Reflection on readings for 9th October 2011

Year A Proper 23 9 October 2011
Exodus 32: 1-14 Psalm 106: 1-6, 19-23 Philippians 4: 1-9 Matthew 22: 1-14

Philippians 4: 1 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!”

Stand firm! Sounds simply enough, but who among us will do it?

The more that I reflect on the scriptures, the more I’m convinced there are many messages of warnings for the people of God. In our first reading, this week, we find the story of what happened in the Israelite camp while Moses was on the mountain with God, receiving the commandments.

Exodus 32: 1-6 “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

There were two men who stood as leaders of the people of Israel, Moses and Aaron. Moses was the one to whom God appeared and the one called by God, but because Moses was scared, God allowed Moses a helper in the form of his brother Aaron.

The exodus of the people from Egypt was miraculous. God lead his people by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. If it happened to us we’d be awestruck. These people were used to witnessing supernatural occurrences through the religion of Egypt. Every time Moses performed a miracle as testament to the power of God the Egyptians showed a similar miracle, though never to the magnitude of those performed by Moses. This is the reason that it took so many plagues before Pharaoh let the people go, he didn’t hold miracles in such high regard.

Supernatural things happen and people interpret them according to their knowledge. Moses eventually was able to show that his God was stronger and more powerful, but the people of God were tainted with the same religion as the Egyptians, and their hearts were hardened to the way that God had so greatly rescued and provided for them.
We are often the same. We are given so much, we erroneously believe that we deserve all good things and when something doesn’t go our way we become very indignant. We don’t really understand that God is God and not someone that we can tell how, when and what to do. We can not shape God into a form that suits us.

Are we like Moses or like Aaron?

Aaron was approached by the people and they requested/ demanded that he make them a god to go before them as they travelled. Other nations had man made gods and in some way the god defined the nation. The choice of the calf may possibly have been because in some nations the calf was considered the mount for god. Certainly Aaron was not trying to deny God, as the festival was declared at the completion of the “god” was held to honour the LORD – it is written in capital letters to show that Aaron meant this to be a festival to “Yahweh”.

Pressure is also put on us to make “god”. Many of the aspects about God and his laws seem antiquated to general society and they demand that Christians get with the times. Many Christians, maybe even you and I, have been just like Aaron. We want to make God relevant to all people and show how God loves everyone and wants everyone in his kingdom. This is a truth – but does it matter that sometimes we “Put words in God’s mouth”, proclaiming that some of the things that are becoming societal norms are okay by God? We still proclaim the name of the LORD, so, at least in our own eyes and heart, we are not denying God.

Reflect carefully on the actions of Aaron and the actions of our own witness. Aaron was a good guy, a gifted leader, had respect and rapport with the people. His heart was in the right place and he was well meaning, but the result of his actions meant that God would have destroyed the whole Israelite nation except that Moses came to the rescue and begged for God’s mercy.

The message is clear that it is possible to be working for God and really get it so wrong. Unless we stand firm and absolutely steadfast in our commitment to God we will not only be like Aaron who bends to the pressure of societies conventions, but we will also be like the guests of the parable told by Jesus, who became too self seeking to come to the feast in God’s kingdom.

Matthew 22: 4-7“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”

Are we already like these invited guests? Got better things to do than go to church this weekend? What it boils down to is that we’ve made a god of our own lives. This parable was told to the religious of Jesus day and was directed at them, but it is written and recorded for us.

What God has decided is that those who do not make him their priority do not deserve to be invited to the feast. The feast is an image symbolizing the joyful celebration in heaven at the fullness of time.

Matthew 22; 8-10 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

The good news is that all are gathered in to this holy celebration. There is amazing good news for those who think they are too bad for heaven because we are told that the bad and good were all to be gathered. ..........There is a “but”;

Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

It seems curious that all should be gathered, good and bad, but then someone thrown out simply for not wearing the right clothes. Being good or bad was not a deal maker or breaker, but this particular “wedding garment” is.

Joe and I had a wedding where all were welcome. We let people know to simply bring a plate and come along. These days people have to register their parties in case of unwanted gate crashers, but what is the difference between a guest and a gate crasher when there is a wedding where all are welcome?

The difference is whether or not there is a relationship with the person in whose honour the party is being held. All are welcome in the kingdom of God but unless you are “clothed in Christ”, you do not have a relationship with the guest of honour. Jesus is the only way to the father. It is in accepting his sacrifice and being so united in him, and our lives so closely entwined, such that our lives are covered by him that we are clothed in Christ. Christ is our wedding garment.

Unless.......

Unless is a heavy word implying that if certain requirements are not met then there will be an exclusion. And unless accept the sacrifice of Jesus and we stand firm and steadfast in our relationship with God we will be found not deserving of the celebration in heaven.....