Saturday 25 May 2013

Week 1 Getting from here to there. Moses’ Mission - Vision of a Promised Land - a talk by Canon Andrew Evans

Inspired by Exodus 3.1-8)

The book of Exodus tells this amazing story of how God rescued his people. A young chap called Joseph, bit of a daddy’s favourite who liked to dress sharply, really ticks off his brothers. They dump him in the desert and go home to tell the old man some wild animal got him.  However, wanting a bit of pocket money themselves they decide to sell their brother into slavery.  Cut a long story short (the Bible can go on a bit), Joseph saves his brothers and the whole people of Israel and leaves a story which makes Andrew Lloyd Webber a lotta money in the West End (London not Cairo).


The people of Israel grow and grow in numbers, so many that the locals start to get a bit worried.  Pharaoh decides all the Israelite boys should be killed.  One, called Moses, is hidden, survives, becomes a Prince of Egypt, kills an overseer, flees and then is called by God from a burning bush (bush fires are dangerous, as Moses is going to find out)  goes back to Egypt and rescues the people from slavery. Wow, deep breath.  Not even Eastenders and Corrie’s got a story line as good as that!

Now Moses’ c.v. includes being a prince; good at bossing people about and posing on the royal balcony on special days, but more recently he’s been working as a shepherd.  Spends long periods alone and stinks of sheep.  Add to this that he has an unfortunate habit of stumbling over his words when nervous and he doesn’t add up to the sort of leader who is going to inspire confidence when he says ‘follow me into the desert as we look for this land God’s promised us but not told us where it is’!

Moses had to get the people from here to there.  He had to cast to them a vision of how, with a bit of faith and a bucketful of courage, life would be better if they would, literally, break the chains that held them back.  A land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ sounds pretty good, but what happens if it all goes sour and they come to a sticky end somewhere?

What is your vision of the promised land?  What would you be willing to let go if it meant a better future, even though that involves risk and uncertainty?  Being tied to routines at least is secure!  Faith is a risky business. Following when God calls can be life threatening and life changing.   How willing are you to change your perspective on things, or are you very comfortable where you are, thank-you very much?

 

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