ANDREW'S AFFIRMATION

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 16:10-22 The gift of ‘manna’ or ‘bread from heaven’ is depicted in this passage. God had made arrangements for the Israelites to have their fill of bread in the morning and in the evening the ground of the camp was covered with quail. While the Israelites may have seen quail before, they did not know what manna was. We should note two things here: 1) God provides our needs, and 2) There are times when we clearly understand how God has provided for us (quail) and there are times when we have no clue what to do with God’s provision (manna). God had given the Israelites specific instructions with regards to the manna - “Do not leave any of it until morning.” Those who were greedy with what God had provided paid a price for their disobedience. Whatever portion of manna was left until morning bred worms and became foul. What blessings have we received from God? Are we using those blessings in ways that honor God or in ways that go against God...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 15:22-16:10 Leading people is never easy especially when the leader is leading by faith and the people are not loyal. Leading by faith not only demands that we trust God to provide the right solution at the right time but it also calls us to be patient when people moan and groan about our leadership abilities. After crossing the Red Sea, Moses led the Israelites on a journey for three days but in that time there was not a drop of water to drink. The people were parched and yearning for something to drink. Unfortunately, when they arrived at a place called Marah, they soon realized that the water there was too bitter to drink. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Israelites began complaining against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" The problem was obvious - the solution not so much. What was Moses supposed to do as a leader? His approval rating had taken a huge hit. Moses had the best intentions but his l...

A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Exodus 15:1-21 This passage contains two songs: 1) The Song of Moses (aka The Song of the Sea), and 2) The Song of Miriam. Both songs were reputedly sung by the Israelites after their crossing the Red Sea in safety, and celebrate the destruction of the Egyptian army during the crossing, and look forward to the future conquest of Canaan. Click here: Song of Moses Click here: Song of Miriam 1 Pet. 1:13-25 This passage is a call to holy living. In it, we are exhorted to prepare our minds, observe discipline, hope in the grace of Christ, and commit to obedience. We are to pursue a holy life because Christ himself has modeled this for us. Christ has bought our salvation by his precious blood for he is the true paschal lamb - a lamb without defect or blemish. We trust in God, who raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory. Our faith and hope is in Christ whose love has purified our souls. Therefore, let us love one another deeply from the h...

A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Ecclesiaticus 2:1-11 The act of service is never easy. Those who have a servant’s heart are often tested by the world. Therefore, considerable preparation is required in readying oneself for service. The heart must be set right, and one must not be impetuous in time of trial and tribulation. We must cling to the essentials of our faith and never depart from our foundational beliefs. Only then will we be able to serve to the best of our ability and bear fruit for the glory of God. We should be willing to embrace whatever befalls us, and need to remain patient even when we are humiliated. For just as gold is tested in the fire, true servants are often made perfect through the furnace of humiliation. In times of despair, we are called to trust in God, fully believing that God will help us and make our ways straight. Thefore, let us wait upon God’s mercy so that we do not stray from the path of righteousness and fall into the hands of the evil one....

A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Exodus 13:3-10 This passage describes the festival of unleavened bread. The festival was to be a reminder of the day Israel left Egypt. Israel had been slaves in Egypt for years but now the Lord’s mighty arm was liberating them from the bonds of oppression. The Lord was going to bring Israel into the land that he had sworn to give to their ancestors - a land flowing with milk and honey. For generations to come the festival of unleavened bread would serve a sign on their hand, forehead, and lips that God is forever faithful. What unjust or oppressive circumstances have we been freed from? In what ways are we sharing our testimony with those around us and with future generations so that the faithfulness of God can be remembered and celebrated? 1 Corinthians 15:41-50 Not all light is the same. The light from the sun is different from the light of the moon. The light of the moon is different from the light of the stars. In a similar manner, our lif...

