The One True God - Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost Narrative Lectionary 3

The One True God

Pentecost 20 NL3

October 6, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Exodus 32.1-14

God is angry and the word angry doesn’t begin to cover it. God is ticked off, mad, and decency prohibits other words that could express God’s anger. It hasn’t been long since God has liberated his chosen people from slavery in Egypt and parted the Red Sea so they could cross safely, preventing the Egyptians from following. Along the way, God has provided for their every need. The people have just agreed to a covenant, essentially what we now call the Ten Commandments plus other guidelines for living together. Then in just a few days the people replace Moses and God with a false image of that very God.

However, we need to understand that God’s people are scared. They’ve left the familiarity of the only life they’ve known, albeit an excruciating one. Now they number in the tens of thousands wandering in the wilderness. They are eating unfamiliar and rather uninspiring food (manna) on a day-to-day basis. There are enemies and wild animals all around, waiting to attack. Furthermore, their leader Moses has been gone 40 days, ostensibly chatting with God. They don’t know this God very well, and they’re not so sure about Moses either. They’re scared, and can we really blame them?

When you’re scared you do stupid stuff, and sometimes when you’re mad you say stupid stuff. The people are not yet a cohesive nation, more a collection of tribes. And though God is the God of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they’re just getting acquainted with this God after a long absence and haven’t caught the vision that God has for them yet. So, they don’t exactly throw out God and Moses. Rather, they make an image, one that they can see and touch and bow down to. Unfortunately, Moses’ brother and right-hand man Aaron doesn’t have the backbone to deny them.

In hindsight and with 3,000 years of wisdom behind us, it is easy to judge the Israelites for their apostasy. But our story today invites us to consider those ways we do the same, if not as blatantly as the Israelites. We need to ask, how does our fear cause us to put faith in poor substitutes of the One True God? We know that possessions and leaders are not our saviors, but how do we do stupid things, trusting in things that don’t deserve our trust. 

One example that concerns me and other pastors deeply is a growing movement called Christian Nationalism. Christian Nationalism is a complex phenomenon in our country, but essentially it is understood as conflating what it means to be a follower of Christ with being a citizen of this country. This sermon doesn’t have the wherewithal to go deeper than to express concern and invite you into exploring this. Pr. Drew and I would be willing to discuss this further.

Back to the text. I think that the reason God is so mad is that God is deeply hurt by the peoples’ rebellion. When we love deeply, as God does us, it hurts deeply when we’ve been betrayed. God’s declaration to Moses that he will “consume them” shows just how hurt God is. But, as some theologians point out, God’s command to Moses to “let me alone” also shows an openness for more conversation. And Moses shows us just how open and vulnerable God is, to love, to talk, and to risk being hurt over and over again.

Those of us who are a certain age have had the experience of riding in a car with our siblings and fighting in such confined spaces, especially on long drives. After a while, one of our parents would say, “Don’t make me come back there!” I’ve seen billboards that ascribe a similar sentiment to God as it says, “Don’t make me come down there!” Yet, we as Christians believe that God ultimately does just that in his Son, Jesus Christ. We believe God so loved the world that God has come down, not to condemn us and the world but to save it.

If you are in a scary place right now, know that God is with you, all evidence to the contrary. And if you wonder if God is mad at you, know that God’s heart is broken because of all the brokenness in this world, and that he sent Jesus to love us and show us the way to wholeness and healing. In a few minutes, we will have concrete experience of that love as Jesus again comes down to us in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. This is not an image of God but the One True God made present for us. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Between Dreams and Disclosure - Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost NL3

Between Dream & Disclosure

Pentecost 18 Narrative Lectionary 3

September 22, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Genesis 37.3-8, 17b-22, 26-34; 50.15-21

In April 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, TN. In 1991 a museum opened on the site with an expansion following a few years later. A wreath hangs on the balcony railing of Room 306 where Dr. King was standing when he was assassinated. On the ground below the wreath there is a historic marker explaining the events of the day. The marker quotes Genesis 57.19-20 in part: “They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him … and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’”

