction to William Willimon’s words below?

That’s why the church generally refrains from singing Christmas carols during Advent. That’s why purple, the color of penitence, adorns our altar and the neck of your preacher. We dare not rush to greet the Redeemer prematurely until we pause here, in darkened church, to admit that we do need redemption. Nothing within us can save us. No thing can save us. We’ve tried that before. No president, no bomb, no new car, no bottle, no white Christmas can save.                                             William Willimon, The Christian Century

Isaiah 64continues:

Still, God, you are our Father. We're the clay and you're our potter: all of us are what you made us. Don't be too angry with us, O God. Don't keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us.

• What is Isaiah reminding God of with these words? Is Isaiah saying that bad actions on our part are the result of a problem with the potter? How important is it for us to be reminded that God is the potter? Do you feel “God made”? What can that sense do for our faith life?
• What does Advent teach us about the reality of the way in which God chooses to interact with us? What do the words of the Christmas hymn below impart about the coming of Christ? Do you prefer it to Isaiah’s call to God? How would you describe the presence of God you experience on Christmas eve?

O Little Town of Bethlehem

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear Christ enters in.

Closing Litany

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts,

Eternal Goodness, Deliver us from evil,

Eternal Power, be our support,

Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance,

Eternal Pity, have mercy on us.

Amen

                                                                                               Alvin of York, The Oxford Book of Prayer

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures - Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13, 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8

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Thanks Giving 2011

For Thanksgiving Sunday 11/20/2011
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader.  The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.

• Thinking back on this year what are you thankful as we approach Thanksgiving Day? Take some time to make a list.
• What are some ways in which you/we acknowledge blessings and those who played a role in bringing them about?
• The following came from a meditation by Wilfred A. Peterson and speaks to giving thanks:

“The art of Thanksgiving is Thanksliving. It is gratitude in action. It is applying Albert Schweitzer’s philosophy: ‘In gratitude for your own good fortune, you must render in return some sacrifice of your life for other life.’
It is thanking God for the gift of life, by living it triumphantly.
It is thanking God for your talents and abilities, by accepting them as obligations to be invested for the common good.
It is thanking God for all that men and women have done for you, by doing things for others.
It is thanking God for opportunities, by accepting them as a challenge to achievement.
It is thanking God for happiness, by striving to make others happy.
It is thanking God for beauty, by helping to make the world more beautiful.
It is thanking God for inspiration by trying to be an inspiration for others.
It is thanking God for health and strength, by the care and reverence you show your body.
It is thanking God for the creative ideas that enrich life, by adding your own creative contributions to human progress.
It is thanking God for each new day, by living it to the fullest.
It is thanking God by giving hands, arms, legs and voice to your thankful spirit.
It is adding to your prayers of thanksgiving, acts of thanksliving.”

• What resonates with you in this meditation? Do you think that being blessed puts an obligation on the recipient? Might this fit as a focus for a congregation's stewardship campaign that looks of all forms of our response to God’s blessings?
• What examples have you seen of this philosophy/understanding during the past year? Do you think that it is  reflected in congregational life?
• Should we regularly reflect on our blessings and how we have been God’s agent in responding to them? Look at the bottom of this page for some ideas.

Psalm 103 gives us an important reminder about where our giving of thanks should be directed:

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God,
don't forget a single blessing!
He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.
God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet…

• What gets your attention in this section of the psalm? Have you found these types of blessings during your faith journey? What would you add to the list of blessings of a relationship with God based on your own experience?
• Are these blessings we have a “thanksliving” obligation to tell others about?
• Do you plan to incorporate any form of giving thanks into your Thanksgiving week?

Closing Prayer (From Psalm 138)

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!"

Angels listen as I sing my thanks.

I kneel in worship facing your holy temple

and say it again: "Thank you!"

Thank you for your love,

thank you for your faithfulness;

Thank you for blessing me with ____________________________________

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!"

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37

 

Cultivating Gratitude: (Two Queens, One Castle online)

As thanksgiving approaches, try to carve out a few extra minutes in your day, perhaps upon waking, or before hopping into bed at night, for this short exercise. Sit or lay in a comfortable position, and tune into your breath. Try to identify 6 things (person, place, or thing) that you are grateful for in this moment. We all have those wonderful “go-to” things we are constantly aware that we are thankful for… But in this instance, try to narrow down your thoughts to those special and unique things you are thankful for in this one specific day. (perhaps it is as simple as the sunlight on your face, a breeze through the trees, or a delicious bite of fruit you ate today) If it has been a good day, this might feel very easy to do. If it has been a difficult day, this will serve to bring you into a better place by focusing on your blessings. Once you have the list made, repeat a silent mantra as you breathe in: “I am grateful for ______,” and the number “1” as you breathe out. Repeat this for each of the things on your list, followed by their number (Do not worry about the order; this does not indicate that any one is any more important than the others, it is simply an exercise.) Then, if you have time to remain for a few more minutes, return to the first item on your list. Hold it in your mind, be with it, and simply observe. You might notice if your breath, body, or heart respond in any particular way. After you have taken several breaths with your first item, move to the next one, and so on for all items on your list.

