Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Deuteronomy Chapter 8 verses 12 and 14, “When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting about the Lord your God,” (NRSVB). Moses was prepared from the time of his birth to lead the Israelites out of bondage into freedom. It was a long school of preparation: the Egyptian Court, the exile in Median, the return to Egypt, the exodus, the journey through the desert. At this point, the Israelites have come to finally being able to enter into The Promised Land. Moses was summarizing the commandments of God to them, assuring them of a good future, a time of peace and prosperity, for their time of wandering in the desert was drawing to an end. Moses would not lead them into this Promised Land, Joshua would. Moses wanted to impress on the minds of the people the covenant that they have entered into with God, “I will be your God and you will be my people,” (Exodus 6 verse 7). Moses reminded the Israelites that they need to continue to rely on God and see the blessings that will befall them as coming from their Father, the God of Israel. He warned the people not to become proud and consider that their newly acquired prosperity and their established and peaceful existence were created out of their own ingenious plans and works. They had to remember that it is God who created these circumstances and bestowed these blessings and praise Him for his grace.
In the Lenten time of 2020 the world experienced change that has been unprecedented. For more than a year we have lived under the shadow of a deadly virus. The world is in turmoil. Many of the old and trusted plans and ways of operating in society have changed forever. The staggering advances of humans in the last fifty years have brought us to a place where we marvelled at our ingenuity, our science, our medicine, our technology, our banking and economic systems, our travel and communication systems. Very little glory, if any, has been given to God. The universe is too big and complex for us to completely comprehend, likewise our impact on the universe, its systems and our own ecosystems. Unforeseen diverse ramifications have surfaced. Our wisdom alone would not be able to fully solve the problems that are suffered in the world. We have to honour God as the Creator God, and bring this world and her problems to him in humility. It is not God’s will that humans exploit the environment and each other, it is counter to his laws, but the laws of humans allow such practices under the guise of man-made statutes.
The Apostle Paul writes in the First Letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 5 verse 18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (NRSVB). Giving thanks to God in all circumstances translates that we thank God that he is with us in all circumstances, whether these are good or bad. God did not want the Hebrew children to stay under the bond of slavery in Egypt. He did not want them to give thanks for the bond of slavery, but to give thanks that God has taken care of them under that bond, and that he will ultimately deliver them out of slavery. This is the gospel and good news to us today. God, who saved the Israelites from oppression and brought them out of their circumstances, has not turned his face away from his children here on earth. He sees our distress and he is working in the world that he has created to bring about change and possibilities for a new future for everyone. God is preparing a future where the oppression of bondage by disease, plagues and calamities will subside. It is not God’s will that we suffer tragic circumstances. However, it is his will that we must trust and call on him and praise him for his promised deliverance out of these circumstances.
Father, forgive us. We have exalted ourselves and our own efforts. Lord, have mercy.