Hospitality can mean different things to different people. For some it is opening their home, for others it is providing meals to those in need, and still for others it could mean something completely different. This week Lisa Trevino shares stories from her own life in connection with the woman that washed the feet of Jesus with her hair and tears to talk about the ways The Bible calls us to approach hospitality as we engage others in the world around us.
Stuck Between Challenges
Pastor Sean leads us through the Exodus story and explains how God's power is not displayed by delivering us to comfort, but delivering us through challenge.
Live Teaching Podcast
Scriptures & References
Exodus: 5: 1-3
Exodus 13:1 7-18
Exodus 14: 4-14
Exodus 15: 1-5, 19-20
“The passage can be read two ways. The first is that what happened was a suspension of the laws of nature. It was a supernatural event. The waters stood, literally, like a wall.
The second is that what happened was miraculous not because the laws of nature were suspended. To the contrary, as the computer simulation shows, the exposure of dry land at a particular point in the Red Sea was a natural outcome of the strong east wind. What made it miraculous is that it happened just there, just then, when the Israelites seemed trapped, unable to go forward because of the sea, unable to turn back because of the Egyptian army pursuing them.
There is a significant difference between these two interpretations. The first appeals to our sense of wonder. How extraordinary that the laws of nature should be suspended to allow an escaping people to go free. It is a story to appeal to the imagination of a child. But the naturalistic explanation is wondrous at another level entirely. Here the Torah is using the device of irony. What made the Egyptians of the time of Ramses so formidable was the fact that they possessed the latest and most powerful form of military technology, the horse drawn chariot. It made them unbeatable in battle, and fearsome.
What happens at the sea is poetic justice of the most exquisite kind. There is only one circumstance in which a group of people traveling by foot can escape a highly trained army of charioteers, namely when the route passes through a muddy sea bed. The people can walk across, but the chariot wheels get stuck in the mud. The Egyptian army can neither advance nor retreat. The wind drops. The water returns. The powerful are now powerless, while the powerless have made their way to freedom.”
— Jonathan Sacks, Covenant and Conversation
Reflection
“God is going to lead you, he’s not going to force you,” suggests Pastor Sean. Is there a particular place in your life and story where this hits closely for you? Whether facing a critical decision or crossroads, do you trust that God is waiting for you on the other side of it?
Practice bringing your tambourine along with you in the coming days, with an attentiveness to name and give thanks for God’s blessing and presence as you witness and experience it.
Love All
People Are Not Products
Connected with God's Story
Pastor Chris concludes our sermon series around "Who is Ecclesia" by inviting us into how our community approaches the Bible. He urges us to consider how we play a part in engaging with the story God has been telling since the beginning, and how living out that story may change our lives.
Live Teaching Podcast
Scripture & Reference
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right 17 so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.
Galatians 5:22-26
22 The Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit: unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. You won’t find any law opposed to fruit like this. 24 Those of us who belong to the Anointed One have crucified our old lives and put to death the flesh and all the lusts and desires that plague us. 25 Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit. 26 This will happen when we set aside our self-interests and work together to create true community instead of a culture consumed by provocation, pride, and envy.
Wander: Specks of Dust
As the fall weather comes (at last!) to greet us, we invite you to take a walk, whether in your neighborhood or in nature, and cultivate attentiveness to God’s presence. All you need is a pair of headphones and comfortable footwear. Voices will guide you through scripture, music, and reflection as you take part in this spiritual practice. New episodes will be released every other week throughout our Lost Enchantment teaching series.
Wander: The Sacred Ache
Episode 2: The Sacred Ache
As the fall weather comes (at last!) to greet us, we invite you to take a walk, whether in your neighborhood or in nature, and cultivate attentiveness to God’s presence. All you need is a pair of headphones and comfortable footwear. Voices will guide you through scripture, music, and reflection as you take part in this spiritual practice. New episodes will be released every other week throughout our Lost Enchantment teaching series.
When Life Presses In
Our beloved sister, Jeanne Stevens, shares an important message to reflect on how the darkness of life helps us notice the light around us.
Our thanks again to Jeanne and Soul City Church
Daily Bread
Our beloved sister, Shauna Niequist, shares with us an encouragement to trust in God’s provision for what you need each day. As we are navigating the challenges and unknown of this time in our world, her words are a much needed reminder.
To learn more about Shauna, you can click here - https://www.shaunaniequist.com/