A Gratitude Journal (Neil F. Neimark, M.D. online) is one of my favorite ways of praying. At the end of the day, I list some of the things that I am most grateful for that day. It can be anything: a friend, a good day at work, a cheerful email, a sunny day, or a kind word from someone. Then I give thanks to God for all he has given me.
After doing this for a long time, I began to notice that I had more of an “attitude of gratitude.” I began to see more of the good things in my life. I saw the cup as half full rather than half empty. And I became more aware of God’s presence in my life.
This kind of journal is another way to give thanks and grow closer to God. It is such a good habit to get into and can help us feel more grateful.
I have often thought that everyday should really be Thanksgiving Day. A journal can help us with our thanksgiving prayers!
Here are some questions to help you focus on what you have to be grateful for.

♦ How can I grow from this?

♦ What is the blessing in this?

♦ What can I take from this that empowers me?

♦ What is the opportunity for me in this?

♦ What possibilities does this open up for me?

♦ What is the most loving thing to do in this situation?

♦ What am I grateful for?

Gratitude transforms the simple into the sacred. Gratitude gives us more even when we have less than we want. Multiply your spiritual and emotional wealth now by starting your gratitude journal.
If you Google Gratitude Journal there are lots of resources for starting and using this idea.

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Confronting God

For 11/13/2011

All Scriptures from The Message Version

This post is intended to help the reader personalize the words and thoughts in the scriptures.  It works best if shared between two or more people as a topic of discussion but there is something to be gained by just considering the questions by yourself.  Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek through this link http://www.textweek.com/pentateuch/ex32a.htm.

One of the stubbornly enduring habits of the human race is to insist on domesticating God.  We are determined to tame him.  We figure out ways to harness God to our projects.  We try to reduce God to a size that conveniently fits our plans and ambitions and tastes.

But our Scriptures are even more stubborn in telling us that we can’t do it.  God cannot be fit into our plans, we must fit into his.  We can’t use god – God is not a tool or appliance or credit card.

Eugene H. Peterson – Translator/Interpreter of The Message Version

During the Israelite’s exodus through the desert God had been a visual presence with them, leading them in a pillar of fire and smoke.  But then the breaking of the very first commandment and casting and worship of the Golden Calf in Moses’ absence – God is upset and changes his mind telling Moses:

From Exodus 33:1-3  I will send an angel ahead of you and I'll drive out the Canaanites…  But I won't be with you in person—you're such a stubborn, hard-headed people!—lest I destroy you on the journey."

God changes His mind – he delegates his presence to an angel as he has lost patience with them.  With this Moses turns to God to argue – he pleads a case for God’s continued presence.  Prayer is communication with God, regardless of the nature of that conversation – as you read this read it as Moses being in prayer with God:

Exodus 33:12-13 Moses said to God, "Look, you tell me, 'Lead this people,' but you don't let me know whom you're going to send with me. You tell me, 'I know you well and you are special to me.' If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. That way, I will continue being special to you. Don't forget, this is your people, your responsibility."

¹⁴ God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end."

^15-16 Moses said, "If your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that you're with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and your people, among all other people on this planet Earth?"

¹⁷ God said to Moses: "All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name."

·       What arguments does Moses confront God with in verses 12-13 as he strains to get God to change His decision?  What does Moses say worries him?  Who does he claim is responsible for the fate of the people?  What tone of voice and demeanor do you think he presented in this request/demand?

·       After all of the conversations (prayers?) Moses has had with God something big is missing, what does he want revealed?  What is Moses dealing with as he struggles to lead the people?  Is it surprising that he wants more information about the specifics of what is going to happen in the future?

·       Can you relate to any of this frustration as you travel along your own faith journey?  What is Moses asking for that we might all wish for?  How do we deal with the uncertainty of our immediate and long term personal future and all of the ups and downs it might hold?  Would you consider having a conversation with God like this?  What has your faith brought to your life during times of uncertainty?

