Elizabeth's Blessing

Jesus and the Just Reign of God
God Sends Jesus
Jesus Birth Foretold

Luke 1:41-45

The Message

^39-45 Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,

You’re so blessed among women,
    and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that
    the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your
    greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb
    skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said,
    believed every word would come true!

For Reflection

How joyous is the conception of a child.  It is a demonstration of what is best in human kind.  God, having given us the capacity to love compassionately, also gave us the capacity to nurture and build into God's Kingdom.  As Christians we offer our children to God's service.  In doing so, with each new birth, God's Kingdom expands it influence. 

Pray

thanking God for the gift of life.  Thank God for the joy of children.  Thank God for the opportunity to serve as a steward of his creation.  Praise God with a song of joy.

A Child Named Immanuel

Jesus and the Just Reign of God
God Sends Jesus
Jesus Birth Foretold

Isaiah 7:10-17

The Message

^10-11 God spoke again to Ahaz. This time he said, “Ask for a sign from your God. Ask anything. Be extravagant. Ask for the moon!”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I’d never do that. I’d never make demands like that on God!”
^13-17 So Isaiah told him, “Then listen to this, government of David! It’s bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you’re making God tired. So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us). By the time the child is twelve years old, able to make moral decisions, the threat of war will be over. Relax, those two kings that have you so worried will be out of the picture. But also be warned: God will bring on you and your people and your government a judgment worse than anything since the time the kingdom split, when Ephraim left Judah. The king of Assyria is coming!”

For Reflection

Ahaz is not the best of men.  And, yet. God calls him to choose.  God asks each of us to choose.  If we do not choose or choose unwisely, God will offer a greater sacrifice on our behalf.  God may also bring judgments against you, but, the offer to be reconciled to God is always on the table. 

Pray

that you will ask for signs of God's steadfast compassion, grace, and love.  Thank God for the gift of His Son, Jesus, who was the way, the truth and the light.  Pray that you will follow the light in confidence that God will keep you from the darkness.

North Beach Bar and Grill

Jesus and the Just Reign of God
God Sends Jesus
Jesus Birth Foretold

2 Samuel 7:18-29

The Message

^18-21 King David went in, took his place before God, and prayed: “Who am I, my Master God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life? But that’s nothing compared to what’s coming, for you’ve also spoken of my family far into the future, given me a glimpse into tomorrow, my Master God! What can I possibly say in the face of all this? You know me, Master God, just as I am. You’ve done all this not because of who I am but because of who you are—out of your very heart!—but you’ve let me in on it.

^22-24 “This is what makes you so great, Master God! There is none like you, no God but you, nothing to compare with what we’ve heard with our own ears. And who is like your people, like Israel, a nation unique in the earth, whom God set out to redeem for himself (and became most famous for it), performing great and fearsome acts, throwing out nations and their gods left and right as you saved your people from Egypt? You established for yourself a people—your very own Israel!—your people permanently. And you, God, became their God.
^25-27 “So now, great God, this word that you have spoken to me and my family, guarantee it permanently! Do exactly what you’ve promised! Then your reputation will flourish always as people exclaim, ‘The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will remain sure and solid in your watchful presence. For you, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, told me plainly, ‘I will build you a house.’ That’s how I was able to find the courage to pray this prayer to you.
^28-29 “And now, Master God, being the God you are, speaking sure words as you do, and having just said this wonderful thing to me, please, just one more thing: Bless my family; keep your eye on them always. You’ve already as much as said that you would, Master God! Oh, may your blessing be on my family permanently!”

For Reflection

Remember the promise God has made.  Remember that God's kingdom will be established on earth.  Remember that you are a part of God's creation and you have a role in ushering in God's reign. God has guaranteed it permanently.

Pray

that you will not be discouraged by how others fail you.  Pray that you will remember God's promise of salvation.  Pray that you will remember that one day the wicked will be overthrown and, yes, reconciled to God.  Pray for those who cannot see beyond today.  Pray that you will keep focused on practicing the way of Christ.

