And You Thought God Didn't Care!
Sermon
Trouble on the Mountain
Sermons For The Middle Third Of The Pentecost Season
Proper 12 (July 24-30)
Ordinary Time 17
Exodus 3:13-20
And You Thought God Didn't Care!
Someone asked a man,"Do you think the biggest problem in the church is ignorance or apathy?" The man replied, "I don't know and I don't care!" Lots of folks believe that about God. He is either unaware of all that concerns us or is indifferent to it. For all those who suspect God of this detached inclination, who think God doesn't care, there is marvelous truth in the text to refute that notion forever. Let's lay a bit of groundwork and see how this is so.
Moses, the emissary of God, born to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage, has been in training, up to now, for the "Big Move" from Pharoah's jurisdiction to God's control.
But let's begin a bit further back in this exciting book of Exodus! A fine, beautiful baby boy was born to Hebrew parents, Amram and Jochebed. No longer able to hide the healthy, three-month-old child from a ruler who had commanded all male Hebrew babies to be killed, the mother made a basket of reeds, covered it with tar, placed her child in it, and launched it on the water of the river Nile. (You see, "water-beds" are not such a modern innovation, after all!)
The babe was found, claimed, adopted and raised by Pharoah's daughter. The infant grew to be a man. He was educated and instructed in the royal courts by the best of tutors in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.
When Moses was grown he refused to deny his identity with the Hebrew slaves and looked with compassion upon the burdens of his people. Because of an act of violence, in defending one of his own people, he had to flee from Egypt and found refuge in the land of Midian. There he met Jethro (also called Reuel) who became his father-in-law when he married Zipporah, one of Jethro's daughters.
In the course of time, the King of Egypt died, the Hebrews groaned under their bondage, and God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In the desert, Moses had the vision of the bush burning, and not being consumed. God called Moses there and commissioned him to go back to Egypt, seek an audience with the king, and begin proceedings which would ultimately result in the Hebrews being led out of Egyptian bondage.
Moses immediately began to protest. His first question was, "Who am I that I should go?" (I am a nobody. How can I go?) God's answer was, "I will be with you." That should have been enough for Moses, but he still objected, so God helped him by telling him more about himself and what his intentions were for the people.
Moses is to go to the people and tell them of ...
God's Name (vv. 13, 14)
Names are terribly important. An eight-year-old boy was asked to be the one who announced the principals of the nativity in the school Christmas pageant. The boy's father was so excited about his son being chosen that he went out and bought him the finest suit he could find. The boy was a bit timid by nature, so, to give him some added confidence, the father pinned the names of the characters in the play on the inside of the new coat. They were there as insurance, in case he forgot. When the characters of the Christmas pageant appeared, the boy announced: "That is Jesus in the manger, Mary is seated nearby, Joseph is standing next to her. The next are the shepherds from the fields, and the three men are er-er-er ..." He simply couldn't remember, so he took a quick look at the inside of his coat and blurted out, "Hart, Schaffner, and Marx!"
Moses knew his people would ask him the name of the One who had sent him, so Moses asked God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of our fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name'? What shall I say to them?" God said, "Tell them I AM WHO I AM has sent you." It makes such a difference in whose name we go, or whose name we use when we speak to others on that one's behalf. When I was a child, my older brother would say, "Pick up your toys," and my response might be, "Who said so?" But when he would reply, "Mother said so," all I could say was "Oh." Or, on the job, when ordered to do this or that, you ask, "Who says so?" When you are told, "The Boss says so," you have little to say in return.
Names mean a lot in the Bible. In the Scripture the name is as important as the person with the name. The name of God in the Bible was as holy as God himself. Often when a name was changed it was to indicate a change of status or a change of nature. Abram became Abraham, Saul became Paul, Jacob became Israel. In baptism, baptized believers receive a new surname, Christian, to signify their new situation. It is told a certain Apache Indian went before an Arizona judge to have his name legally changed. "Why do you want to change your name?" inquired the judge. "Because it is too long," said the Indian. "What is your name now?" the judge asked. The Indian responded, "Chief Screeching Train Whistle." "So," the judge queried, "to what do you want it shortened?" "Toots," replied the Indian chief.
So now God is revealing himself in a new name, a name never used before. When God said, "I AM WHO I AM," it revealed to Moses the sum of the entire divine character and attributes. The Name designates the essential nature of the One who speaks.
So, knowing it is Yahweh, the Lord, who sends him, Moses then knows the outcome - to those who believe in the Name - is already assured. Victory is certain because of the Name. This is the Name of the God of the fugitive Moses and of the Hebrew slaves. This all-conquering Name would not be fully understood by any one generation of Israelities, and God would continually manifest himself in new and glorious ways to his people.