In today’s scripture reading, that sentence was uttered by Joseph’s brothers who had no idea of its significance thousands of years ago. The story of Joseph is monumental. It occupies 14 chapters in the book of Genesis, almost 30% of the total. Much has happened in Genesis since last week’s promise that God made to Abraham and Sarah, to be the ancestors of a numerous people. They indeed had a son Isaac, who in turn had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob, also known as Israel, has 12 sons through two wives and two mistresses. In part, the Joseph story is a bridge between the promise God made to Abraham and Sarah and its fulfillment in Exodus. There is much left out of today’s reading so I encourage you to read the entire story. It’s fascinating reading.

Though there is enough drama and dysfunction to make a latter-day soap opera, the real question the story asks and answers is, “Where is God in the midst of this messy family?” On the one hand, the brothers could not see how Joseph’s dream was tied to God’s promise of a numerous people, assuming they remembered the promise at all. Although Joseph’s dream signals a new possibility to God’s people, albeit unclearly, nevertheless it’s a threat to the brothers. At the same time, it was difficult for Joseph to see God’s presence in the suffering he endured at the hands of the slave traders and the Egyptian leaders.

Whether we realize it or not, we live in a similar place as Joseph and his brothers, between dream and disclosure. Another way to say this is that we try to be realistic about our current circumstances but need to do so without falling into despair and hopelessness. On the other hand, we try to be certain that God is present in our world and that God will be faithful to God’s promises. What the Joseph story tells us is that God’s presence and purposes may be hidden to us but they’re reliable nonetheless. But just as important, the brothers’ concern shows us that the new circumstances of their father’s death require new assurances of God’s care and concern.

We know that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream, that all people would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, echoed in the Constitution that all people are created equal, didn’t die with the death of the dreamer. But we also know that the dream hasn’t been fully realized either and that it continues to unfold, albeit slowly. 55 years ago, First English Lutheran Church here in Faribault had a dream for a new congregation in the southwest corner of this community, one that continues to unfold in unpredictable ways. The life of this congregation hasn’t been easy, but it has always been with the presence of God. It is in the unfolding of this dream that we continue to respond to the call on us, one that we dare not miss.

Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann admits this tension between dream and disclosure in his poem Dreams and Nightmares. It comes from his book Prayers for a Privileged People (Nashville: Abingdon, 2008):

Last night as I lay sleeping,
    I had a dream so fair . . .
    I dreamed of the Holy City, well ordered and just.
    I dreamed of a garden of paradise, well-being all around and a good water supply.
    I dreamed of disarmament and forgiveness, and caring embrace for all those in need.
    I dreamed of a coming time when death is no more.

Last night as I lay sleeping . . .
    I had a nightmare of sins unforgiven.
    I had a nightmare of land mines still exploding and maimed children.
    I had a nightmare of the poor left unloved,
      of the homeless left unnoticed,
      of the dead left ungrieved.
    I had a nightmare of quarrels and rages and wars great and small.

When I awoke, I found you still to be God,
    presiding over the day and night
    with serene sovereignty,
    for dark and light are both alike to you.

At the break of day we submit to you
    our best dreams
    and our worst nightmares,
    asking that your healing mercy should override threats,
    that your goodness will make our
      nightmares less toxic
      and our dreams more real.

Thank you for visiting us with newness
    that overrides what is old and deathly among us.
Come among us this day; dream us toward
    health and peace,
we pray in the real name of Jesus
    who exposes our fantasies.

