Green Pastures and Still Waters
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“Does Moses Matter?”
We know the stories. The little basket in the marsh grass. The life he lived in Egypt. The burning bush. The plagues. The Red Sea. Those of us who take a high view of the Bible believe those stories are true. They are not merely symbolic stories to aid our moralistic development. Jews and Christians alike believe the Old Testament was given by God for our understanding about why we are and who we are and why we are like we are. Of course, there are many people in our culture that view Moses and the stories of the Old Testament as irrelevant and outdated. In literary circles, some may consider the writings good to know for their historical value but would not view the Bible as authoritative. We believe human authors wrote down what God the Holy Spirit led them to write. We believe the Bible was without error in the original manuscripts and that the teachings are authoritative. Not only that, we believe that what Moses wrote forms the foundation for the gospel and Christianity. So yes, Moses matters! This week, as we begin our Advent studies we’ll take a look at how Moses prepared the way for the Incarnation…and for a Merry Christmas.
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“Trust Who?”
It’s hard to know who to trust these days. Deceit is surrounding us left and right—and yes, that means what it sounds like. I believe we are being lied to by both political parties and by their puppets. The father of lies is behind all deceit and he is the prince of the power of the air. Deceit is blowing around us like the oak leaves around my house! I trust science. I do not trust all scientists. I trust statistics. I do not trust all statisticians. I trust the Word of God. I do not trust all preachers. These are days of uncertainty and many of us are looking for some answers. Just about the time we think we have the answers, they change. People are found out. Frauds are exposed. It’s frustrating. Uncertainty, corruption and deceit are nothing new in the world scene. It’s hard to imagine a more hopeless situation than when Paul wrote his last letter. It was to Timothy, timid Timothy. Paul was going to be executed, the Roman Emperor Nero was a lunatic and the church at large was struggling under increasing persecution. Yet, Paul’s letter is filled with hope, confidence, affirmation and optimism. Was Paul senile? Was his optimism unfounded? Here we are!!!! 1900 years later, the gospel has gone around the world. Paul’s confidence was not in himself or Timothy or Titus. His confidence was in the fact that God was committed to having a people like Himself, for Himself, with Himself. Paul was confident that God would and could finish what He started. Who do you trust these days? What do you believe?