For the Christian, the interpretation wonderfully describes Jesus Christ, the great "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." No wonder so many songs are written to laud "The Name" -
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
"Tell Me His Name Again"
"Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know"
"At the Name of Jesus"
"How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds in a Believer's Ear"
"Take the Name of Jesus With You"
"Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go"
"Jesus! the Name High Over All" - and in another of Wesley's hymns,
"Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown," a line repeats over and over again, through twelve stanzas, "Thy Nature and thy Name is Love."
There is power in the strong name of Jesus. That name inspires confidence, his name instills peace.
A woman in my parish once came to me telling of being unable to sleep at night. She had not had more than a few minutes' sleep at night for the past four or five months. She was a nervous wreck, and emotionally and physically exhausted. She had tried everything; she had gone to doctors, had taken sleeping pills, drank warm milk before retiring, taken warm baths, read books, taken tranquilizers, and was close to the breaking point when she came to me. I had no idea what her problem was, but I suggested, since she had tried everything else, and nothing had worked, maybe there was guilt from unconfessed sin she was feeling, and she might try confession and then repeat, over and over again, letting her mind and thoughts and consciousness be filled with the Presence of the One who carried the name, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." I saw her ten days or two weeks later; a bright-eyed, sparkling, relaxed, confident woman. She said, "It worked! I said his name a few times, then over and over, literally thousands of times, just the simple name of Jesus. Now I go to sleep saying his name and awaken with his name on my lips. He seems to pervade my subconscious, and I sleep like a baby." Oh, the power there is in the name of Jesus!
It is a strong and mighty name under which Christians serve and in whom they trust!
Just in case Moses and the Hebrews thought God didn't care, he sent Moses to them with the Name, but also told them of -
God's Interest in Them (v. 16)
God does a far better job of giving evidence of his concern and interest in us than we often do for one another. It's hard to find someone who really cares about you.
Everybody knows about the famous "Who's Who in America." There is also a book called "Who's Nobody in America." In that book is a woman named Mildred who has been in psychotherapy for eight years with the same therapist, and he still calls her Sarah!
God, after telling Moses the Name in which he is sent, now tells Moses why. It's a repeat of what he told him at the burning bush. "I have seen, I have heard the cries of my people, I know all about their suffering, it matters to me!"
There is a Gospel song which asks, "Does Jesus Care?" Of course he cares! Even if you have, at times, thought God didn't care, let me tell you he will turn heaven and earth upside down and inside out to help you. Everything about you, and all that happens to you, is of vital interest to God.
Sometimes people get tired of hearing our problems, especially if they last a long while. Others are willing to help us for a time, and then soon their love runs out of breath. It isn't that they don't want to assist us, they just have so many demands upon their time and energies, they can't spread themselves to cover all the calls for help. We get a lot of appeals for help. They come in the mail. Television brings into our homes the plight of the world's sufferers. We grow weary of hearing about foreign aid by our government, of problems too large and too multitudinous for us to handle. A minister friend of ours, Dr. Robert Stackel, calls it "compassion burn-out." "Compassion fatigue" may be our problem, but it is not God's. He knows when it rains on our picnic as well as when our business fails. He cares that nations are at war, but also that you had a fuss today with someone in your home. Both the infinitesimal and the magnitudinous problems are in his range of concern.
A little girl laid aside her rosiest apple to give to a little sick friend, and her cousin, Billy, asked, "Do you suppose God cares about such little things as we do, or is he too busy taking care of big folks to notice us much?" Winnie shook her head and pointed to her mother who had just lifted her baby sister from the crib. "Do you think Mama is too busy with the big folks that she forgets about the baby? No, she thinks of the baby first, 'cause he's the littlest. Surely God knows how to love as well as Mother."
And then God goes on to assure Moses that his strong Name and certain interest is accompanied by definite action. So we have -
God's Promise of Deliverance (v. 17)
God is not just idly, nor morbidly, curious about us, not just interested on a theoretical level, but he promises to become involved, and to bring them out of the affliction of Egypt. For the Hebrews, the deliverer God sent was Moses; for the Christian, the mighty deliverer is Jesus.
J. B. Phillips has said a man may find difficulty in writing a poem, but if he cries, "Oh, William Shakespeare, help me!" nothing whatever happens. A man may be terribly afraid, but if he cries, "Oh, Horatio Nelson, help me!" there is no sort of reply. But if he is at the end of his moral resources or cannot, by effort of will, muster up sufficient positive love and goodness, and he cries, "Oh, Christ, help me!" something happens at once.
Christ comes to us, sees our dilemma, our affliction, our sin, our struggles, and, in it all, promises to help. Does Christ care? Yes! How much? Enough to do something about it!
