Back to Egypt

Many of us at Calvary UMC have been following the American Bible Society's Daily Bible reading program this year. If you haven't, it's super easy--either visit the ABS' site and download the reading plan, or visit Calvary's homepage (www.calvaryumc.org) and sign up to receive daily e-mails with the readings.

Today's reading comes from Nehemiah, and is a continuation of the previous day's reading describing the people of Israel, having returned to Jerusalem (some had never left) and recounting the story of God's faithfulness to the people through many circumstances, including the people's unfaithfulness.

One of my favorite parts is Nehemiah 9:16-17:

16  "But they and our ancestors acted presumptuously and stiffened their necks and did not obey your commandments;  17  they refused to obey, and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them; but they stiffened their necks and determined to return to their slavery in Egypt. 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.   

Keith Green has a song entitled, "So You Want to Go Back to Egypt" which is kind of a funny song (full of sound effects, etc.), but which has long struck me as properly mocking and critical of each of our tendencies to want to "go back to Egypt." I mean, think about what this meant for the people of Israel--we know some of their misery from the Biblical narrative: slavery, suffering poverty, being ruled over--so much so that the ruler (Pharoah) could order that male children be killed upon birth and expect that order to be carried out. This was a horrible life, devoid of hope for the future, and yet God had miraculously brought them out.

And yet, faced with the vast uncertainly and changes brought from their wandering in the desert, the people of Israel had times when they cried out to God to back to Egypt. Okay, maybe it wasn't always crying out to God (sometimes it was God they were upset at!). God, fortunately, knew better, and didn't let them regress. God kept them focused forward, and moving into the promised future--a land flowing with milk and honey. There were bumps along the way, sometimes HUGE ones, but nonetheless, God didn't send them back to Egypt, even though if I were God, I maybe would have just to shut them up.

I think we have the same experience at times. God brings us forward into something new, something, perhaps, we've always wanted, and when we face the difficulty and challenge that always comes with any big, new, great thing, we start thinking that what we had before is looking pretty good now. This happens in many ways--going to high school after middle school, starting our first job and being responsible only to ourselves, getting married, having kids, taking on a new role at church or in the community. Or tackling a new opportunity.

I have to admit that if you asked me this time last year, when I'd first heard I was going to be appointed as the associate pastor at Calvary, if we would be undertaking many of the things we are, I'd have balked. It's not just a matter of a long to do list (that's life, certainly life as a pastor, and you have to make your piece with that). Rather, we've got some MAJOR stuff underway. A new worship service. A new relationship with Centennial Memorial UMC. Rethinking how our program ministries cooperate. Figuring out how we live out our new vision. Fine tuning how we do what we do. On and on. It may indeed be the promised future (and I truly believe it is), but sometimes the challenge and uncertainty of it seems to loom large.

BUT...as the people of Israel always would remember as they recited God's history with them, GOD HAS BEEN FAITHFUL AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE FAITHFUL. And often, the most incredible things God does come by the work of imperfect people (good news for me and you) and often after some hard work.

Gospel duo Mary Mary have a song that I love called "Can't Give Up Now," that includes the line, "I just can't give up now. Come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me the road would be easy, but I don't believe he's brought me this far to leave me."



May God continue to draw us into the promised future, giving us strength, energy and excitement for the journey. God has been with us, had done unimaginable things, and God will continue to do great things...if we're fortunate, IN and THROUGH each of us. And may we never go back to Egypt.