·       Have you ever begun something, big or small, that you felt your faith called you to do?  Would you like to have had this conversation and the assurance Moses asks for?

·       What is God’s response in versed 14 – what does he affirm?  What does He mean by presence – is it only in the form of the previously mentioned angel?  How does Moses react to God’s response?

·       Think about Moses’ demand to God as you read verses 15-16 – what is he demanding  – what must be going through Moses’ mind as he speaks – what do you imagine is his tone of voice – what must he think that his relationship with God must be to speak in this way?

·       Should we be striving for a relationship in which all of our emotions can be expressed in our conversations with God?  How do we do that?  Do you know anyone with whom you can imagine having this kind of conversation?  What is your relationship with that person, why are you comfortable to speak to them in this way?  What does it say about the relationship with God we should be seeking?

·       Moses speaks about him and his people being special, do you think that people of faith are special in God’s eyes?  In what ways?

·       What is the bottom line we see in verse 17, why does God accede to Moses’ wishes?  How has your faith blessed you?

Moses is still not satisfied and makes more requests of God:

¹⁸ Moses said, "Please. Let me see your Glory."

¹⁹ God said, "I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out the name, God, right before you. I'll treat well whomever I want to treat well and I'll be kind to whomever I want to be kind."

²⁰ God continued, "But you may not see my face. No one can see me and live."

^21-23 God said, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."

·       What is Moses asking for, what does he want God to do?  Is looking someone in the face the ultimate step in really knowing who and what they are?  Is that something you would like to do with God?

·       How amazing is it that the omnipotent, omnipresent creator of the infinite universe will choose to seek a relationship with us mere humans?  Does it make any sense to you?  How do you fit this into your personal faith life?

·       But in the end God puts a condition on any presence made with Moses and by extension all of us – what is it?  Do you believe that God is knowable, that we can find human equivalents of our values, emotions, physical appearance, logic, understanding of good and evil, justice, etc.?  Does this scripture in some ways express that impossibility?

·       God promises that Moses will experience God’s presence but that he will not see his face (in other words really come to know God).  How do we experience God’s presence?  Are there any particular experiences that have been high points in your faith journey?  Is it possible to experience God’s presence in creation or get a glimpse from the actions and relationships we have with other people of faith?

·       What one thing will you take away from considering these scriptures today?  What questions have gone unanswered?  How might you pursue coming closer to getting answers.  

Closing Litany (I Corinthians 13:12-13)

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.

But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!

We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures:  Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24, Psalm 100 or Psalm 95:1-7a, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

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Take It Into Your Hearts

For 10/30/2011
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

This post is intended to help the reader personalize the words and thoughts in the scriptures.  It works best if shared between two or more people as a topic of discussion but there is much to be gained by just considering the questions by yourself.  Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek through this link http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/matt23.htm

Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew and the other Gospel writers give us many examples of the conflicts that Jesus had with the religious authorities who confronted him and his followers.  In today’s scripture from Matthew 23 he uses the behavior of the Pharisees to teach a broader lesson about the root of a full and meaningful faith life.

Matthew 23:1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

·       In other teachings Jesus has seemed to completely discredit those who are in a position of Jewish authority or given formal credibility as teachers and judges of behavior.  In this scripture he modifies this apparent blanket judgment.  What should be respected and understand about religious scholars and Pharisees?  What do you think he means when he speaks about God’s Law, what might it consist of?

·       Here are two brief scriptures in which Jesus speaks to the law:

Matthew 5:17 "Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures— either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama.

Matthew 7:24-25"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock.

·       Where should we turn to understand what God’s Law is for followers of Jesus?  How are we to use it and what is it’s benefit?  What makes the Law real and effective for us?  Can our perception of the word law as something to learn and comply with run against the concept of law Jesus is speaking about?  What must we do with the words to live on solid rock?

·       After giving the Pharisees some credit he takes them to task.  What is his problem with them?  Does any of this ring true for you in your experience with religious leaders or fellow believers or yourself?  Isn’t a common criticism of Christians that we are “a bunch of hypocrites”?  How would you respond if someone said that to you?  What is available to us when we fall short?

Back to our scripture:

Matthew 23:4-7 "Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.  Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that.”

·       What results from seeing “God’s Law” as complying with rules?  How have you experienced hearing it as “food and drink”?  What makes our faith real to us in our everyday lives?

·       Does any of the criticism of the Pharisee’s behavior resonate with your experience or observation of religious leaders or fellow Christians?  What do you admire in the lives of leaders and fellow believers, what makes you respect them?