The Highest of Earthly Kings

Jesus and the Just Reign of God
God Sends Jesus
Jesus Birth Foretold

Psalm 89:26-37

The Message

^19-37 A long time ago you spoke in a vision,
    you spoke to your faithful beloved:
“I’ve crowned a hero,
    I chose the best I could find;
I found David, my servant,
    poured holy oil on his head,
And I’ll keep my hand steadily on him,
    yes, I’ll stick with him through thick and thin.
No enemy will get the best of him,
    no scoundrel will do him in.
I’ll weed out all who oppose him,
    I’ll clean out all who hate him.
I’m with him for good and I’ll love him forever;
    I’ve set him on high—he’s riding high!
I’ve put Ocean in his one hand, River in the other;
    he’ll call out, ‘Oh, my Father—my God, my Rock of Salvation!’
Yes, I’m setting him apart as the First of the royal line,
    High King over all of earth’s kings.
I’ll preserve him eternally in my love,
    I’ll faithfully do all I so solemnly promised.
I’ll guarantee his family tree
    and underwrite his rule.
If his children refuse to do what I tell them,
    if they refuse to walk in the way I show them,
If they spit on the directions I give them
    and tear up the rules I post for them—
I’ll rub their faces in the dirt of their rebellion
    and make them face the music.
But I’ll never throw them out,
    never abandon or disown them.
Do you think I’d withdraw my holy promise?
    or take back words I’d already spoken?
I’ve given my word, my whole and holy word;
    do you think I would lie to David?
His family tree is here for good,
    his sovereignty as sure as the sun,
Dependable as the phases of the moon,
    inescapable as weather.”

For Reflection

What assurance do we have that God will fulfill his promise?  What more assurance do we need than to know what God has already done?  That which God has done, God will continue to do. God's word is truth and of truth there is no insecurity, no doubt, only assurance. 

Pray

that you will never doubt that God will follow through on His promises.  Praise God for his abiding love.  Praise God for his passion for His creation.  Pray that you will grab God's hand and be strengthened by it.

A Covenant with David

Jesus and the Just Reign of God
God Sends Jesus
Jesus Birth Foretold

Psalm 89:1-18

The Message

An Ethan Prayer

89 ^1-4 Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it!
    I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I’ll never quit telling the story of your love—
    how you built the cosmos
    and guaranteed everything in it.
Your love has always been our lives’ foundation,
    your fidelity has been the roof over our world.
You once said, “I joined forces with my chosen leader,
    I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,
‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;
    I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’”

^5-18 God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways,
    the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!
Search high and low, scan skies and land,
    you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God.
The holy angels are in awe before him;
    he looms immense and august over everyone around him.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you,
    powerful and faithful from every angle?
You put the arrogant ocean in its place
    and calm its waves when they turn unruly.
You gave that old hag Egypt the back of your hand,
    you brushed off your enemies with a flick of your wrist.
You own the cosmos—you made everything in it,
    everything from atom to archangel.
You positioned the North and South Poles;
    the mountains Tabor and Hermon sing duets to you.
With your well-muscled arm and your grip of steel—
    nobody trifles with you!
The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule;
    Love and Truth are its fruits.
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
    who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
    who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—
    you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God,
    Holy God of Israel, our King!

.

For Reflection

There is no doubt in the psalmist mind.  God is the Creator.  God is the truth behind all truths.  God is found in all things.  God is the most powerful.  God is our protector.  God is beauty.  God is grace. God is just.  God created us to be stewards of his creation.  It is the reason for praising and worshiping God. 

As he did with David, God makes covenants with us. The covenant is not conditional.  The covenant is not an "if -- then statement."  It is a promise made and a promise in keeping.  God's will for us is to care for His universe and in doing so, care for each other. 

Pray

prayers of praise.  Pray in adoration of our creator.  Pray that you will be an able steward of God's Creation.  Pray that you will exemplify the wisdom, the compassion, the passion for justice and courage to carry our God's will for you and all creation..

Blessing the Faithful Workers

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 39:32-43

The Message

³² That completed the work of The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting. The People of Israel did what God had commanded Moses. They did it all.
^33-41 They presented The Dwelling to Moses, the Tent and all its furnishings:

fastening hooks
frames
crossbars
posts
bases
tenting of tanned ram skins
tenting of dolphin skins
veil of the screen
Chest of The Testimony
    with its poles
    and Atonement-Cover
Table
    with its utensils
    and the Bread of the Presence
Lampstand of pure gold
    and its lamps all fitted out
    and all its utensils
    and the oil for the light
Gold Altar
anointing oil
fragrant incense
screen for the entrance to the Tent
Bronze Altar
    with its bronze grate
    its poles and all its utensils
Washbasin
    and its base
hangings for the Courtyard
    its posts and bases
screen for the gate of the Courtyard
    its cords and its pegs
utensils for ministry in The Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting
    woven vestments for ministering in the Sanctuary
sacred vestments for Aaron the priest,
    and his sons when serving as priests

^42-43 The Israelites completed all the work, just as God had commanded. Moses saw that they had done all the work and done it exactly as God had commanded. Moses blessed them.

