Page 15 - Living Light Autumn 23

Wednesday September 13 - Holy families “Let my son go, that he may worship me.” Exodus 4:23
“Christmas is coming”, said the man leading the service, “so we’ll sing hymn 47.” What? A Palm Sunday hymn?! But we sang it, and part-way through the realisation dawned. The donkey! Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on a donkey – and as a baby he’d been carried, presumably by donkey, to Egypt to escape from murderous Herod! The man had confused the Palm Sunday donkey with the Christmas one! An uncharitable thought about him came to me, for which I had to ask God’s forgiveness!
There’s a donkey in our passage this week, and it took Moses and his family back to Egypt after God spoke to reassure him that his enemies had all died (v 19). Centuries later, Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus would flee at God’s instruction to Egypt and stay there until their enemies were dead (Matthew 2:13-15, 19-20). The reluctant and vulnerable Moses was being made ready to lead Israel out of oppression to a new land and a new life. The vulnerable child Jesus was being cared for by God and his parents until he was ready to lead people out of sin, guilt and shame, to a new life of spiritual freedom.
Moses was called to let God’s son Israel go, to release them. Jesus, God’s unique Son, was sent to let us all go, to release us and bring us into the Holy Family of God. And even those donkeys had a role!
Father, please help me live in the release of your embrace. Amen.
Thursday September 14 - God provided the way out “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” Exodus 4:25
A tick had burrowed painfully into the boy’s foot. Suddenly my wife thrust her hand in and whipped the offender out in one swoop, amazing his parents.
Something on a much bigger scale happened in the strange story of verses 24 to 26 of our passage. Moses was afflicted in some way and his wife Zipporah recognised he had failed to circumcise their son, neglecting God’s instruction that all Israelite males should undergo this ritual. It wasn’t a random instruction; it formed part of the covenant that God had made with Israel’s ancestors long ago, starting with Abraham and his household. God had given Israel the wonderful promise that he would be their God; they would declare themselves his people by circumcising all males (Genesis 17:9-14), as a symbol of their dedication to God in response to his grace and favour.
Moses had failed to do this to his son, but Zipporah, seemingly given insight by God, came swiftly to the rescue, circumcised the boy and touched Moses’ feet with the foreskin, thus cleansing and healing her husband, by association with the act of circumcision.
God provided the way out. “You are my husband saved by your son’s blood”, is how one version translates Zipporah’s words at the head of today’s reading. And as we exult in his own Son Jesus’s saving blood on the Cross centuries later, we rejoice in God’s love and grace – and obey gratefully.
Lord, help us indeed to rejoice in you, and to obey you gratefully. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
13