·       Should we expect to find favor in God’s eyes because of meeting others expectations as to how we should behave or practice our faith?

 Continuing with our scripture:

^{8-10 “}You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

 ^11-12"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

·       Is it important for us to have teachers if we are to grow in our faith life?  What cautions does Jesus give us about teachers? Who have been meaningful teachers for you and what was it that gave them credibility?

·       What are some important experiences that taught you about and grew your faith?  Where does succeeding and failing on our own fit into expanding our understanding what being faithful means?

·       When do you turn to “experts” as you live your daily life?  Do you follow their advice literally or do you interpret it based on your experience?  How might this apply to our faith lives?

·       Jesus finishes with a teaching he repeats all during his ministry – what are we to remember and how should we seek to live?   Can you point to an example that illustrates what he is talking about?

·       What is one thing you have learned as you contemplated these scriptures today?

Closing Litany from Romans 12:1-2

Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.

Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

AMEN

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures:  Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25or Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 or Amos 5:18-24, m 78:1-7or Psalm 70, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

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Make God's For Us

For 10/9/2011

All scriptures from The Message Version

This scripture follows the dramatic delivery of the 10 Commandments to Moses on the seemingly volcanic Mount Sinai with the nation of Israel gathered in fear and trembling described in Exodus 19.  The event described in Exodus 32 could be a second telling of the delivery of the Ten Commandments or describes a second meeting with God.  Moses, accompanied by Joshua, climbs up the Mount Sinai for a meeting with God that lasts 40 days and 40 nights.  While he is gone the people understandably get restless and impatient, then led by Aaron they break the very first of the Ten Commandments in a most blatant way:

 ¹ When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, "Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what's happened to him?"

^2-4 So Aaron told them, "Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me." They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool. The people responded with enthusiasm: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!"

⁵ Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf. Aaron then announced, "Tomorrow is a feast day to God!"

⁶ Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!

·       What is making the people uneasy?  What do you think Moses represents to them?  Are they confusing Moses with God?  What do they want?  What went amazing experience had they just had at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)? How long has it been since the parting of the Red Sea?  Is their reaction under the circumstances surprising? 

·       What do you think is at the root of their behavior?  Do you think that the people feel a connection with God?

·       Who is Aaron?  In Moses’ initial meeting with God Aaron’s name comes up when Moses complains that he is a poor speaker:

Exodus 4:14-17 God got angry with Moses: "Don't you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad. You'll speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step. He will speak to the people for you. He'll act as your mouth, but you'll decide what comes out of it. Now take this staff in your hand; you'll use it to do the signs."

·       What role is Aaron chosen by God to take on?  How do you think that he felt when the people came to him with a big problem and Moses is away on the mountain?  How much pressure must he have felt when the people clamored crying, “Do something”?  Have you ever had to respond to the pressure of making an important decision you did not feel prepared to make?  How did you resolve it? 

·       What do the people want that Aaron responds to by building the calf?  What is the material for the calf and what does it say about the importance of the idol?   Can building very expensive and grand edifices for worship be in any way equated with the motivation behind casting the calf? 

·       Where are the Israelites located and what might make them very, very insecure at that time?  What alternatives might Aaron have had for a response to their insecurities?  What does his response say about his sense of God’s presence with them?  Did Moses’ absence equate to God’s absence for them?  Can we have difficulty at times in sensing God’s presence?  What are some positive ways to deal with this problem?

·       What does their request say about the basic desires we have a humans to have sense the presence of something or someone greater than ourselves that we can rally around?  In what ways do we as modern day people seek this kind of reassurance in spiritual and secular ways?  Can this basic human need make us vulnerable to misguided decisions about whom or what to trust?

Exodus 4:7-8 God spoke to Moses, "Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they've turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They've sacrificed to it and said, 'These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"

^9-10 God said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."

·       Why do you think that God was so upset?  Is God’s reaction so surprising giving the circumstances? Have you ever felt really let down by someone or a group of people?  What was your reaction, how did you respond?
·       Would your vision of God do what God threatens to do here?  How would your vision of God respond?  Do we miss understanding all that God represents if we downplay judgment and reward and punishment?
·       What role does God promise Moses?  Is the promise to make a great nation out of Moses (Genesis 17 and see below) intended to connect him to the promise made to Abraham to do the same thing?

Exodus 4:11-13 Moses tried to calm his God down. He said, "Why, God, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, 'He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.' Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them 'I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I'll give this land to your children as their land forever.'"

¹⁴ And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.