God knew, and Moses suspected, the deliverance from Egypt would not be easily accomplished, but it would be done! It took forty years, but the end result was always certain. So it may not be tomorrow that you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but light will break through. It's as sure as the sun's rising in the eastern sky. Not one word of his good promises has ever been known to fail.
If affliction of sin is your trouble, if uncertain forgiveness is your problem, then that deliverance is already accomplished. It was done for you at Calvary and all you have to do is repent, come with faith, and claim it as your own.
Call if You Need Help
A man, passing the same house every day, noticed a man working in his garden, and he was always whistling. Cold or hot, wet or dry, no matter what time of day, he still whistled. Out of curiosity, he stopped at the house to ask him why. As he came up on the porch, he saw a woman in a wheel chair, the man out in the garden at the side of the house, still whistling. He walked out to him, and the man explained, "My wife is an invalid. She is blind, and cannot walk, and spends her life in that wheel chair. I whistle when I work so she'll always know where I am and all she has to do is call if she needs me."
Christ is God in the flesh, whistling in our dark lives, telling us where he is, that he is always near, and, if we need him, all we need to do is call!
Proper 13 (July 31--August 6)
Ordinary Time 18
Exodus 12:1-14
Dog: Man's Best Friend?
Everyone who has ever had a pet claims it is the "best"; whether it is a cat, horse, chimpanzee, goldfish, or dog makes no difference. But, for the most part, the dog usually comes out ahead. Almost everyone can tell you a favorite dog story. I like the one about the couple whose home had been burglarized and decided they needed a watch dog, so the husband went to the pet shop and told the owner what he wanted. The owner showed him a little French poodle named Fifi, and wanted to sell it to the man. The buyer said, "But you don't understand! We need a watch dog, a big dog, not a little old French poodle!" The owner of the pet shop said, "No, you don't understand. This, French poodle is trained in Karate, and would make you a very fine watch dog. Watch this." So the owner got a big board and put it in front of the dog and said, "Fifi, Karate, plank!" Fifi lunged at the plank and broke it in half. Then the owner got a brick and said, "Fifi, Karate, brick!" Fifi ran at the brick and broke it in two. So the man said, "I'll take the dog," and went home to show it to his wife. When his wife saw what he'd brought home for a watch dog she couldn't believe her eyes and said, "What do you mean, bringing a little old French poodle home to guard the house? You must be out of your mind!" The man replied, "But you don't understand. This dog is trained in Karate!" She responded angrily, "Karate, my foot!"
Not only do we tell dog stories, we also get very sentimental about them, and often dogs have been elevated to the title of "man's best friend." But I would like to submit, not the dog, but the lamb, as man's best friend.
It all started with the beginning of Exodus. The Hebrew people want out of Egypt. Nine disasters have now plagued the enemy, but it has not yet brought freedom to the people of God. Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased and dying animals, boils, hail, locusts, and thick darkness have been very persuasive, but still not fully convincing.
Actually, the outcome of this battle was decided before it began. When you prepare for war with God, preparation for defeat should be made at the same time! You can't fool around with the great "I Am." He plays for keeps and means business in all his dealings. When will puny humanity understand that to declare war on God, to challenge him, to take the other side, is to invite certain death and defeat? So, to the nation who is about to be emancipated, without open warfare, without a blow struck, the command is given, "Get you a lamb! You must have a lamb! Not just any old lamb will do. It must be male, young, one year old, and without blemish." Every household (unless it is too few in number) must have a lamb. This lamb was to become their very best friend.
The Lamb is Safety (Salvation) - (v. 13)
The head of every household took its lamb and killed it. The main purpose of this rite was to provide safety for each member of the house by the covering of the sprinkled blood. It is the institution which later will be called the Passover. It was a necessary sacrifice so, when the death angel came to the land of the enemy, it would pass over the Hebrews and not destroy those inhabitants. The blood of the lamb was splashed on the doorposts and lintels of each house or tent.
Here we see again (as we saw in Genesis when an animal was slain to cover the nakedness - guilt - of Adam and Eve) the doctrine of substitution. When the Israelites sprinkled the blood of their lamb they confessed their impurity and their sins which made them bull's-eye targets for the destroying angel's visit. The blood was presented as their expiation (the means by which atonement was made).
It was an act of confession, deprecation, and faith in the blood of the lamb. It meant they were availing themselves of the God-appointed way of safety. It was their "means of grace." The lamb's blood, applied (and it must be applied), would exempt them from the fatal death stroke which fell on all the homes in Egypt, from palace to hovel, where the red streak was not found.
Any Jew who despised the protection offered by the blood would have been a victim of the avenging angel. Their obedience to God's command gave them escape from punishment.
