“The Building We Are Becoming”   2014

Exodus 6:1-9   1 Peter 2:2-10

 

Exodus 6:1-9

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: Indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.” God also spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name ‘The Lord’ I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they resided as aliens. I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’“ Moses told this to the Israelites; but they would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery.

 

1 Peter 2:2-10

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

Our world and life experience are often  so different

    from the ancient world that we read about in our Bibles,

                             that it’s not always easy or simple for us

                                    to connect with the stories we read in Scripture.

 

                Though of course we have experienced our share of

                        despair, hopelessness and disappointments in life,

                                                  yet the life of a Hebrew slave in ancient Egypt

                                                        was probably far worse than we can imagine.

 

  The story of the Exodus is about God bringing hope and liberation

            into a seemingly hopeless and impossible situation.

The point is that God heard and responded

                to the cry and desperation of the people

                        suffering under the harsh bondage of Egyptian slavery.

 

From the burning bush of Midian God speaks to Moses, and calls him

            to bring the message of liberation and justice to Pharaoh.

But in his arrogance,  his sense of self-importance and power

        Pharaoh rejects that message and with distain he questions,à

                        who is this God   that I should concern myself?,

                           and then he lays an even heavier burden on the people.

 

The Hebrew slaves complain that Moses has made things even worse,

                 and then Moses complains to God that nothing

                        has been done to help the people in their misery.

 

    The passage we read earlier is God’s answer to the complaining.

vs. 1, 6-7

            Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: Indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; … Say therefore to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians.

 

That phrase, “You shall know that I am the Lord your God”

            is an important and recurring theme of the Old Testament.

 

The word, “know” is far more than just intellectual knowledge.

            In the movie, “Avitar”, when a blue native said, “I see you”,

                        it involved way more than just eyesight and recognition…

                                    … but meant, we share a connection by which

                                                I understand and respect you on a deeper level.

 

In the Old Testament, to know God is something like that…

            It describes a deeper understanding that involvesà

                  trust and obedience,  and it’s a relational term that means

                         knowing you can place your confidence in someone.

 

The text is saying to watch what God does next,

            then you will know, You shall know that I am the Lord your God,

                        I will take you as my people, and I will be your God.

 

Yet, with God’s promise to liberate the Israelites from slavery,

            they couldn't imagine or believe that could really be true.

They were so broken, with disappointment piled on disappointment,

            that they were afraid even to hope  that rescue could happen.

 

This is not a rebellious rejection or refusal to respond,

        but having been so totally beaten and discouraged by bondage,

                  they were incapable of hearing, or even hoping for such good news…

   … and so beaten down & crushed by their bondage and oppression,

                        that they were too afraid to trust fully

                                    the good news and promises that Moses described à

 

            à yet God's overwhelming love, power, grace and mercy …

                        meant that God would still liberate and free them,

                                    and nurture them all the way into the Promised land.

 

Even though they could not believe or accept that it was real,

            yet liberation did indeed happen , just as God promised them…

                        … and almost without their cooperation, as they

                                    griped and complained almost every step of the way.

**     That’s what it means for God to promise, even with our flaws,

                        "I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. 

 

The deciding factor of Exodus was not

            the mighty strength and cruelty of Pharaoh and his army,

                        or even the weaknesses and doubts of the Hebrew slaves.

As it turned out, what ultimately mattered   was that the Lord

     is infinitely more powerful than whoever or whatever enslaves…

            … and the bondages and burdens of our lives

                        do not have the last word, for the Lord sets us free to be

                             his own chosen, precious, beloved & blessed children.

 

It is this same liberating truth and message of God’s grace.

            that we read about in the letter of First Peter.

Like the Exodus passage, 1^st Peter is addressed to a people

       feeling overwhelmed, a bit lost and in fearful doubt.

 

In 70AD, responding with harsh violence to a Jewish rebellion,

            the Roman general Titus demolished the Temple and the city,

                        and the Jewish people were expelled from their homeland.

 

For all the people of Israel, including the early Christians,

            this was an unimaginable disaster and theological crisis.

As we read in the book of Acts,

            the early Christians were still worshipping at the Temple,

                            and the main leaders of the early Christian church

                                    were almost all living in the city of Jerusalem.

 

First Peter was written to a people

            still reeling from the destruction of the Temple and city,

                        and who were feeling lost, bewildered and discouraged.

            Peter’s message was a call to seek and long for the Lord,

                        by using familiar Old Testament images

                              to describe what it means to live as God's own people…

… based upon God presence and promises already received, vs. 2-3 

            Like newborn infants,           long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow –  …  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

 

Like newborn infants,           long for the pure, spiritual milk.

    You’ve heard the single-mindedness of when a hungry baby cries.

 

As God's own, who have tasted God's goodness,

            so should we   seek after that which nourishes our faith

                        regularly and constantly hungering for more and more,

                                    just as an infant requires frequent feedings.

 

Consider the sacramental moments of your own life,

            those amazing times when God has felt so close and so real,

                        when you have personally tasted that our God is good.

 

The idea is to crave and long for the pure, spiritual milk,

            to desire above all a growing-deeper relationship with God

                    that is not diluted by making compromises with culture

                            or desires less than  the blessings God intends for us…

            … and we accomplish this

                        by focusing on the truth, the word and ways of God,

                              for we tend to go in the direction we are looking.

 

It is a deepening understanding and recognition of God,

            and of the work of God in our lives and in the world,

               to which we are called to faithful & active participation.

 

Peter then uses another Old Testament image, 'a living stone',

            but presents it from several perspectives;  and builds à

                        meaning upon meaning, all drawn from the Old Testament

                            to interpret the life, ministry and meaning of Jesus.

