Let My People Go!

          As we begin another Lenten journey, we will do so within the context of Israel’s great journey from Egypt to the Promised Land – the Exodus. Seven times in the book of Exodus Moses speaks the word of the Lord to Pharaoh, “Let My people go!” (Ex.5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3) And finally, with the wailing of all Egypt in his ears as they mourn the death of every firstborn of man and beast; Pharaoh turns the children of Israel out of the land. When he does, God’s salvation is so amazing that the event becomes the Gospel of the Old Testament. Israel’s Scriptures mention the exodus 125 times!

          Throughout the book of Exodus God reveals who he is through his absence and his presence, through his silence and his speech, through his wrath and his mercy, and through his judgment and his amazing grace. In doing so, the book paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus.

          We start small, really small, with the story of Moses’ birth, his first boat ride, and his miraculous adoption by the daughter of Pharaoh on Ash Wednesday. From there we fast forward to the burning bush and the following week across the Red Sea on dry ground as Israel enters the wilderness. In the wilderness we will visit the place called Massah and Meribah where Israel quarreled with God. We will spend time at Sinai in fear and joy and apostacy. Finally, on Good Friday we backtrack to the first Passover as the blood of the lamb without blemish foreshadows the Lamb of God who turns away the angel of death for all time. Then on Easter Sunday we rise to sing the victory song of Exodus 15, “Against all Odds!”

          Join us on this exodus journey starting this Wednesday the 3rd of March. We will gather for a Soup-Supper at 6:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall and then at 7:00 we go upstairs into the sanctuary. There we will receive the mark of the cross in the ashes from last Palm Sunday’s palm fronds as a reminder that we are dust and receive Our Lord’s body and blood in the fellowship of our altar. Our schedule remains the same over the next five Wednesday evenings as we fellowship and worship without communion until Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, the 18thof April, we will gather at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and then strip the altar in preparation for Good Friday when we again gather in silence at 7:00 p.m. Our Exodus journey will end with Easter breakfast on the 21stand Divine Service at 10:30 a.m. 

​          May the Lord guide us, protect us, and bring us to a blessed rest during our Lenten Exodus.  Amen.