God has a dream to love and bless the world and God sent his Son Jesus to fulfill it. There were those who attempted to silence the Dream by killing the Dreamer. Instead, they accomplished the opposite. God also calls us to see where that dream is unfolding, wherever we are, and to join in the work, reminding us that whatever stands in the way will not prevent its realization. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Bounded Love - Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Narrative Lectionary Year 3

Bounded Love

Pentecost 16 – NL3

September 8, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Genesis 2.4b-7, 15-17; 3.1-8

The new owner of a surfside motel was concerned that guests on the second floor would fish off the balcony thus endangering the people and property below. So, the owner placed signs in all the 2nd floor rooms, “No fishing off the balcony.” Unfortunately, the signs had the opposite effect, increasing the number of incidents of broken glass. In a flash of inspiration, the owner removed the signs. The incidents of fishing off the balconies ceased.

In The Magician’s Nephew, one of the books in CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series, the title character finds himself in an alternate world, moving through a museum-like gallery with imposing images on both sides. In the middle of the gallery, he spots a bell and hammer with a sign that says, “Do not ring the bell.” He can’t help himself and does, resulting in chaos and all sorts of evil things being unleashed on that world.

A young couple have everything they could possibly want or need but are prohibited from eating the fruit from one tree. They can’t help themselves, resulting in a totally different future.

Doing what we don’t want to do is a central theme in our text for today. We begin our gallop through the Old Testament in the third year of the Narrative Lectionary, a series of readings that takes seriously the Bible as a story. Saying the Bible is a story doesn’t demean its truth. In fact, the Bible is deeply true, one that has a beginning, middle, and an open ending. As we begin this journey, here are some things to watch for. First, the Bible is a story of belonging, belonging of us to God, of God to us, of belonging to each other, and belonging to all creation. Another way of saying this is that the Bible is all about community. 

Second, the Bible is also a story of creation and re-creation. There is more than one creation story in the Bible. God doesn’t just create in Genesis and let things go. Creation is both a past event and an ongoing event. God continues to create. Third, the Bible is a story of God choosing to work through deeply flawed people and broken institutions. People like you and me, institutions like the church, including Our Savior’s. Finally, this lectionary highlights the role the Old Testament plays in the Christian faith. Christianity didn’t begin with the birth of Jesus.

There’s a lot going on in our reading today but there are also parts that are skipped over. For example, we realize there are two creation stories in Genesis, though we can consider the second one to be a deeper one of the first. The first creation story tells us that human beings are created in God’s image, though it doesn’t specify what that means exactly. The second story says that we are both “soil and spirit,” specifically we are from dust and will return to dust. But we are more than dust as bearers of God’s Spirit, the very breath of God breathed into us. 

Something else that is missed is the creation of the woman. That’s important to note because some people believe being created second implies an inferior position. That’s important because the text declares that she is an equal partner with the man, different from the man but equal to the man. (BTW, one response to the claim that the woman is inferior is to point out that God fixed the mistakes he made with the man. The woman is Humanity 2.0.) Finally, we miss hearing God’s pronouncement that creation is good. That’s especially important because God doesn’t claim that creation is perfect as we  assume; it is good.

A deeper dive into our text reveals some important points. The snake is not the devil or Satan; that’s an interpolation not found in the text but rather comes much later during the time period between the end of the Old Testament events and the birth of Jesus. Also, it’s important to note that the man and woman are likely together in the conversation with the snake, though it’s the woman who is leading the conversation. Furthermore, a fun fact is that we don’t know what kind of fruit was involved, apple or not. Finally, the text misses one of my favorite lines. Part of the reaction of the couple, besides hiding, is for the man to blame God for the woman, which deflects responsibility for his actions.

Now, we tend to think of Genesis chapters 1-3 as an origin story, about how life began for humans and creatures. Instead, I’d like to suggest we think of it as a prologue to the larger story, the one beginning with Abraham. This prologue explains the intimate connection between God, humans, and creation. It shows why the story from Abraham forward into the Jesus story is necessary. It shows why the Jewish people have been chosen to address a fundamental issue in the Bible, that humanity has “rebelled upward” by encroaching on territory that belongs exclusively to God alone. As Luther Seminary professor of Old Testament, Rolf Jacobson, says, it’s not so much a fall downward as rebellion upward.