·       Why do you think that Moses felt that he could argue with God?  Would any of the people in the valley have had the gumption to confront God?  Have you ever argued with or complained to God?  Should we voice our frustrations, confusion and doubts to God? 

·       What was the difference between Moses’ and the people’s relationship with God?  Why is a sense that God is approachable important to us?  What words does Jesus use to describe our relationship with God?  What are some things we can do to approach the type of relationship Moses had with God?

*       What arguments does Moses use to intercede for the Israelites?  What logic does he use? Do you think that we can influence God?  In what ways is this true and how do we go about it? 

·       What do you take away from thinking about these questions and what might you incorporate into you faith life?

Closing Prayer

Lord we seek your guidance and your Spirit as we live our daily lives for we know that your love for us has no bounds.  Forgive us when we ignore your presence and choose to worship our idols.   For we pray in the name of the one who interceded for us, Jesus Christ.  Amen

Next Week’s Scriptures:  Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22

Preparing for God's Presence

For October 2, 2011
All Scriptures are from The Message Version

The Book of Exodus is a mixture of very early oral material which has come from different Jewish traditions and joined together. Just as we have four gospels telling us in somewhat different ways about Jesus Christ so the Jews have different memories of the root of their faith. Christians recorded them in four different gospels, but in the first five books of the Old Testament the traditions are all mixed together which can result in varying repetitions of the same event.  This is true for the transmission of the 10 commandments by God to the people of Israel.  The first is recorded beginning in Exodus 19 and the second Exodus 31-34 which tells of the construction of the golden calf and smashing of the stone tablets.  We will look at the first telling today:

Exodus 19:10-13 God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they'll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, 'Warning! Don't climb the mountain. Don't even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he's to be stoned. That's right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.' "A long blast from the horn will signal that it's safe to climb the mountain."

 ^14-15 Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. Then he addressed the people: "Be ready in three days. Don't sleep with a woman."

·       God orders Moses to get the people ready to meet God – what are the specific preparations they are to make for this event?  How were they to behave and what were they to do?  What do these preparations tell us about the Israelites picture or understanding of who and what God was? 

·       What would the people know in three days, what did God promise God would do?  Is knowing God is present something that is an eternal and universal desire?  In what ways has God made God’s presence known to you – was it something you experienced, saw, or some other way?

·       What does God caution Moses to be sure to do to protect the people from God’s presence?  What is he to do to enforce these boundaries?  What does this tell us about the Israelites understanding of God, is God not to be approached, is God’s power enough to kill one who approaches too closely or something else?   Is God a constant presence or does God come and go while keeping an eye on them?   

·       How do you picture God; is it like the Israelites or in some other way?  What would your behavior be in the actual presence, the physical proximity of God?  Do you see God as being remote or in a more personal way?  John 14:23-24 records one of the last of Jesus’ teachings which speaks of God’s presence:

Because a loveless world," said Jesus, "is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me.

Read it and compare it to the picture of God in Exodus scripture.  Are there any similarities/differences and what preparation might be made for God based on the scripture from John?  What are the ramifications of having God in your neighborhood?

·       Are there any parallels in the practices of individuals and congregations at worship today which reflect a conscious or unconscious preparation for the presence of God?

Exodus 19 continues:

 ¹⁶ On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear.

 ¹⁷ Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain.

 ^18-20 Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered in huge spasms. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered in thunder. God descended to the peak of Mount Sinai. God called Moses up to the peak and Moses climbed up.

 ^21-22 God said to Moses, "Go down. Warn the people not to break through the barricades to get a look at God lest many of them die. And the priests also, warn them to prepare themselves for the holy meeting, lest God break out against them."

·       What would be the understanding of God for those who were present at Mount Sinai that day?  What would be the basis for their relationship with God, i.e., fear, love, discomfort, concern, welcoming? 

·       What is the basis for your relationship with God, where does it come from?  If you were asked to describe God what would you say?  Should any healthy relationship with God include an sense of either fear or awe?  What should we fear?  Where should the awe come from?

Exodus 20:18-20 records the Israelites reaction to this experience:

All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have God speak to us or we'll die."  Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won't sin."

·       Is the Israelites reaction surprising, what would yours have been.  What reasons does Moses give for God choosing to appear in this way?  Do you think that a dose of fear as a reason to not sin is a good thing?   

·       What is the best way to prepare ourselves for the presence of God and when should we expect God to be present with us?

Closing Litany - Reflections on God’s presence from Psalm 19

The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.

   The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.

   The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

   The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.

   God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.

   Amen

Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Matthew 22:1-14, Philippians 4:1-9, Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23, Exodus 32:1-14