Freedom Hangs Like Heaven

So the seder is over. Yesterday in class we were able to do a shortened version of the Passover remembrance meal. When I was planning it, I called one of my best friend's grandparents. Grandpa Selekman is a retired Rabbi, so he and Grandma are one of the best resources I could have hoped for. I spoke to Grandma when I called, and her big emphasis was on how this is a day to celebrate the freedom the Israelites finally had. She suggested we each share what freedom means to us (but we ran out of time...) A number of the Haggadahs I looked at in preparation also mention something of this sort. Many begin to ask the question "What is our Egypt today?"
You see, each of us has something that holds us back from being completely free. Sometimes it's a hectic schedule, sometimes a need to watch the football, sometimes a real addiction. Whatever it is, we may see it as good. After all, when things got tough didn't the Israelites ask Moses why he brought them out of Egypt? There were good enough graves there and the wandering was harder. We view what holds us back as something we want, something that is a good part of our lives, even a God-honoring part sometimes. Watching football together is fellowship, right? But when does it become our Egpyt? Cause it certainly can- something that holds us back from God, that we put ahead of Him in our lives. THAT is one way it means to not be free in a country where freedom is everything.  Unless God is first and we listen to His calling for us, how can we happily claim freedom?

A Sunday Smile

In Exodus, God lays out the rules for Israel. In fact, after chapter 11, the majority of the entire book is lists of rules. When I was reading it while doing homework with my friend Jessie this past weekend, I commented on how I found reading the rule lists to be tedious and somewhat annoying. She made the observation that she wishes God would still work that way- tell us exactly what we need to do in order to please Him and follow his desire for us and our life. The Israelites got that in every aspect of their life, from the number of loops on the curtains to how to offer sacrifice.
God works much more mysteriously in our lives today- He is still fully active, but gives us more freedom to choose. Which also means we have more freedom to screw up, to only wear a Sunday Smile instead of being true to our God.

Belief

In Exodus 14, the Israelites pass through the Sea of Reeds. At the beginning of the chapter, God claims that Pharaoh is going to pursue the Israelites once again because "the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD"(v. 4). However, one could claim that the Israelites are the ones who really needed it and the ones who really found belief. Verse 31 says "Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses". The Israelites needed the signs, too. They were not fully for the benefit of the Egyptians,  there were proof for even the people of God themselves. Today is busy, so short post.

Trust Me

Moses had to learn how to trust God. He questions God's call on him over and over, to the point that "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses" (Exodus 4:14). He has a hard time trusting that he can do what God is asking him to. God gives him help in the form of Aaron as his speaker and still he questions. He doesn't think Israel will listen to him with his poor speaking skills, that Pharaoh will respect him, that God will follow through.
Yet, he does it. God gives him helps- Aaron, signs, strength. He steps up and does what he's told...eventually. As things progress to the Passover, he stops whining to God about going to Pharaoh. He finally trusts that God will complete his promises. And He does. Things still aren't easy for the Israelites, but they are free to worship their God.
Moses in this part of Exodus is a good encouragement to us. We often whine and complain when God gives us hard things to do- stuff that we find ever challenging, that feeds on our weaknesses. Yet we too must persevere and trust that God will pull us through it. Today I decided that part of my learning contract would be to host a sedar. I'm nervous about the technicalities of it, but feel like it will such a wonderful experience for us as a class and such a good learning tool that I have to do it. Here's to trusting.

Laughing Out Loud

Sarah. Probably my favorite part of Genesis. I have really enjoyed reading her story. I kept meaning to write about her more in depth than the surprise post, but got distracted by other thoughts. So tonight is her time. First, she has one of my favorite quotes so far- "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me" (Gen 21:6). I love this view of a child as laughter. I know it relates back to 18, when she laughed at God's promise of a child for her, but it also works on it's own. In Peter Pan, Peter tells Wendy "You see...when the first baby laughed for the first time, it's laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies". Babies bring laughter. And that laughter leads to good things (like fairies...because yes, they are real). Sarah knew this. Her story is ridiculous. A woman her age should not get pregnant. Yet there she was, with a newborn to bring her joy, to act silly, to learn crazy things and learn to speak. Babies supply entertainment to no end. My best friend while living in England was a 2 year old named Aiden. 

This is Aiden

He made me laugh constantly. In the picture he's trying to take my sunglasses so he can wear them. They're periwinkle with gems on them. Not exactly boy glasses. But as a baby, he doesn't care. They make you laugh. Sarah knew what she was talking about.
The other side of Sarah is not so nice, however. She had a petty side, as we all do. She got Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael because she wanted Isaac to have the full inheritance. It was her idea to get Hagar to have Abraham's son so that there would be a child in the first place. It seems unfair for her to also be the cause of casting out that child.   It's petty, it's silly, it's awfully mean. But it's real. Sarah wasn't perfect. She was kind of a jerk. But aren't we all? At least sometimes?

SMS (Shine)

This long weekend was very fun, not least because of a David Crowder Band project we got to help with at UBC. The next music video involves a ridiculous number of lite brite shots. Since these each take far more time than one would think, the church has been enlisted for this week to help whenever possible. It's made my life so happy- it's mind-numbing work, but its also a lot of fun and it feels like you can really see the progress that's happening. We get to see the video up to the point we've finished every now and then, and seeing how cool it all is together makes the difficulties well worth it. The simple community of it is also amazing- being able to just sit around together putting in popping out little lite brite pegs leaves a ton of time for talking and joking and just getting to know one another.
I feel like this is much how the Jews must have felt a lot of the time. Life got hard for them, time after time. Often it seemed tedious and would break their spirits, but God shone through and made the Light worth following. They came together a community chosen by their God who would come to honor Him once again.

You'd Be Surprised

In Genesis, Sarai is certainly surprised by God. After becoming Abraham and Sarah, God promises the couple a child. At separate times, they both laugh at God when he tells them they will have a child. They are too old, too far beyond child raising to even consider it possible. But in the end, God gets the real laugh. He gives them Isaac and the nations.

In my Mi Casa group at church, we are talking about doing the 30 day surprise me challenge. Terry Esau wrote a book about his experience with this and encourages churches to try it. UBC had planned to before the death of Kyle Lake, but got a little waylaid by the aftermath of that situation. So now we are going to actually try it within our house groups. I actually read Terry's book and did the challenge back when I was a Baylor freshman, but did a bad job documenting it and don't actually remember how it worked out. I just remember doing it and reading the book! This time, I'm faithful in God's ability to surprise us in big ways if we only ask daily. Sarah and Abraham learned this and I'm hoping that we can too.