For Reflection

Are you ready to complete the call god has made to to you?  Are you willing to entrust your life to God?  Are able to surrender to the passion that is the Holy Spirit residing in you? 

Pray

that you give into the call of God with all your mind, your heart and soul.  Pray that you will serve in the Kingdom of God.

An Overabundance of Offerings

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 36:2-7

The Message

^2-3 Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab along with all whom God had gifted with the ability to work skillfully with their hands. The men were eager to get started and engage in the work. They took from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for the work of constructing the Sanctuary. The people kept on bringing in their freewill offerings, morning after morning.
^4-5 All the artisans who were at work making everything involved in constructing the Sanctuary came, one after another, to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing this work that God has commanded us to do!”
^6-7 So Moses sent out orders through the camp: “Men! Women! No more offerings for the building of the Sanctuary!”
The people were ordered to stop bringing offerings! There was plenty of material for all the work to be done. Enough and more than enough.

For Reflection

What a wonderful problem to have.  What if a church put out a call today for gifts and talents to accomplish a goal.  Would the response be as overwhelming?  In some probably.  In most, my guess is not so much.  Why is it that some churches have an over abundance of resources and others too few?  Is there a correlation between wealth and the available resources offered to God's work?  Probably not, I think.  The people of God are resourceful.  What it takes is a passionate commitment to the work of the Lord. 

Pray

that the people of faith be consumed with passion for the work of the lord.  Pray that they will give as their talents will provide a strong commitment to the Kingdom of God.  Pray that you will extend yourself to establish all that God intends God's children to become.

Skills for Every Kind of Work

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 35:30-35

The Message

^30-35 Moses told the Israelites, “See, God has selected Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. He’s filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and know-how for making all sorts of things, to design and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to carve stones and set them; to carve wood, working in every kind of skilled craft. And he’s also made him a teacher, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He’s gifted them with the know-how needed for carving, designing, weaving, and embroidering in blue, purple, and scarlet fabrics, and in fine linen. They can make anything and design anything.”

For Reflection

As God filled Uri with the skill ability and know-how to make all sorts of things so shall God prepare you to fulfill your role in His kingdom.  Don't worry if you have the necessary skill.  God will see to it that you will have what you need.  Have confidence in the Lord and strike boldly ahead. 

Pray

that for the courage to trust in the Lord.  Pray that you will have the confidence to move boldly through life engaging in the work of the Lord.

Offering Our Skills

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 35:10-19

The Message

^10-19 “Come—all of you who have skills—come and make everything that God has commanded: The Dwelling with its tent and cover, its hooks, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases; the Chest with its poles, the Atonement-Cover and veiling curtain; the Table with its poles and implements and the Bread of the Presence; the Lampstand for giving light with its furnishings and lamps and the oil for lighting; the Altar of Incense with its poles, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense; the screen for the door at the entrance to The Dwelling; the Altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering with its bronze grate and poles and all its implements; the Washbasin with its base; the tapestry hangings for the Courtyard with the posts and bases, the screen for the Courtyard gate; the pegs for The Dwelling, the pegs for the Courtyard with their cords; the official vestments for ministering in the Holy Place, the sacred vestments for Aaron the priest and for his sons serving as priests.”

For Reflection

Everyone has talent.  What ever talent you possess is a product of God's Design.  Your talent is what defines you and, in part, God within you.  

Pray

Praise God for the talents you possess.  Pray that you will offer all you talents to the Glory of God to his service.

Offering Our Possessions

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 35:4-9

The Message

⁴ Moses spoke to the entire congregation of Israel, saying, “This is what God has commanded:

^5-9 “Gather from among you an offering for God. Receive on God’s behalf what everyone is willing to give as an offering: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats’ hair; tanned rams’ skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece.

For Reflection

It was typical for a king to tax his subjects, to set a requirement for giving and to enforce that requirement with force if necessary.  Establishing a tabernacle is an illustration of the equitable distribution of goods and services given in free will not only to God, but also, to the establishment and support of His kingdom.  The key characteristic of God's Kingdom is the free will distribution of goods and services from the faithful -- an offering to God and His work. The offerings were a gift, not a unilateral mandate, but, rather, preserving their right to judge what is appropriate, a voluntary offering from grateful people.  God is pleased to received offerings to His kingdom from willing hearts of a willing people. 

Pray

that each of God's faithful will bring gifts as they are able to the work of the Lord.  Pray that you will respond to the call of God to give of yourself willing and freely. Thank God for teaching his people the meaning of just distribution of goods and service to the glory of His kingdom.

Guarded from the Approaching Enemy

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 14:15-20

The Message

^15-16 God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground.