A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Exodus 12:40-51 (Note: I approached this reading more as a didactic passage than a devotional passage.) When the Israelites left the land of Egypt it was for the Lord a night of vigil. The vigil anticipated and began the commemoration of a particular feast/festival, and allowed the participants an opportunity to reflect on what God was doing in their life. Christian vigils have been observed since the early years of the church. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer lists sixteen feasts/festivals that were preceded by a vigil. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer provides for a Vigil of Pentecost (BCP, p. 227). The Book of Common Prayer also includes prayers for a vigil prior to burial of the dead (BCP, pp. 465-466). The Book of Occasional Services provides vigils for Christmas Eve, the Eve of the Baptism of our Lord, and the Eve of All Saints' Day or the Sunday after All Saints' Day. The Book of Occasional Servcices also includes a Vigil on the Eve...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 12:28-39 The Israelites did what the Lord commanded and ultimately were blessed for their faithfulness. Pharaoh, his officials, and all the Egyptians chose to lean on their own understanding and as a result cried aloud as their disobedience brought death upon their firstborn. It becomes quite clear to here that choices have consequences. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we will begin making good choices. Pharaoh, having realized the error of his ways, summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, "Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord, as you said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be gone. And bring a blessing on me too!" What Pharaoh failed to realize is that blessings do not come upon just because we stop making bad choices or feel apologetic for the hurt or pain we have caused others. We are blessed only when we make good choices because we truly understa...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 12:14-27 Traditionalist or nontraditionalist? High church or low church? Denominational affiliation or non denominational? What should we hold onto and what should we let go of? What are the essentials of our faith? The Bible teaches us that there are feasts/fasts which are to be observed throughout the generations and as a perpetual ordinance. The purpose behind it all should be to remind us of God’s holiness and faithfulness, while at the same time, making us aware of our own sinfulness and need for salvation. When we bow down and worship God, we must recall God’s work of salvation in the past and present so that we might gain confidence in journeying into the future that God has prepared for us. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Alleluia Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. The good news is that our faith is not in vain and that, in fact, we are being saved. Therefore, let us not only receive this good news but also stand firmly i...

Servant leadership “ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” - John 13:14 Readings: Exodus 12:1-14a; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17,31b-35 What is the difference between Jesus and a bully? A bully is someone who tries to lead others but refuses to have a servant’s heart. Jesus was a true leader because he modeled servant leadership. When the disciples were arguing with one another about who was the greatest, Jesus explained to them - “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Throughout the season of Lent, through Holy Week, and especially during the Maundy Thursday worship service, the theme of servant leadership is foundational to our understanding of the passion of Christ. The Thursday in Holy Week is part of the Triduum, or three holy days before Easter. Maundy Thursday service is highlighted by the ceremonial washing of feet and a celebration commemorating the institution of the Holy Eucharis...

DAILY READINGS - WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK   Isaiah 50:4-9a The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin...

DAILY READINGS - TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK Isaiah 49:1-7 Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God." And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength-- he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my...

DAILY READINGS - MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK Isaiah 42:1-9 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am ...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 7:25-8:19 Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. The magicians of Pharaoh caught on quickly that they were no match for God’s power and presence. After turning the Nile River into blood, the next two plagues God brought over Egypt were filling the land with frogs and then turning the dust of the earth into gnats (lice). The magicians informed Pharaoh - "This is the finger of God!" But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them. How quickly do we acknowledge our shortcomings? Why might it take longer for some than others to admit their faults? What conflict might the magicians have faced in knowing on one hand that God’s might hand was at work in Egypt but, on the other hand, knowing that Pharaoh, who was their boss, refused to do what was right by God? How might the quote - “See something, say something” find parallels in this Bible context and in our lives today? Where do we see the mighty...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 7:8-24 Have you ever been so confident in preparing to do something great only to find yourself feeling dejected and confused when the big moment arrived? I can imagine that Moses and Aaron may have felt this way when they confronted Pharaoh. God had commanded Moses to use Aaron’s staff and he did. Aaron’s staff not only represented their identity (literally they were Israelite shepherds; figuratively they were shepherding God’s people out of Egypt) but it also served as a channel of God’s presence and power. God took who Moses and Aaron already were and used it to transform them into who God knew they could be. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded; Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. At this point, Moses and Aaron were probably feeling quite bold upon realizing that the staff actually changed into a snake. I can’t help but think how Moses and Aaron must h...