For me, one takeaway of today’s lesson is the tension we live under as both “soil and spirit.” On the one hand, God created us in God’s image, and it seems that one meaning is the propensity to think, learn, and be curious, including our relationship with God and each other. But that’s balanced by a sense of humility, that we are not God and are to let God be God. One consequence of this is that we are to constantly ask, “What is God doing in the world and where is God inviting us to join in that work.” Too often we get this backwards and rush into making a decision and ask God to bless it on the back end.

There are at least two lessons to take away from today’s text. First, we’re not always going to get this distinction right and we’re going to mess up. In other words, we’ll do what we aren’t supposed to do. Or, as the Apostle Paul notes in Romans 7, we find it almost a law that we do what we don’t do or don’t do what we should do. Second, God will continue to work through our imperfections to restore our broken relationships. When we stumble and fall, God will pick us up, dust us off, and encourage us to try again. And God will go to great lengths to do so, all the way to taking on flesh himself and giving himself fully through the life, death, and resurrection of his only Son, Jesus Christ. So, as Martin Luther says, let sin boldly so that we may believe all the more boldly still. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Walking through Fire - Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - Summer Series on Daniel

Walking through Fire

Pentecost 12 – Summer Series on Daniel

August 11, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Daniel 3.1-30

During my final year of seminary, it became clear that one of my classmates had been unfairly targeted by one of the professors.  Cindy and I had grown close to Matt and his wife, who we had invited to share Thanksgiving with us. So this felt personal. The administration held a meeting that I attended where we aired our concerns, but it was clear nothing would change. My angst at the situation was compounded by Matt’s leaving the seminary and finishing elsewhere. He became a pastor in another denomination and the ELCA lost a fine candidate, not to mention the respect that suffered because of this. Even more so, I came away feeling like I didn’t stand up against the injustice enough because I was afraid. Afraid of suffering the same fate after already giving up so much to go to seminary in the first place.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced a difficult decision in today’s reading. This is the second in our five-week sermon series on Daniel. As we mentioned last week, the central question in Daniel is, “Where is God?” Perhaps an ancillary question is also, “Who is God?” Daniel was written to encourage a Jewish people who were going through a difficult time of oppression. The Assyrian king Antioches IV Epiphane was desecrating the temple and making life a living hell for them Though Daniel was set about 400 years earlier during a similar situation, this time the Babylonian exile, it was a story for the ages. Daniel and his friends, who had been princes in Jerusalem, now serve in the court of the Babylonian king. Nebuchadnezzar as we discovered last week was an unreasonable, insecure, and fickle tyrant. Nothing’s changed.

This week Daniel is put on the back burner, so to speak, as his compatriots, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego are literally on the hot seat. They are faced with an impossible choice: apostasy or death. Worship another set of gods or be thrown into the fiery furnace. The long list of officials and instruments highlights the absurdity of the king’s reign and his temper. As we know, it is the weird, crazy, and out of touch tyrants who are the most dangerous. But it’s important to know that this is the last in many ways their existence has been threatened. It began not only with their deportation from Jerusalem into Babylon, but then being stripped of their identities. Their name changes say it all, Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah, names that describe their worship of and connection to YHWH now become Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, name that connote worship of the Babylonian gods, Bel, Marduk, and Nabu. They have a new religion imposed upon them

As I watch the political scene these days, I’m concerned about candidates and elected leaders who demand absolute loyalty from their followers and practice retribution against those who question them. (An aside: I am neither a Democrat nor Republican.) (Another aside: if you are mad at me for what I’ve said, you are angry at the wrong person.) I also wonder about the ways we pressure immigrants to deny their heritage and cultural identity. How much do we try to strip people of their culture and force them into our conception of what it means to be an American? As the grandson and great-grandson of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants, I'm grateful for my cultural heritage that’s been preserved. (All seriousness aside, my forbearers could have left behind lutefisk.) The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego give those of us who find ourselves in difficult situations the courage to trust in God but not to presume upon God. And it reminds those of us in places of privilege to not abuse our position either.

