Lectionary Reading 13 September
But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and you did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:17 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 14:19-31 As we read the story of the Red sea crossing we need to remember that it is not simply a story discrete among a series of stories for the bible recalls the one story of the relationship between God and his people. If we were to take the Red sea crossing in isolation then it becomes a violent, even severe story of God’s action against Israel’s enemies. It is certainly a very dramatic description of the fate of both the fleeing Israelites and the pursuing Egyptian army of Pharaoh. There is an awesome scene in the old film titled The Exodus where the imposing figure of Moses stretches out his staff and the sea piles up. The Israelites rush across and then way in the background is the chaos as the army of Pharaoh is swept away in a tangle of arms and legs! However that is not the complete picture for this crossing unfolds after many chapters describing the relationship between Moses and the Israelites, and Pharaoh and his advisors. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened against releasing the Israelites again and again with each succeeding punishment being more brutal than the last. Finally the catastrophe of the Red sea crossing sweeps the army away and Egypt is sorely grieved. For the reader the description of the Red sea crossing is a reminder that the Lord God is determined to release the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt. It also reinforces the idea that to stand against God is to risk the judgement of disobedience, along with the consequences that disobedience brings. Still above all the description is meant to emphasise that the sign of God’s deliverance is meant to lead the nation to trust completely in God and his servant Moses. 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. Exodus 14:31 (NRSV)
Prayer. You Lord are the great Creator and Sustainer of all that is; every living thing owes allegiance to you and so we offer our humble thanks and praise. You are the one who sustains life and health and strength and so it is to you that we turn as this new week begins. Help us to keep faithfully to your will and way and in all we do, may we walk in obedience to your desires. Save us from the folly of dwelling too much on those things which are of no importance, all the while ignoring the essential things of life. Guide and direct us through this day and every day that we may walk hand in hand with you. This we ask through Jesus Christ your most obedient servant. Amen
Read Psalm 114. Our psalm today draws the remembrance of the victory resulting from the sojourn through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. It is in a worship setting that the psalmist genuinely recognises that the whole creation responds to the command of God in order to deliver the obedience that is necessary to fulfil God’s will. The psalmist describes in poetic language how the sea and the Jordan River could not stand in the way of the deliverance of the Nation. In the desert the dry rocks provide water to sustain the people as they moved through the most barren of places. Swept aside are the grumblings and the hardships as the psalmist offers up to God the glory of all that has been accomplished through God’s will. It is a psalm of celebration fit for use in worship. It gives all glory to God while at the same time assuring Israel that their God, true to his word has accomplished true salvation for the people. It is a psalm through which the people draw confidence for daily living.
Prayer. Gracious Lord, we give you thanks and praise for your faithfulness to us. In all things you continue to guide us. Help us to walk in your ways and always look to you for the wisdom and understanding we need in order to be the people you have called us to be. By your grace, help us to live lives reflecting your love for us as we in turn love those around us. As you forgive may we also be forgiving and in all ways seek to serve those around us. Today we pray remembering those who are in need of our prayers; those who are sick or unable to venture from their homes. We pray for those who are lost at sea and for those who are searching for them, and also their loved ones and family members. In your great love you gave us Jesus to be our Saviour, may we through your love live lives that are worthy of your sacrifice. In all things we give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect. O God of justice and love, you pardon us if we pardon our brothers and sisters: Create in us a new heart in the image of your Son, a heart ever greater than any offence it suffers, that the world may remember how much you love us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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