Good morning dear “Walking with Jesus” friends, as we begin another year in this journey of experiencing God’s Word together.
New beginnings are special moments aren’t they? Marriages, graduations, retirements, births of babies, new jobs, relocation to new places. . . new beginnings! Today is just that, a new beginning for all of us, as we step into a new year together. Pause here, two days into this new year called 2022. Look out over the horizon before you. . .what do you see, for YOU, your extended family, your city, your country, our world?
I wonder what Joseph and Mary felt as they awakened and looked out over Nazareth their first day back from having lived as refugees in Egypt for a while. What an adventure they’d been on since the angels first visited both Mary and Joseph to explain God’s unimaginable plan to them! This summary statement from Dr. Luke amazes me: “…He (young Jesus) went to Nazareth with them (Joseph & Mary) and was obedient to them… And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:51,52) WOW, pause right here and reflect on those words, perhaps read it two or three times and ponder all the implications for Joseph and Mary as mentoring parents, and for Jesus as a learning child, an adolescent, a teenager, and a young man. Between that statement from Luke and his opening words in chapter 3 there is about 17 years of time!
During those years Joseph evidently died, as we have no further mention of him in the story of Jesus. However before Joseph died God blessed him and Mary with at least 6 children, (Mark 6:3) so Jesus grew up in a busy home, and at some point we presume, a single mother home. You may remember that prior to our spending the last few weeks walking through the “Christmas Story” we had been walking through the story of the Old Testament. Back in July we began with the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, and we have traced the story of God and His Covenant people all the way to Exodus 34 as Moses came down from his final trip up Mount Sinai where he had met with God several life changing times. This time Moses’ face was radiant as a result of yet another significant encounter that he’d had with God. Let’s draw a bridge from Nazareth with Joseph and Mary and their busy home, to Moses and 1 million Hebrews at Mount Sinai. As I reflect on what was required of Joseph and Mary to raise that family, especially young Jesus, I think I see some keys to their success in the record of Moses’ experience… come, let’s rejoin the Exodus story.
Exodus 35 is remarkable. Moses, with his radiant face, gathers the people together to explain his encounter with God and God’s instructions for them. Remember, God had miraculously delivered them from Egyptian slavery and led them here to Mount Sinai. With each of these trips up the mountain, Moses was receiving from God instructions on the unique relationship that God wanted with His people, the delivered Hebrews. It began with God telling them He did not view them as worthless slaves, but rather God had said: “Now if you obey Me fully and keep My Covenant, then out of all the nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Ex. 19:5,6) Then God had pronounced, audibly for all of them to hear, His 10 specific commandments which would define their relationship with God and their relationships with each other. (Ex. 20) Then three chapters of social laws to help them learn how to live in mutual respect and civil order as more than 1 million people lived in community together. Moses had then spent 40 days up the mountain with God as God had, in great detail, explained the spiritual life and religious activities He had designed just for these people. Sadly, while Moses was up there with God, the people had grown bored and built a golden calf idol, calling it their god! (Ex. 32)
Moses had then spent another 40 days up the mountain in repentant intercession before God, seeking to advocate for the people and plead for God’s mercy and forgiveness of them. Finally this last time, Moses had spent another 40 days with God and had experienced God’s glory and thus his face was radiant when Moses came down that mountain. Now the time has come for Moses to explain to the people what God had been saying to him up there in the cloud! Moses began with these words: “These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath must be put to death.” (Ex. 35:1-3) Now that may sound really harsh, maybe even outrageously radical. I wonder what you see here? WHY would God begin with this radical statement as He defines the relationship that He wants with His people? No other people on earth would set aside one day in seven to NOT work but rather focus on their spiritual realignment with God and their physical rest? For the pragmatists among them I can hear them saying, ‘but wait a minute. If we don’t work on the Sabbath and everyone else does, they will get much more accomplished, they’ll be wealthier and more successful than we! We can’t do that!”
But God wasn’t negotiating. God was defining the guidelines for successfully living human life as God has designed life to be lived… in a worship centered relationship with Him. Have you experienced the harm done to your physical body, your emotional contentment, and your spiritual soul if you refuse to Sabbath? I think Moses paused, but didn’t wait too long before his next shocking statement: “This is what the LORD has commanded: From what you have , take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze…” (Ex. 35:4-9) What? Why would God ask this of these people? They were runaway slaves. They had little to nothing, except what they carried out of Egypt on their backs and in their carts. It is true God had urged them to ask the Egyptians for gifts as they left Egypt, and the Egyptians had given them so much, the record says “…so they plundered the Egyptians” (Ex. 12:36) But why would God ask them to give Him some of it back again? They deserved all this plunder after several hundred years of back breaking slave work, don’t you think?
Let’s pause right here, looking around at the people as they struggle with the two first lifestyle commands Moses had received from God for them… Taking off one day in seven to rest and revitalize spiritually, and now giving God a portion of what they have. Moses had used the phrase “Everyone who is willing” and there’s the key isn’t it? They were not slaves any more. This was now a matter of the heart, priorities in life, desire to live in relationship with God or not. I think that is exactly what Joseph and Mary struggled with too as they returned to raise Jesus in Nazareth. So on this first Monday of 2022, I call us to evaluate our hearts in view of God’s invitation to us to live our lives according to HIS priorities, HIS values, HIS commands, and what HE knows is best for us. Do we have willing hearts or selfish hearts? Prideful hearts or humble hearts? Hearts focused on accumulating or generous hearts? Our hearts guide our attitudes, our choices, our priorities, our life objectives don’t they? So, what do you see as you assess the condition of your heart today, this first Monday of 2022, my friends??
Here’s a song to help us take our first steps into 2022. It’s a reflection on God at work in the challenges Joseph and Mary faced. I wonder what challenges you and I will face this year and how you’ll find God’s presence and power in them…
Today’s Scripture is Luke 2:51, 52 and Exodus 35:1-5.
Choose below to read or listen.
Luke 2:51, 52
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Exodus 35:1-5
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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