Christians unapologetically and unashamedly interpret this passover account in the light of Christ. Paul says "... Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthinans 5:7) With John the Baptizer we proclaim, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) Another John, on Patmos, in his visions of the last days, wrote of the glories around the throne, and of "a Lamb as it had been slain."
The Jewish Passover, for the Christian, is a picture of the Gospel before the Gospel. We know it is Christ, the Lamb of God, who shed his blood for us on Calvary's cross-tree, and through it we are cleansed, forgiven, and saved from the wrath of God. The center of all Christians believe is found in that Lamb on a Tree. Luther made a sharp distinction between the theology of the cross and the theology of glory. He said, "The theology of glory is like the King of England sitting on his throne. The theology of the cross is the King of England finding someone drowning in the river and pulling him out." Our Lamb plunged into the dark river of death, found us going down for the last time, and pulled us to safety. No wonder he has become Best Friend! Our Lenten hymns proclaim this truth over and over. Remember "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood," which says, "Thou dying Lamb, thy precious blood, will never lose its power."
The Lamb is Sustenance (Food) - (v. 8)
But man's Best Friend does more. Now the blood has been applied to the house, the Hebrew family is safe, salvation has come to him and his household. They have all been saved from destruction and now they gather for the feast. What has been their safety now becomes their sustenance.
The lamb was roasted (not fried, boiled, or micro-waved). It was to be kept whole. (Recall, on the cross, Christ's legs were not broken - fulfilling the prophecy of him, "Not a bone of him shall be broken.") All the family ate of the one undivided whole, so they could be, in a real sense, one. It is still true the unity of the church comes from the oneness of the bread and the cup. We are one body, partaking of one Lamb, who is our Lord.
Bishop Roy Clark and I were both speakers a few years ago, at the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. During that conference we were invited, with others, to be luncheon guests of Bishop and Mrs. Earl G. Hunt. At the close of the meal, Bishop Clark and I were each given a gift from Bishop and Mrs. Hunt. Upon opening it, we found each of us was the recipient of a lovely coffee cup. It was made in earth-tones with sea shells painted as a border. Now when I drink coffee, it is from a Bishop's cup! (Pretty heady stuff for an average Methodist preacher!) Later Bishop Clark and I were again speakers on the same platform: this time it was the Ministers' Week for the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. When I reminded him we had at least one thing in common, and that was our cup, he then, in his address to the conference, said, "We are the people of one cup." That's exactly what Christians are: people of one cup, the Blood of the Lamb! He is food, sustenance, strength, and all we need.
What a dramatic re-enactment of the first Passover the Christian-sees in Christ - the Christ-Lamb for us become Christ in us! We feast on him - on his Word, when we pray, in meditation, in Holy Communion. Christ is the true Paschal Lamb. His shed blood, sprinkled on our hearts by faith, shields us from judgment. Our deliverance was won at his cross, our sustenance is found at his table!
The Lamb is Sufficient - (v. 14)
Christ, God's Lamb, is sufficient for us. He is all we need. The blood of the Lamb is salvation. The body of the Lamb is sustenance. The wool of the Lamb is clothing and covering and warmth. The skin of the Lamb is parchment. The Lamb is not for sacred days only. He is fully a part of our secular lives as well. He befriends us in all of life. His benefits begin at Calvary, but they don't stop there, they go to all generations.
Christ is the Lamb for life - for all days and for eternity, for now and forever after. Around the throne in heaven we will still be singing the song of "Moses and the Lamb."
Henry H. M. Nouwen, in his book, The Way of the Heart, tells of three fathers who used to go and visit blessed Anthony every year; two of them used to discuss their thoughts and the salvation of their souls with him, but the third always remained silent and did not ask Anthony anything. After a long time, Abba Anthony said to him, "You often come to see me, but you never ask me anything." The other replied, "It is enough to see you, Father." Our Lamb is sufficient, he is enough - we need no other!
The Lamb Gets the Vote!
I had a couple of cats, I and 2 Timothy, that I liked a lot, as a child. We enjoyed a parakeet named Ike who enlivened our home with his high-pitched, squeeking voice, crying, "I like Ike. Ike's a good man!" (taught to say those words by my mother, who was a radical Republican, to harrass my father who was a dogmatic Democrat). We had a fine pair of rabbit-hunting dogs named Pansy and Petunia. We also owned some fine foxhounds, among them a special one named Dinah, with the best mouth in the country. My daughter, Jodi, loved her horses, Lon and Sox, almost more than she loved me.
But the Lamb still gets my final vote! My life will never again be the same for me since God's Lamb, Jesus Christ, came into my life and gave me safety, sustenance, and became my daily sufficiency. No doubt about it. The Lamb is man's Best Friend - and mine, too!
