The Bible Year, Week 3 (January 28)

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We are rapidly approaching the end of January and we are also approaching the end of our Exodus readings.  We will read the final few chapters on Sunday, January 30. 

As I shared in my sermon last Sunday, the story of the Exodus is the single most important story in the Jewish faith and one of our most important stories as Christians, second only to the story of Jesus.

The author of our Bible Year Devotional book, Magrey deVega, noted in a sermon that the Exodus is so significant that for the rest of our journey through the Bible, we're going to lose count of the number of times the authors of the books of the Bible refer back to this story of God freeing his people from slavery in Egypt through the waters, across the wilderness, and toward the promised land. The exodus forever shapes the consciousness of an entire faith. The exodus would forever remind the Israelites of who God was, who they were called to be, and what they were called to do.

Several years ago, we studied Adam Hamilton’s 24-Hours that Changed the World, during the season of Lent. The study covered the last 24 hours of Jesus life before his crucifixion. The study began with the Last Supper. The Last Supper was the Passover feast.  In that study, we watched a video interview of a Jewish rabbi. She said this about the Passover feast:

It’s the time when we remember. God heard our cry and got us out of slavery in Egypt. So that’s a pretty big story to remember.  It’s story that tells us that God is the one who saves us, and that God has already acted to save us – we are saved, we are God’s people.

Jesus and the disciples are remembering that story. And in taking the bread and the cup, blessing and sharing them with the disciples – saying this is my body, this is my blood – Jesus affirms that God is still the one who saves us. In Jesus Christ, God has already acted to save us. We are saved.

Through Jesus, we are God’s people. Since the beginning, the church has understood itself to be the new Israel (Romans 11:16-31; 1 Peter 2:4-10).  We are called as a set-apart people through whom all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed. We are called to live together in such a way that those who are strangers to God will come to know who God is and what God has done for us in and through Christ.

The exodus story is our story too. First, we are reminded of who God is for us. God still sees the oppressed. God still hears the cries of injustice and grief. God still knows his people’s pain. God still understands. God is still a God of justice and compassion.

And second, we are reminded of who we are called to be and what we are called to do. With God, we are called to see the oppressed, to hear the cries of injustice and grief, to know the pain in our world, in our communities, in our church, and in our families. We are called to share the good news of God’s compassion and justice – the good news of the healing and salvation through Christ.

God is the one who saves us. God has already acted to save us. We are saved. We are God’s people. That is the story our scriptures tell. That is our story. 

May it be so.


A few notes and reminders:
  • Our reading schedule for February is pasted below. You can also download a PDF from our website (CLICK HERE)
  • Our Pastor's Bible Study meets every Wednesday night at 5:30 pm in-person (FLC) and online (Zoom). I hope you will join us!
  • The Sunday sermons may be a helpful resource as we move through the readings. You can watch the full sermon on YouTube (CLICK HERE)
  • Remember to check our website regularly for additional resources and updates (CLICK HERE)
  • Remember the great teaching videos at The Bible Project! I find the Book Overviews the most helpful. You will notice I often use this material in the summaries I share in my sermons.  
  • The Bible Year videos on Amplify are also a great place to find weekly summaries of our readings.  






 

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