Fast forward a few years past seminary and well into my first call. I’m at a pastor’s theological retreat and the bishop launches into a rant about something. This just didn’t feel right to me. At the end, this tirade roused the pastors to stand and applaud the bishop. That is, everybody but me. I stayed seated and didn’t cheer; somehow I knew I was being manipulated. Later, a few pastors said they wished they’d had my courage, realizing they’d been manipulated. (One more aside: not this synod or bishop.) But I’m not the hero, for I thank God for the ability to see what was happening and to act on my convictions, though it cost me professionally. When it came time to seek another call, the bishop agreed to send letters to other synods but did not try to convince me to stay in the synod. I think it worked out okay. I believe that God was with me.

I think this is what it means to take up the cross and follow Jesus, trusting in his presence. We don’t know who the fourth man was in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego. Nebuccadnezzar believed it to be an angel. Some say it was Jesus himself. We don’t know, but we do know that God is with us through times of trial. May you know God’s presence and be strengthened by it. Amen

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

The Long View - Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - Summer Series on Daniel

The Long View

Pentecost 11 Summer Series on Daniel

August 4, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Daniel 2.24-49

Today we begin our final sermon series of the summer, five weeks on the book of Daniel. This might also be considered an extension of our last sermon series, “The Good Book: Meeting our Ancestors in Faith One Story at a Time.” Daniel could certainly be considered an ancestor of the faith. But before we get into the text, I think that it’s helpful to get an overview of the book. If I had to summarize the book, I think it would be to answer the question, “Where is God?” or “Who is God?” I’m guessing that all of us at one time or another have asked that question, perhaps even now we might be wondering if God is present in our lives. 

The story of Daniel takes place in the early 6th century BCE, around 590 BCE, in Babylon. (A reminder that Babylon was what is now modern-day Iraq.) The Babylonians had just defeated the southern Jewis kingdom of Juday, overrun Jerusalem, and destroyed the temple. Perhaps worse, they brought the Judeans into Babylon where they stripped them of their identity and forced them to worship other Gods, principally the Babylonian god Marduk.

However, most scholars believe that the book of Daniel was written much later and back in Judah during another difficult time in their history. It was during the reign of terror imposed upon the Israelites by Syrian ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, beginning with temple desecration 167 BCE. It’s as if someone wrote a story about a modern issue but set during the Revolutionary War or perhaps more the point, like “Star Wars,” “... a long time ago, far, far away.” The Israelites’ captivity in Babylon was a real event that helped Jews 400 years later deal with a very difficult situation. Finally, the backstory to our text today is that Daniel and his three friends were “princes” in Judah who because of their learned background are made to serve in the king's court where they received further education in the arts.

So they would be counted among the “wise guys” that King Nebuchadnezzar took to task because they could not only explain the dream but also relate the dream with being told

To be charitable, perhaps the king forgot the dream, but he still comes off as unreasonable

Before the king can kill everyone, Daniel asks to see the king, tells the king what the dream was, and tells him what it means, prompting the king to worship Daniel

The king lavishes gifts and a lofty position upon Daniel, who promotes his buddies as well

As you can imagine, the Jews exiled in Babylon wondered where God was and even questioned if God existed. It’s helpful to know that in that world, when one country beat up another country, it meant their God was bigger than the other god. So their defeat and captivity really called into question the Jews’ belief their God was not only the biggest God but also the only God.  Thus Nebuchadnezzar stuns court by claiming that YHWH, the God of the Jews, is God of gods, and revealer of mysteries. In other words, God has been proclaimed not only better than Marduk by the king but even present in, with, and through the lives of the exiled Judeans. 