Ordinary Time 17
Exodus 3:13-20
And You Thought God Didn't Care!
Someone asked a man,"Do you think the biggest problem in the church is ignorance or apathy?" The man replied, "I don't know and I don't care!" Lots of folks believe that about God. He is either unaware of all that concerns us or is indifferent to it. For all those who suspect God of this detached inclination, who think God doesn't care, there is marvelous truth in the text to refute that notion forever. Let's lay a bit of groundwork and see how this is so.
Moses, the emissary of God, born to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage, has been in training, up to now, for the "Big Move" from Pharoah's jurisdiction to God's control.
But let's begin a bit further back in this exciting book of Exodus! A fine, beautiful baby boy was born to Hebrew parents, Amram and Jochebed. No longer able to hide the healthy, three-month-old child from a ruler who had commanded all male Hebrew babies to be killed, the mother made a basket of reeds, covered it with tar, placed her child in it, and launched it on the water of the river Nile. (You see, "water-beds" are not such a modern innovation, after all!)
The babe was found, claimed, adopted and raised by Pharoah's daughter. The infant grew to be a man. He was educated and instructed in the royal courts by the best of tutors in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.
When Moses was grown he refused to deny his identity with the Hebrew slaves and looked with compassion upon the burdens of his people. Because of an act of violence, in defending one of his own people, he had to flee from Egypt and found refuge in the land of Midian. There he met Jethro (also called Reuel) who became his father-in-law when he married Zipporah, one of Jethro's daughters.
In the course of time, the King of Egypt died, the Hebrews groaned under their bondage, and God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In the desert, Moses had the vision of the bush burning, and not being consumed. God called Moses there and commissioned him to go back to Egypt, seek an audience with the king, and begin proceedings which would ultimately result in the Hebrews being led out of Egyptian bondage.
Moses immediately began to protest. His first question was, "Who am I that I should go?" (I am a nobody. How can I go?) God's answer was, "I will be with you." That should have been enough for Moses, but he still objected, so God helped him by telling him more about himself and what his intentions were for the people.
Moses is to go to the people and tell them of ...
God's Name (vv. 13, 14)
Names are terribly important. An eight-year-old boy was asked to be the one who announced the principals of the nativity in the school Christmas pageant. The boy's father was so excited about his son being chosen that he went out and bought him the finest suit he could find. The boy was a bit timid by nature, so, to give him some added confidence, the father pinned the names of the characters in the play on the inside of the new coat. They were there as insurance, in case he forgot. When the characters of the Christmas pageant appeared, the boy announced: "That is Jesus in the manger, Mary is seated nearby, Joseph is standing next to her. The next are the shepherds from the fields, and the three men are er-er-er ..." He simply couldn't remember, so he took a quick look at the inside of his coat and blurted out, "Hart, Schaffner, and Marx!"
Moses knew his people would ask him the name of the One who had sent him, so Moses asked God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of our fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name'? What shall I say to them?" God said, "Tell them I AM WHO I AM has sent you." It makes such a difference in whose name we go, or whose name we use when we speak to others on that one's behalf. When I was a child, my older brother would say, "Pick up your toys," and my response might be, "Who said so?" But when he would reply, "Mother said so," all I could say was "Oh." Or, on the job, when ordered to do this or that, you ask, "Who says so?" When you are told, "The Boss says so," you have little to say in return.
Names mean a lot in the Bible. In the Scripture the name is as important as the person with the name. The name of God in the Bible was as holy as God himself. Often when a name was changed it was to indicate a change of status or a change of nature. Abram became Abraham, Saul became Paul, Jacob became Israel. In baptism, baptized believers receive a new surname, Christian, to signify their new situation. It is told a certain Apache Indian went before an Arizona judge to have his name legally changed. "Why do you want to change your name?" inquired the judge. "Because it is too long," said the Indian. "What is your name now?" the judge asked. The Indian responded, "Chief Screeching Train Whistle." "So," the judge queried, "to what do you want it shortened?" "Toots," replied the Indian chief.
So now God is revealing himself in a new name, a name never used before. When God said, "I AM WHO I AM," it revealed to Moses the sum of the entire divine character and attributes. The Name designates the essential nature of the One who speaks.
So, knowing it is Yahweh, the Lord, who sends him, Moses then knows the outcome - to those who believe in the Name - is already assured. Victory is certain because of the Name. This is the Name of the God of the fugitive Moses and of the Hebrew slaves. This all-conquering Name would not be fully understood by any one generation of Israelities, and God would continually manifest himself in new and glorious ways to his people.