^17-18 “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”
^19-20 The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn’t come near each other all night.

For Reflection

God and only God saved the Israelites from slavery.  He did not ask them to fight.  All He asked was obedience and to trust in his promise to deliver them.  So He will protect and save you.  You are saved by the grace of God. 

Pray

prayers of praise and thanksgiving for God who saves you from oppression of all kinds.  Pray that you will trust in the promise of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Pray that you will wait quietly and patiently for the Lord.

The Lord Will Fight for You

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 14:5-9

The Message

^5-7 When the king of Egypt was told that the people were gone, he and his servants changed their minds. They said, “What have we done, letting Israel, our slave labor, go free?” So he had his chariots harnessed up and got his army together. He took six hundred of his best chariots, with the rest of the Egyptian chariots and their drivers coming along.
^8-9 God made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, determined to chase the Israelites as they walked out on him without even looking back. The Egyptians gave chase and caught up with them where they had made camp by the sea—all Pharaoh’s horse-drawn chariots and their riders, all his foot soldiers there at Pi Hahiroth opposite Baal Zephon.

For Reflection

Why is it that in the middle east today, as in Biblical times, tyrant after tyrant dominates the culture?  In this case the Israelites were no more than chattel and Pharaoh was determined to get his property back.  Today the middle east is plagued by a domination systems which are characterized by revolving tyrants who represent one oppressive ideology or another.  Like the Israelites the people cry for help. 

Pray

for those who live under oppressive political systems.  Pray for those who are mired in poverty.  Pray for God to deliver all oppressed peoples from their suffering.

Pharaoh's Change of Heart

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 14:10-14

The Message

^10-12 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them—Egyptians! Coming at them!
They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’”
¹³ Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.

¹⁴ God will fight the battle for you.
    And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

For Reflection

Those of great faith always seem to bump up against those of little faith.  Fear always seems to trump confidence especially where known evidence of harm is not offset by the probability of reward.  This is where Moses finds himself.  He suffers the blame for harm.  He is the available scape goat for the suffering Israelites. Fear is one of the strongest motives for abandoning faith.  How do you fight fear?  How does confidence in God's promise for salvation offset your fear? 

Pray

that when circumstances seem hopeless you will remember God's promise for salvation.  Pray for courage only a strong confidence in God can bring.  Thank God for providing that which you need.

God Guides and Protects the People of Israel

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 13:17-22

The Message

¹⁷ It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn’t lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, “If the people encounter war, they’ll change their minds and go back to Egypt.”

¹⁸ So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt in military formation.
¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear to do it, saying, “God will surely hold you accountable, so make sure you bring my bones from here with you.”
^20-22 They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.

For Reflection

God does that sometimes.  He leads us through the long way.  The long way tempers us, humbles us and makes us more fit to serve Him.  God's way is not always easy but He protects us and shows us that day and night He alone rescues us and makes us fit for freedom.  He shows us that however hard the course of our lives He is there; guiding, nurturing, enriching and protecting. 

Pray

prayers of thanks giving and praise.  Sing songs of God's power in your life.  Pray that all will realize through your faith the compassionate God that leads you into righteousness.

Called to Live in Freedom

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Galatians 5:13-21

The Message

^13-15 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
^16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

^19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know.

For Reflection

God has set us free!  Free to choose to be selfless or selfish.  Free to choose to love one another or be consumed by hate.  Free to embrace evil as well as good.  

This is God's universe and all that is in it belongs to God.  We are merely stewards of all that is his -- not only the material things, but also, stewards of all of his creation including each other.  Serve God and you will love.  Serve God and you will be just. Serve God and you will be compassionate.  Serve God and you will be hopeful.  Serve God and you will be a shepherd to all of His creation. 

Pray

That you will use the freedom God has given you to become the trusted servant and wise steward of His universe.  Pray that you will live a life consumed by the passion of your faith.  Pray that you will earn the trust and faith that God has in you to become the righteous being you have been designed to be.

The Lord Delivered Israel

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 12:21-28

The Message

^21-23 Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, “Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning. God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, God will pass over the doorway; he won’t let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.
^24-27 “Keep this word. It’s the law for you and your children, forever. When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this. And when your children say to you, ‘Why are we doing this?’ tell them: ‘It’s the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.’”
The people bowed and worshiped.
²⁸ The Israelites then went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it all.

For Reflection

Memories can be fleeting things; important one day and forgotten the next.  God provides a ritual to celebrate the Passover so that His compassion and power to save will be remembered into all generations. What rituals do you perform that will be lodged in the memories of your children and celebrated? 