Yet, almost lost amid the miraculous nature of Daniel’s performance and the king’s reaction is the interpretation of the dream itself, which Nebuchadnezzar conveniently ignores. The dream signifies that no matter how impressive his accomplishments and his kingdom, there will be four successive, lesser kingdoms that will be ultimately replaced by the forever kingdom of God. For the Israelites, it meant that God was not only in charge, but that their present circumstances, no matter how difficult, were a small part of a much larger story. For us as Christians, we believe that kingdom was inaugurated with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Last Sunday about 60 of us gathered to “Look Back” at the history of OSLC and in some sense “kingdoms” have come and gone. Some pastorates were “golden,” some less so, and a few “clay mixed with iron.” We acknowledged programs were begun, prospered for a time, and then ended. In it all we strove to take the long view of God’s presence in, with, and through Our Savior’s. In essence, we asked “Where is God?” in the last 55 years. Then we will gather next Sunday to describe Our Savior’s and what kind of lead pastor it will need during the next “kingdom.” So, Where is God? Working in, with, and through history to bring about God’s kingdom in, with, and through Our Savior’s. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

L Is for Laodicea - Sermon for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost - The Good Book

L Is for Laodicea

Pentecost 10 – Summer Series: The Good Book

July 28, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Revelation 3.14-22

This past week as I prepared today’s message, I’ve engaged in a bit of fantasy. I’ve wondered what it would be like to be the interim pastor at the church in Laodicea. The Apostle John, perhaps in this case, Bishop John, from his exile on the island of Patmos, has told me my work is cut out for me. At first blush, the church has everything going for it. It is located in a thriving context as Laodicea is a strategic city at the junction of three important trade routes in Asia Minor, our modern-day Turkey. Laodicea is well-known for producing wool and has a medical center that is known for its eye ointment. The church can even boast being founded by Epaphras, a co-worker of the renowned Apostle Paul. As an affluent church, it can afford to pay well beyond the Minimum Compensation Guidelines of the synod. It looks like a plum assignment that would help me ease into retirement.

However, Bishop John warns me, there are serious issues, all rooted in complacency. I have in my hand a letter from John, supposedly dictated by Jesus. I’ve learned that it is one of seven sent to Laodicea and six of its neighbors: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia. And, from what I’ve heard, it’s the only letter that has absolutely nothing complimentary to say. It uses imagery that makes it clear Jesus knows this church: Laodicea’s own water is so putrid it needs aqueducts to transport water from neighboring Hierapolis, known for its hot springs, and Colossae, for cool waters. Unfortunately, because of the long distance, the water arrives lukewarm and is thus gag worthy.

What’s an interim pastor to do? How will I be received? Will they be able to listen to anything I have to say? Today is the last in a sermon series called“The Good Book: Meeting our Ancestors in Faith One Story at Time.” It’s unique because today’s “ancestor” is a group, not an individual. Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be any good attributes to commend them. They have lost whatever “hot” zeal they had for sharing the gospel, and have focused on private piety rather than being a voice for change. Thus, Jesus would rather have them to be pagan “cold” than the lukewarm community they are. So, is the lesson to be learned today, “Don’t be like the Laodiceans?” 

Perhaps, but there’s more than that because with God there is always more, and it is always “better” more. The core message to Laodicea is that Jesus loves them deeply and doesn’t give up on them. Jesus stands at their door, knocking persistently, inviting them to turn back toward him and being the kind of community God wants them to be. Even amid the stark imagery, Bishop John reminds the church that God has not called the gifted but rather gifted the called. The Laodiceans have been gifted to be God’s hands at work in the world. To those who much has been given, much is expected. The Laodiceans have a responsibility to use their gifts for the sake of the world.