For the Christian, the interpretation wonderfully describes Jesus Christ, the great "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." No wonder so many songs are written to laud "The Name" -
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
"Tell Me His Name Again"
"Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know"
"At the Name of Jesus"
"How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds in a Believer's Ear"
"Take the Name of Jesus With You"
"Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go"
"Jesus! the Name High Over All" - and in another of Wesley's hymns,
"Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown," a line repeats over and over again, through twelve stanzas, "Thy Nature and thy Name is Love."
There is power in the strong name of Jesus. That name inspires confidence, his name instills peace.
A woman in my parish once came to me telling of being unable to sleep at night. She had not had more than a few minutes' sleep at night for the past four or five months. She was a nervous wreck, and emotionally and physically exhausted. She had tried everything; she had gone to doctors, had taken sleeping pills, drank warm milk before retiring, taken warm baths, read books, taken tranquilizers, and was close to the breaking point when she came to me. I had no idea what her problem was, but I suggested, since she had tried everything else, and nothing had worked, maybe there was guilt from unconfessed sin she was feeling, and she might try confession and then repeat, over and over again, letting her mind and thoughts and consciousness be filled with the Presence of the One who carried the name, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." I saw her ten days or two weeks later; a bright-eyed, sparkling, relaxed, confident woman. She said, "It worked! I said his name a few times, then over and over, literally thousands of times, just the simple name of Jesus. Now I go to sleep saying his name and awaken with his name on my lips. He seems to pervade my subconscious, and I sleep like a baby." Oh, the power there is in the name of Jesus!
It is a strong and mighty name under which Christians serve and in whom they trust!
Just in case Moses and the Hebrews thought God didn't care, he sent Moses to them with the Name, but also told them of -
God's Interest in Them (v. 16)
God does a far better job of giving evidence of his concern and interest in us than we often do for one another. It's hard to find someone who really cares about you.
Everybody knows about the famous "Who's Who in America." There is also a book called "Who's Nobody in America." In that book is a woman named Mildred who has been in psychotherapy for eight years with the same therapist, and he still calls her Sarah!
God, after telling Moses the Name in which he is sent, now tells Moses why. It's a repeat of what he told him at the burning bush. "I have seen, I have heard the cries of my people, I know all about their suffering, it matters to me!"
There is a Gospel song which asks, "Does Jesus Care?" Of course he cares! Even if you have, at times, thought God didn't care, let me tell you he will turn heaven and earth upside down and inside out to help you. Everything about you, and all that happens to you, is of vital interest to God.
Sometimes people get tired of hearing our problems, especially if they last a long while. Others are willing to help us for a time, and then soon their love runs out of breath. It isn't that they don't want to assist us, they just have so many demands upon their time and energies, they can't spread themselves to cover all the calls for help. We get a lot of appeals for help. They come in the mail. Television brings into our homes the plight of the world's sufferers. We grow weary of hearing about foreign aid by our government, of problems too large and too multitudinous for us to handle. A minister friend of ours, Dr. Robert Stackel, calls it "compassion burn-out." "Compassion fatigue" may be our problem, but it is not God's. He knows when it rains on our picnic as well as when our business fails. He cares that nations are at war, but also that you had a fuss today with someone in your home. Both the infinitesimal and the magnitudinous problems are in his range of concern.
A little girl laid aside her rosiest apple to give to a little sick friend, and her cousin, Billy, asked, "Do you suppose God cares about such little things as we do, or is he too busy taking care of big folks to notice us much?" Winnie shook her head and pointed to her mother who had just lifted her baby sister from the crib. "Do you think Mama is too busy with the big folks that she forgets about the baby? No, she thinks of the baby first, 'cause he's the littlest. Surely God knows how to love as well as Mother."
And then God goes on to assure Moses that his strong Name and certain interest is accompanied by definite action. So we have -
God's Promise of Deliverance (v. 17)
God is not just idly, nor morbidly, curious about us, not just interested on a theoretical level, but he promises to become involved, and to bring them out of the affliction of Egypt. For the Hebrews, the deliverer God sent was Moses; for the Christian, the mighty deliverer is Jesus.
J. B. Phillips has said a man may find difficulty in writing a poem, but if he cries, "Oh, William Shakespeare, help me!" nothing whatever happens. A man may be terribly afraid, but if he cries, "Oh, Horatio Nelson, help me!" there is no sort of reply. But if he is at the end of his moral resources or cannot, by effort of will, muster up sufficient positive love and goodness, and he cries, "Oh, Christ, help me!" something happens at once.
Christ comes to us, sees our dilemma, our affliction, our sin, our struggles, and, in it all, promises to help. Does Christ care? Yes! How much? Enough to do something about it!