Pray

That you will remember and celebrate the saving grace of our Lord.  Pray that all will find hope in the promise of salvation.  Pray that others will find in the rituals you perform a glimmer of God's saving grace.

The First Passover

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 12:21-28

The Message

^21-23 Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, “Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning. God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, God will pass over the doorway; he won’t let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.
^24-27 “Keep this word. It’s the law for you and your children, forever. When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this. And when your children say to you, ‘Why are we doing this?’ tell them: ‘It’s the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.’”
The people bowed and worshiped.
²⁸ The Israelites then went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it all.

For Reflection

God makes a clear distinction between the Egyptians and the people of God.  People of faith are to live lives distinctly different from those lived in the shadow of their contemporary cultures.  People of faith are protected by God.  People of faith are God-centered.  People of faith are humble, compassionate and just.  How do you see yourself? 

Pray

Pray for the people of God in all parts of our world who face the tyranny of hate and injustice.  Pray for God to comfort them.  Pray that all will find hope in the promise of God's Kingdom.

The Final Plague

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 11

The Message

11 God said to Moses: “I’m going to hit Pharaoh and Egypt one final time, and then he’ll let you go. When he releases you, that will be the end of Egypt for you; he won’t be able to get rid of you fast enough.

^2-3 “So here’s what you do. Tell the people to ask, each man from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor, for things made of silver and gold.” God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people. Also, Moses was greatly admired by the Egyptians, a respected public figure among both Pharaoh’s servants and the people at large.
^4-7 Then Moses confronted Pharaoh: “God’s Message: ‘At midnight I will go through Egypt and every firstborn child in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl working at her hand mill. Also the firstborn of animals. Widespread wailing will erupt all over the country, lament such as has never been and never will be again. But against the Israelites—man, woman, or animal—there won’t be so much as a dog’s bark, so that you’ll know that God makes a clear distinction between Egypt and Israel.’
⁸ “Then all these servants of yours will go to their knees, begging me to leave, ‘Leave! You and all the people who follow you!’ And I will most certainly leave.”
Moses, seething with anger, left Pharaoh.
⁹ God said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s not going to listen to a thing you say so that the signs of my presence and work are going to multiply in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁰ Moses and Aaron had performed all these signs in Pharaoh’s presence, but God turned Pharaoh more stubborn than ever—yet again he refused to release the Israelites from his land.

For Reflection

The power to lead is given only by those who are lead.  When the people of Pharaoh have had enough they will pull the power back.  Maybe that is what God wants us all to know.  That God through his people have the power to end oppression.  We are not hopelessly mired in circumstance. 

Pray

for hope in the power of God.  Pray that all oppressed people will find a way to inject justice and compassion into unjust circumstances.  Pray that God's intentions for human kind will triumph in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds.

The Troubles Multiply

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 5:19-23

The Message

¹⁹ The Israelite foremen saw that they were in a bad way, having to go back and tell their workers, “Not one brick short in your daily quota.”
^20-21 As they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them. The foremen said to them, “May God see what you’ve done and judge you—you’ve made us stink before Pharaoh and his servants! You’ve put a weapon in his hand that’s going to kill us!”
^22-23 Moses went back to God and said, “My Master, why are you treating this people so badly? And why did you ever send me? From the moment I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, things have only gotten worse for this people. And rescue? Does this look like rescue to you?”

For Reflection

Following God's will is often not easy.  Seeking compassionate justice in an unjust system most always results in push back by the prevailing circumstances, in this case the Pharaoh.  When have you experienced or observed the push back in your life?  Did it generate a feeling of hopelessness?  Did you find yourself questioning the agent of justice? 

Pray

that you will find hope where there is little.  Pray that you will have confidence in God.  Pray for the comfort that only comes from deep belief God will make all things right.

The Lamb of God

God's People Worship
First Things
First Freedom

Beginning of Passover

John 1:29-38

The Message

^29-31 The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”

^32-34 John clinched his witness with this: “I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ That’s exactly what I saw happen, and I’m telling you, there’s no question about it: This is the Son of God.”

^35-36 The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb.”

^37-38 The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, “What are you after?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

For Reflection

Christ, is understood to be God's sacrificial lamb.  We are reminded of the passover when the lamb was the vehicle for salvation.  And now, God sends His son to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, to be the Rabbi, the teacher, the great one to free us from self-dependence, and cultural oppression.  To what extent are you embracing the freedom God has given you?  What kind of steward of the Kingdom are you becoming? 

Pray

That you will embrace the call to praise God for the birth death and resurrection of His son.  Pray that you will continue to use the freedom He has given you to be compassionate and just stewards of His Kingdom on Earth.