A sermon by Brenda Faust, based on Exodus 2:1-10, 5:1-6:1
(Year 3 of Bible Quest: "Liberation & Justice")
As you know, this summer Ian’s children sang in the musical: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". I went to the show, and found myself sitting beside a seven-year-old girl who had no idea of the biblical story upon which the musical was based. We entered into a conversation about the musical, and in simple terms I told her the essential story was from the bible with creative additives. As the story line moved into a Little Annie Oakley western ho-down, and a Marlene Dietriech-type Café, I realized I could never explain to her what was biblically based, and what was creative license. At the end I told her I would find the real story and mail it to her.
Some of you will remember Charlton Heston’s version of Moses. Some of you will also recall Walt Disney’s recent children’s movie of Moses called: "Hero of Egypt". In each case, we are given the director’s interpretation of the story, and their reason for presenting it.
What is the biblical interpretation of the story of Moses, and why is it presented as it is? Firstly, it’s important to know that in the book of Exodus two crucial “root experiences” were the exodus from Egypt and the revelation at Mount Sinai. These two seminal experiences: God’s actions to liberate a band of slaves from bondage, making them a community, bound in covenant with their liberating God, still makes sense in today’s world. We still work hard to be a faithful community. We work hard to stay bound in a meaningful relationship with God on a daily basis.
In today’s readings, a lot happened between the time Moses was a baby and when Moses and Aaron first approached Pharaoh to let the Israelite slaves have their freedom. I’m going to give you a quick overview, so you can really understand the magnitude of both Moses’ request, and his courage in asking. Firstly, a bit of background to the story of Moses. Joseph with the Technicolor Dream Coat, his brothers and that whole generation had died. The Israelites grew fruitfully, were prolific, and in time outnumbered the Egyptians. A new Pharaoh did not know Joseph, and felt threatened by the number of Israelites, so he enslaved them and treated them bitterly. Still they grew in numbers, so he tried to have the Hebrew midwifes kill the boy babies. That failed, so he commanded all of his people to the throw every boy baby into the Nile.
This is the context into which Moses was born, and in which Pharaoh’s daughter saved him.
We skip to Moses as a grown man, with the rank of Egyptian, but knowledge of his ancestral roots. One day, he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and Moses kills him. Pharaoh finds out, and Moses flees. He becomes a shepherd in Midian, where his father-in-law was a priest. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the life of the Hebrews became worse and they cried out for help. God heard their cry. One day in the desert, Moses saw a burning bush, and heard the voice of God telling him to return home and free his people. Moses put up every argument you can imagine as to why he was the wrong choice. He finally argued he wasn’t even eloquent, either in the past or now. “I am slow of speech and tongue,” he said. God insisted, “I’ll be with your mouth and with your words. Go, just go.” Moses heard of all the reasons why Pharaoh would resist and of all the possible actions to take.
Then Moses returned, met with the elders of Israel and convinced them that God had sent him and God had heard their pain. The elders put their faith in Moses and thanked God. They were putting their lives, and the lives of their people on the line. Insurrection was coming.
Moses met with Pharaoh, who laughed and just made the work harder for the slaves so that they wouldn’t dare make an insurrection. Now they had to build bricks without straw. The people were defeated, the supervisors angry. Everywhere Moses turned, it seemed his confrontation had made things worse. Moses turned to God: "What have you done?" he cried. "Why did you ever send me? Everything is worse, and you have done nothing".
In the final verse, Moses is not left in silence. God replied: "Now you will see what I will do…." . We will wait with Moses to see how the story unfolds....
….
If the Israelites were left to build bricks with out straw, then
Moses must also have felt he was building bricks without straw.
What courage it must have taken for Moses to return to Egypt to
take up the banner of freedom. What courage to have addressed the
leaders with passion enough to stir them to even consider rising up against
their masters (he who felt he couldn’t speak in public), what courage to
give an ultimatum to the king, and finally what courage to face the backfiring
of his plans, the doubts of the people and still hear God's message
to carry on. At what cost to his personal life?
I think of many people who have seemingly been given bricks without straw, yet have found the courage to change not only their own live but the lives of others. I think of Terry Fox, running for cancer dollars, stricken with more cancer and his determination to keep on running. Or of Rick Hansen, in a wheelchair, raising money for research on paraplegia. Both men could have been defeated by their illness, but they fought to bring help to others.
Moses: the bible uses the value of words rather than emotion. What was it like for Moses, after years of quiet and safety suddenly and passionately to return to the “slave pens of Egypt” where he was wanted for murder, a fugitive, in order to help his people? What was it like for him, who thought of himself as slow of speech/tongue to speak passionately to others? What was it for him to have heard a calling from God, yet see it disintegrate in front of his eyes? Did he question himself, have doubts? I would think so.
At times, life does seem difficult, even more that we can bear. We have been given bricks, we cope, we struggle, we cry out, and then when hope comes, perhaps, even the dream of hope, the straw is taken away. Where is our God, we wonder; this is more than we can bear. Yet there, in the doubt, the anger, and the uncertainty, is the voice of God: "Now you shall see what I will do with you".
There are many great men and women, and many unsung heroes of this world who have heard an inner voice telling them to speak out, to take action, to fight seemingly untold odds to “Let my people go”.
Hope is a small word, yet where ever hope is embraced comes new life. Let us not forget that God does hear our prayers and our tears, and in response brings us help through others who hear God’s voice, and through our own trust in God’s presence in our lives.
Amen