 

It begins with Jesus.

*           the living stone rejected by the religious leaders,

                        yet he was the chosen and precious, glorified by God.

 

*           then, 'the same stone' the builders rejected

                        yet becomes the very foundation of the kingdom of God.

*           and in rejecting Jesus,   to those religious leaders,

                        Jesus was the stone over which they stumbled,

                           revealing their rebellion in crucifying God's own Son.

 

Then, this image of 'a living stone',  is shifted a little bit

            from the person of Jesus   to those who follow Jesus,

                  and who are chosen and precious in the sight of God.

 

We are called living stones, being built into a spiritual house;

            becoming the temple of God, as the dwelling place of God.

As the Apostle Paul wrote:     (1 Corinthians 3:16) 

            Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in the midst of you?

 

To those grieving over the loss of the Temple in Jerusalem,

            this is a clear message of hope and assurance …

                        the Temple?, you don’t need it,

                                    for together, you are being built into a temple,

                                        a spiritual house where God is present among you.

 vs. 5

     like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 

We are not just a random pile of living stones,

            but a structure being built by the architect of the universe,

                        so let us present ourselves as chosen building materials

                                    each uniquely and irreplaceably special

                                                according to the will and purpose of God,

                                                      … called to serve and fit together snuggly.

 

When we cry out in distress, “Where is God?”, the answer is thatà

    God is always among us when we are together, loving and serving…

 

… so clearly our task as a congregation

            is to encourage and bring out the best in others

                        as we work together on our mission for the glory of God.

 

In a world which says that we are all nobodies who don't matter,à

    God disagrees –

            for God calls us his own, and we are somebodies who matter,

                and so we are called and equipped to live in victory & hope.

vs. 9-10

            But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

            Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

We are a royal priesthood, as in the OT, an inherited privilege;       

            so we have direct access to God through Jesus,

                called to serve as mediators of God's presence & blessings.

            This is an incredible rise in status granted by our God, 

                  to be and to live as his chosen children and holy priests.

 

                 A pastor friend from Kansas wrote about an experience,

                        that helped me put some flesh on what Peter is saying.

Let me read to you from her email:

            "Last week I spent some time in the waiting room of a social service agency.  Except for the woman with bright red hair who sat behind the desk, there was only one other person there, a thin woman who looked to be in her early forties.  In blue jeans worn white at the knees and a sleeveless blouse, she looked tired, her eyes sunken deep into the sockets.

            I was waiting to talk to the staff about a project I am trying to organize … Glancing over, I saw that the woman was looking out the window at the street, her eyes sad. To be honest, at that moment, I didn't have the energy to take on anyone else' problems and she looked like problems came in the door with her.     Early that morning I'd had some bad news about someone in my family.  Pretending to read, all I could think of was how little I could do for the woman sitting across from me, much less my family, so many miles away.

            Just then a rough, whispery voice said, "Are you in trouble?"  I looked up, and then behind me, thinking the slender woman was talking to someone else, someone who'd come in when I wasn't looking.  But then I turned back, she was still waiting for an answer.

            "Me?"  I asked.  "In trouble?"

 

            She ducked her head then, like she was embarrassed, but answered.  "your face … you look like something bad has happened … like you feel really lost."

            I couldn't speak for a minute and could feel myself flush with shame, me thinking all the time she had wanted something from me.  Then to my surprise, I told her what had happened, told her how hopeless I felt, told her how more than anything I kept hoping for a miracle.

 

            She moved closer and sat in the next chair.  She told me not to give up hope, that miracles do happen.  "About five or six years ago I got into smokin' dope; then it was cocaine and meth … my husband left me … then he went to court and took my kids away, " she said.  "I thought my world had come to an end … I didn't believe in anything … not my family or friends … not even God," she said, and smiled a funny smile.

            "But you know, just when I'd almost given up, I met some folks who gave me another chance," she said.  "They gave me a place to live; helped me get a job.  Pretty soon, I'm gonna get my own place … try to get my kids back, least part of the time.  Don't you worry …things work out."

 

            "But you don't understand, " I said.  "I'm a pastor … I'm supposed to have answers … I'm supposed to be the one who knows how to help everyone, how to fix things."

            "The way I look at it," the woman said, smiling an incredible smile that seemed to light up the room, "that's the work of all of us ... we all got to help each other … who else is gonna do it?"  Then she winked and said, "This is a hard, old world.  We got to be there for each other.  Don't you think that's the good Lord's plan for things?"

 

            She walked away and I sat thinking how easy it is to look at someone and not even see who they are …. not even see that they are unique and amazing children of God, a person who has come into our lives to give us a blessing.

            None of us has a lock on God's grace; not any of us – pastor, president or homeless person – no one is more special than any other.

 

        you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people

                   It doesn't say some of you … it says you, as in all of you.

            The woman in the waiting room was right … each of us is called to care for each other --- it’s the work of all of us. 

 

     As she said, "We all got to help each other … who else is gonna do it?"

            It is pure arrogance to think that one person is called to be all things to all people.  When we falter, someone will reach out a hand and help us.  Then there will be days when it’s our turn to reach out that helping hand.

     Sometimes this is a hard, old world and we’ve got to be there for each other.

                Don't you think that's the good Lord's plan for things?

 

Our call is not for us to be perfect or get it all right every time, 

            but it is for us to be authentic and focused out in the world,

                        reflecting the grace that we ourselves have received,

and for our lives, our words, deeds and attitudes   to declare à   

    the promise of hope and God’s grace  that liberates human lives.