God knew, and Moses suspected, the deliverance from Egypt would not be easily accomplished, but it would be done! It took forty years, but the end result was always certain. So it may not be tomorrow that you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but light will break through. It's as sure as the sun's rising in the eastern sky. Not one word of his good promises has ever been known to fail.
If affliction of sin is your trouble, if uncertain forgiveness is your problem, then that deliverance is already accomplished. It was done for you at Calvary and all you have to do is repent, come with faith, and claim it as your own.
Call if You Need Help
A man, passing the same house every day, noticed a man working in his garden, and he was always whistling. Cold or hot, wet or dry, no matter what time of day, he still whistled. Out of curiosity, he stopped at the house to ask him why. As he came up on the porch, he saw a woman in a wheel chair, the man out in the garden at the side of the house, still whistling. He walked out to him, and the man explained, "My wife is an invalid. She is blind, and cannot walk, and spends her life in that wheel chair. I whistle when I work so she'll always know where I am and all she has to do is call if she needs me."
Christ is God in the flesh, whistling in our dark lives, telling us where he is, that he is always near, and, if we need him, all we need to do is call!
Proper 13 (July 31--August 6)
Ordinary Time 18
Exodus 12:1-14
Dog: Man's Best Friend?
Everyone who has ever had a pet claims it is the "best"; whether it is a cat, horse, chimpanzee, goldfish, or dog makes no difference. But, for the most part, the dog usually comes out ahead. Almost everyone can tell you a favorite dog story. I like the one about the couple whose home had been burglarized and decided they needed a watch dog, so the husband went to the pet shop and told the owner what he wanted. The owner showed him a little French poodle named Fifi, and wanted to sell it to the man. The buyer said, "But you don't understand! We need a watch dog, a big dog, not a little old French poodle!" The owner of the pet shop said, "No, you don't understand. This, French poodle is trained in Karate, and would make you a very fine watch dog. Watch this." So the owner got a big board and put it in front of the dog and said, "Fifi, Karate, plank!" Fifi lunged at the plank and broke it in half. Then the owner got a brick and said, "Fifi, Karate, brick!" Fifi ran at the brick and broke it in two. So the man said, "I'll take the dog," and went home to show it to his wife. When his wife saw what he'd brought home for a watch dog she couldn't believe her eyes and said, "What do you mean, bringing a little old French poodle home to guard the house? You must be out of your mind!" The man replied, "But you don't understand. This dog is trained in Karate!" She responded angrily, "Karate, my foot!"
Not only do we tell dog stories, we also get very sentimental about them, and often dogs have been elevated to the title of "man's best friend." But I would like to submit, not the dog, but the lamb, as man's best friend.
It all started with the beginning of Exodus. The Hebrew people want out of Egypt. Nine disasters have now plagued the enemy, but it has not yet brought freedom to the people of God. Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased and dying animals, boils, hail, locusts, and thick darkness have been very persuasive, but still not fully convincing.
Actually, the outcome of this battle was decided before it began. When you prepare for war with God, preparation for defeat should be made at the same time! You can't fool around with the great "I Am." He plays for keeps and means business in all his dealings. When will puny humanity understand that to declare war on God, to challenge him, to take the other side, is to invite certain death and defeat? So, to the nation who is about to be emancipated, without open warfare, without a blow struck, the command is given, "Get you a lamb! You must have a lamb! Not just any old lamb will do. It must be male, young, one year old, and without blemish." Every household (unless it is too few in number) must have a lamb. This lamb was to become their very best friend.
The Lamb is Safety (Salvation) - (v. 13)
The head of every household took its lamb and killed it. The main purpose of this rite was to provide safety for each member of the house by the covering of the sprinkled blood. It is the institution which later will be called the Passover. It was a necessary sacrifice so, when the death angel came to the land of the enemy, it would pass over the Hebrews and not destroy those inhabitants. The blood of the lamb was splashed on the doorposts and lintels of each house or tent.
Here we see again (as we saw in Genesis when an animal was slain to cover the nakedness - guilt - of Adam and Eve) the doctrine of substitution. When the Israelites sprinkled the blood of their lamb they confessed their impurity and their sins which made them bull's-eye targets for the destroying angel's visit. The blood was presented as their expiation (the means by which atonement was made).
It was an act of confession, deprecation, and faith in the blood of the lamb. It meant they were availing themselves of the God-appointed way of safety. It was their "means of grace." The lamb's blood, applied (and it must be applied), would exempt them from the fatal death stroke which fell on all the homes in Egypt, from palace to hovel, where the red streak was not found.
Any Jew who despised the protection offered by the blood would have been a victim of the avenging angel. Their obedience to God's command gave them escape from punishment.
