Lent: 3/26/09
March 26, 2009
Exodus 1:6-22
1 Corinthians 12:12-26
Mark 8:27-9:1
“The Certainness of Uncertainty”
Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. – Exodus 1:8
Egypt as ruled by the Hyksos (foreign rules) from the 13th through the 17th dynasty. The Hyksos were most likely a diverse group of Asiatic and Semitic peoples who invaded Egypt by military conquest and mass migration. The Hyksos are often depicted in hieroglyphics as bearded people wearing colorful cloaks (coats of many colors). During the time of the Hyksos many Canaanite names became common in the royal court and there is strong evidence of the importation of several Canaanite deities into the Egyptian pantheon such as Baal. It was during this time that Joseph rose to power in Egypt. Under the Hyksos the children of Israel would have been viewed as distant kinfolk, who shared a similar language and culture. It is not surprising that Joseph would be allowed to rise to power. It is not surprising that the Hyksos Pharaoh would allow and even encourage a mass migration of Semitic people into the land of Goshen in the Northeast portion of Egypt as a way to further consolidate power and control the agricultural center of the Nile Delta. This was an ideal situation for those who were fleeing from famine and war in the north. It was a good time to be an Israelite in Egypt.
But then there was a political shift and power struggle as various Egyptian families sought to regain power and diminish the cultural, political, and religious influence of the Hyksos if not expel them outright. It is in this context that we read Exodus 1: 8, “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” The Israelites who had been living in Egypt for generations are now rather suddenly seen as a threat and are no longer welcome in their adopted home.
This is not strange to us. At one time or another we have all experienced a change in fortune that has rendered all our pervious accomplishments and success mute. It happens in the work place when there is a change in management. It happens in government when there is a change in administrations. It happens in our families as new generations take on leadership roles and responsibilities. It happens in our churches as new families move into the neighborhood and other move away. And it is happening with increasing frequency in our culture as new technology continually displaces “old” ideas and practices almost daily.
The only thing that we can be certain of is uncertainty. The only thing that we can expect is that things will change. No matter what we accomplish, no matter what success we achieve, no matter what victories we win or obstacles we overcome, the will always be a new Pharaoh, who knew Joseph not. Suddenly, we can come to the realization that the rules have changed and our score has been reset to zero. The new Pharaohs are not so interested with our past success, but only looking to see what we can do now!
We might be thought of as entering a similar period in our present experiences. Terror attacks, economic crisis, demographic shifts, globalization, and political changes have left us in the uncomfortable position of becoming strangers to ourselves and aliens in our own neighborhoods. As we enter a time in history were we can live anywhere, we discover that nowhere is really our home. What are we to do in the face of such uncertainly? Were do we find acceptance and comfort in our lostness and confusion?
Now is the time to remind ourselves that God is still in control. It is God who has brought us safely to this place. It is God who has used unfortunate and painful situations in our past to preserve life and prosperity. It is God who will lead us to a new beginning and home. Every generation has it Moseses, those persons whose leadership will guide us through the wilderness to new land of promise. Every generation has it’s own house of bondage that holds captive those who do not fit into the new structures of power. Even now the Holy Spirit is busy at work in the world, inspiring a new generation to rise above the challenges placed before them and create a new vision of peace with justice larger than that which has come before.
How many burning bushes have you walked past this week without noticing? How many time have you looked around at the confusion and uncertainty in our world and thought, “Somebody aught to do something about this”? How are you helping the church to understand the challenges and opportunities that surround us? How are you working to help those who have been displaced and wounded in the current upheaval? Where can you make a difference and remember those who have been forgotten and left behind?
Let us Pray…
O God,
Sometimes we get so frustrated,
just when we seem to be getting ahead
just when we seem to be winning the game
something happens to upset the peaces.
The rules change,
the order that we have come to depend on is deposed
the faces that have become are replaced by new ones
those who know us and respect us our outsourced and nomore.
There seems to be on end,
to the quickening pace of progress
that sets us back to the beginning
leaving us will less that we had at the start.
Be our Beginnng and our End,
that we might find ourselves always in you
that our deeds might not be forgotten
that we shall always have a palce in you.
Help us to minister,
to the lost who were leader until recently
to the unemployed who were providing until today
to the forgotten who we famous 15 short minutes ago. Amen