In a little while we’ll gather in Fellowship Hall to look back on your short 55-year history. We’ll endeavor to be honest about what has happened here, the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Through it all we’ll try to discern where God has been present in, with, and through you in this place. And we’ll use this looking back as a springboard to see what the future might look like as you prepare to call your next lead pastor. As we do so, we’ll remember that God loves you very much and wants you to “taste good.” Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

P Is for Puah - Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - Summer Series

P Is for Puah

Pentecost 7 – Summer Series, “The Good Book”

July 7, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Exodus 1.8-22

There’s an old proverb that goes back hundreds of years, with several variations, including one from Benjamin Franklin. And there’s even one a century earlier from the poet George Herbert. It’s called, “For Want of a Nail” and goes something like this.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. / For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost. / For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost. / For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

As Wikipedia reminds us of the moral of the proverb, “seemingly unimportant acts or omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences.” Today we might say, “For want of a baby the Hebrews were lost.” In our scripture reading we meet Puah and by extension her colleague Shiphrah, ancestors in the faith. They seem to be playing bit parts in the dramatic story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt. Yet, had they not played their part, the pivotal event in the life of Israel may not have happened. In addition to the covenant with Abraham that made them God’s chosen people, the exodus from Egypt is the singular defining event for the Jewish people.

Puah and Shiphrah are ordered by the king, also known as pharaoh, to commit mass infanticide by killing the male babies they deliver. He does this because he is fearful that the Hebrews would become even more plentiful and take over the country. (How many times has this story been repeated since humans evolved to walk upright?) It’s unclear in the Hebrew grammar whether Puah and Shiphrah are Hebrew midwives or Egyptian midwives to the Hebrew women, but what is clear is they “fear” God. In other words, they have a relationship with God, one of respect, a relationship they don’t have with Pharaoh.

What is also clear is that these women who deal in life will refuse to deal in death. It is also somewhat ironic that the mighty pharaoh, who is arguably the most important person in that part of the world, has his name lost to us. Yet we know the names of these two seemingly powerless and inconsequential women are not only known but also celebrated. Furthermore, as the story unfolds, it is the women who have agency in the story. In addition to Puah and Shiphrah, Moses’ sister convinces his mother to put him in a basket in the river to save him. And it is pharaoh’s daughter who will rescue baby Moses and raise him as her own. The women collaborate albeit unwittingly to deliver the deliverer.

So, what does it mean that Puah is an ancestor of ours? What has she passed down to us? On the one hand, we want to acknowledge the value of every single life and that is no small thing. Yet we wonder if she and Shiphrah are “spitting into the wind” of pharaoh in an exercise in futility. Will what they do matter? Even so, they acted in faithfulness to God’s call on their lives. They did so even though they had no idea of what was ahead for the Hebrews, that the Hebrews would become a mighty people despite pharaoh’s actions, and that a baby they saved would lead the Hebrews to the Promised Land.

It’s understandable that in looking around our country and our world we would feel despair and hopelessness. We see endless wars, mass shootings, homelessness, inflation, disasters, etc. Yet, as anthropologist Margaret Mead reminds us, “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” Puah and Shiphrah remind us that even small acts can produce consequential results.

In fact, the Bible is full of “inconsequential consequential” people, those in positions of power or influence who are able to do neither. But there are far more “consequential inconsequential” people such as Puah and Shiphrah. For example, there’s the seemingly inconsequential youngest of seven sons, a shepherd boy who unites the Hebrew people in a country or disparate 12 tribes. And this King Dave will have a descendant who will give birth to a Jewish rabbi, the son of a carpenter and young virgin woman. This rabbi will assemble a motley group of followers, women and men alike, a small group who will change the world. And through the life and death of this Jesus, God will destroy the powers of death in the second greatest act of deliverance in the Bible, the resurrection to eternal life.

Sometimes we might wonder what difference we can make, how a few pennies or dollar bills in a jar could change someone’s life or put a dent in the great need in our community. Yet these coins and bills can provide a meal in the Community Cafe, help eradicate polio, or provide school supplies for families in need. We don’t always see results, but our ancestors Puah and Shiphrah show us we don’t need to. We simply need to “fear God” and trust for the rest. Even so, we are not without resources because we believe that a handful of water assures us of God’s presence. And, as the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, that he has handed down to us what was handed down to him, that a little bit of bread and wine contain the Creator of the Universe, everything we need to walk the way of our ancestors in faith, including Puah and Shiphrah. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.