After more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the cries of God’s people rise to heaven — and are heard! God’s response? A call to Moses from the burning bush and a revealing of the Divine name (“I AM”) – a name that speaks to far more than eternal existence, but of unending compassion and grace.

It is in this encounter that God reiterates the promise to save (making the Exodus something of a preview of salvation to come) and which reminds us again that we have a God who hears our pain, remembers the covenant with Abraham, and who acts not as a distant observer but as the One who is present with us in the midst of hardship.

Have a thought? A comment? A question? I’d love for you to get in touch! You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram.

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Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 2:23-3:15 (NRSV)

In this episode in our journey through the biblical story we come to the beginning of the book of Exodus where we find Israel in a very unexpected place - enslaved in Egypt. It’s a circumstance that begs the question: What has gone wrong??? For, as we have discussed in previous episodes, Israel is God’s elect – a people set apart for priestly office in the larger project of the salvation of the world. So how is it that God’s beloved community suffers such oppression (as Israel will be slaves in Egypt for 400 years!)? Has the covenant of election been annulled? Has God turned his back on the Abrahamic promise?

In a word, no. And this is an essential lesson of the life of faith: to be set apart to join with God in the project of salvation is not a license to escape hardship, but rather a call to live the fullness of the human experience.

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 1:1-22 (NRSV).

Today we return to a fundamental theme in the biblical story, that of election – the idea that we belong to the community of salvation not by anything we do, but by the sovereign will of God. To be elect is to be chosen by God for salvation apart from any merit or effort or agreement on our part.

It’s often a difficult idea for 21st century westerners to swallow as we like to see ourselves as the captains of our own destiny. We imagine that if we are included in the community of salvation, it’s because we somehow earned it (at the very least by “having faith”). And if one is not included in the community of salvation, it must be because they are receiving just desserts.

But in scripture matters of election are not nearly so clear and clean as this, as we shall in our passage for today – the story of Jacob and his twin brother Esau. Esau, as the elder brother, ought be the primary heir not only of his father, Isaac’s, property, but of his blessing and of the covenant with God. And yet, it is Jacob – who schemes and calculates and who by abject manipulation and deception receives, both the birthright of the firstborn, but also the covenant blessing.

To be clear, the promise of inclusion does not pass to both sons, but only to Jacob. And it forces us to ask: What does it mean to be chosen? Is the covenant of salvation only for some and not for others? Does God willfully exclude some from redeeming grace? Are the boundaries of the chosen people fixed forever? …or might it be that, in the end, they are far wider than we imagine…?

Up for getting in touch? You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

And while you're at it, might you be up for supporting the podcast? You’re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help. As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two!

Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Genesis 27:1-49 (NRSV).