October 6, 2024 10am Sunday Worship Service (Updated)

[Our apologies for the noisy sound today. This recording has been trimmed to remove excess recordin after the end after end of service]
Exodus 32:1-14
After years of slavery and suffering, God answered the Israelites’ cries for help, ultimately leading to liberation from the Egyptians. As our reading begins, Moses has been on Mount Sinai with God for forty days and forty nights. The people’s job was to wait below. But as we all know, waiting is hard. Time passed, and the people became more and more anxious. How do they know that Moses, their connection to God, is even alive? Without him, how can they be assured of God’s presence and protection?
In trying to resolve their fear, they did a very human thing. The people fell back on what they had learned in Egypt: which was to create a physical representation of a god (an idol). With Moses still up the mountain, they pressured Aaron, his brother and their future high priest, to create a statue to represent the divine, which he did.
The Israelites should have been more afraid of breaking the “no graven images” commandment because at this point God seems to be done with them. “They’re hopeless! Let’s start over.” Moses advocated for his people with two interesting arguments: “What will the Egyptians think? How will this affect your reputation?” And “Don’t forget your promises to our ancestors!” Surprisingly, it worked (for the most part) and the people survived to complain another day.
What does this story have to do with us? One common way to apply this story is to focus on the idol. “Sure, we don’t make statues and claim they are divine, but we put many priorities ahead of God.” Does that help, or make us feel a sense of guilt more than anything else?
Another way of looking at it is to think about how you and I may react when we are afraid. What do we do when it seems like God isn’t there for us? We might try looking back at what God has done and respond with patient faith. But sometimes that’s difficult to muster. We should be cautious about casually saying to those who are suffering statements like “God will provide,” “God will answer your prayers,” and “God will keep you safe.” Why? Because life doesn’t always work out that way. People of faith still suffer, even when they receive prayers for healing. On the other hand, if believing that helps you keep your faith in times of trouble, good.
How can we respond to this cycle of doubt and fear? I believe this is exactly where the church comes in. The real church (which is the people, not the building), needs to sit with those who are suffering and be like Jesus to them. What if we are the ones filled with doubts and fears? Then we can be present for each other. We can do our best to trust and be vulnerable in community, as we listen to each other and hear the stories of God in Scripture and in each other’s lives.
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