Never Far from God’s Heart
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95, 102; PM Psalm 107:1-32; Exod. 2:1-22; 1 Cor. 12:27-13:3; Mark 9:2-13
As I write this reflection, my daughter is preparing for an out-of-state trip with her high school choral group. They are starting Spring Break a little early, catching a flight, seeing sights, and having great experiences as teenagers. While there are teachers, school administrators, and parents going along as chaperones, neither Sam nor I are attending. I am feeling a touch of worry and sadness as she prepares for departure…and I understand this is one of many times she will be fledging in healthy ways. How hard it is to let our young ones go!
The Hebrew scripture appointed for Friday is Exodus 2, the telling of Moses’ birth. Yesterday’s reading (Exodus 1:6-22) reminds us of the intolerant mood toward the Hebrew people at that time in Egypt: “The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live…And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.’” (v. 15-17, 21-22)
What a dangerous era, and what peril Moses’ parents faced in his birth. When his mother could no longer conceal her male baby, she reinforced a basket and placed him in it among the reeds at the river. His older sister, Miriam, hung back to keep an eye on him. Oddly enough, Pharaoh’s daughter came to that very river to bathe and she spied the basket. And inside was a crying baby boy. She was moved to compassion for him and surmised he was a Hebrew child. Miriam piped up, wisely offering to get a Hebrew woman to nurse him. They struck an arrangement: Pharaoh’s daughter would claim Moses as her son, but she compensated Jochebed – the biological mother of Moses who had given him up – to raise the child and bring him to her when he was older.
Parents find many ways to worry about their kids. The hardship upon Moses’ parents feels immense as I reflect on their family dynamic. And, Moses’ father, Amram, was a Levite – a servant of the Temple. He knew what it meant to serve God in faithfulness, even when it was hard. No matter how far Moses roamed from home, he was never far from God’s heart. I posit the same is for you and me, as children of God. We may travel and wander and stumble, and we are never far from our Lord, who is forever calling us to come home, reminding to make others feel at home, and challenging us to expand our hearts to love one another as God loves us.
Lenten blessings to you,
Katherine+
Sit with having a home with God, though that physical home may not be as concrete. Reflect on where you feel challenged and inspired in this concept. How is God building up your faith today in this tension? How will you respond?