Christians unapologetically and unashamedly interpret this passover account in the light of Christ. Paul says "... Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthinans 5:7) With John the Baptizer we proclaim, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) Another John, on Patmos, in his visions of the last days, wrote of the glories around the throne, and of "a Lamb as it had been slain."
The Jewish Passover, for the Christian, is a picture of the Gospel before the Gospel. We know it is Christ, the Lamb of God, who shed his blood for us on Calvary's cross-tree, and through it we are cleansed, forgiven, and saved from the wrath of God. The center of all Christians believe is found in that Lamb on a Tree. Luther made a sharp distinction between the theology of the cross and the theology of glory. He said, "The theology of glory is like the King of England sitting on his throne. The theology of the cross is the King of England finding someone drowning in the river and pulling him out." Our Lamb plunged into the dark river of death, found us going down for the last time, and pulled us to safety. No wonder he has become Best Friend! Our Lenten hymns proclaim this truth over and over. Remember "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood," which says, "Thou dying Lamb, thy precious blood, will never lose its power."
The Lamb is Sustenance (Food) - (v. 8)
But man's Best Friend does more. Now the blood has been applied to the house, the Hebrew family is safe, salvation has come to him and his household. They have all been saved from destruction and now they gather for the feast. What has been their safety now becomes their sustenance.
The lamb was roasted (not fried, boiled, or micro-waved). It was to be kept whole. (Recall, on the cross, Christ's legs were not broken - fulfilling the prophecy of him, "Not a bone of him shall be broken.") All the family ate of the one undivided whole, so they could be, in a real sense, one. It is still true the unity of the church comes from the oneness of the bread and the cup. We are one body, partaking of one Lamb, who is our Lord.
Bishop Roy Clark and I were both speakers a few years ago, at the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. During that conference we were invited, with others, to be luncheon guests of Bishop and Mrs. Earl G. Hunt. At the close of the meal, Bishop Clark and I were each given a gift from Bishop and Mrs. Hunt. Upon opening it, we found each of us was the recipient of a lovely coffee cup. It was made in earth-tones with sea shells painted as a border. Now when I drink coffee, it is from a Bishop's cup! (Pretty heady stuff for an average Methodist preacher!) Later Bishop Clark and I were again speakers on the same platform: this time it was the Ministers' Week for the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. When I reminded him we had at least one thing in common, and that was our cup, he then, in his address to the conference, said, "We are the people of one cup." That's exactly what Christians are: people of one cup, the Blood of the Lamb! He is food, sustenance, strength, and all we need.
What a dramatic re-enactment of the first Passover the Christian-sees in Christ - the Christ-Lamb for us become Christ in us! We feast on him - on his Word, when we pray, in meditation, in Holy Communion. Christ is the true Paschal Lamb. His shed blood, sprinkled on our hearts by faith, shields us from judgment. Our deliverance was won at his cross, our sustenance is found at his table!
The Lamb is Sufficient - (v. 14)
Christ, God's Lamb, is sufficient for us. He is all we need. The blood of the Lamb is salvation. The body of the Lamb is sustenance. The wool of the Lamb is clothing and covering and warmth. The skin of the Lamb is parchment. The Lamb is not for sacred days only. He is fully a part of our secular lives as well. He befriends us in all of life. His benefits begin at Calvary, but they don't stop there, they go to all generations.
Christ is the Lamb for life - for all days and for eternity, for now and forever after. Around the throne in heaven we will still be singing the song of "Moses and the Lamb."
Henry H. M. Nouwen, in his book, The Way of the Heart, tells of three fathers who used to go and visit blessed Anthony every year; two of them used to discuss their thoughts and the salvation of their souls with him, but the third always remained silent and did not ask Anthony anything. After a long time, Abba Anthony said to him, "You often come to see me, but you never ask me anything." The other replied, "It is enough to see you, Father." Our Lamb is sufficient, he is enough - we need no other!
The Lamb Gets the Vote!
I had a couple of cats, I and 2 Timothy, that I liked a lot, as a child. We enjoyed a parakeet named Ike who enlivened our home with his high-pitched, squeeking voice, crying, "I like Ike. Ike's a good man!" (taught to say those words by my mother, who was a radical Republican, to harrass my father who was a dogmatic Democrat). We had a fine pair of rabbit-hunting dogs named Pansy and Petunia. We also owned some fine foxhounds, among them a special one named Dinah, with the best mouth in the country. My daughter, Jodi, loved her horses, Lon and Sox, almost more than she loved me.
But the Lamb still gets my final vote! My life will never again be the same for me since God's Lamb, Jesus Christ, came into my life and gave me safety, sustenance, and became my daily sufficiency. No doubt about it. The Lamb is man's Best Friend - and mine, too!
