A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings

Exodus 4:10--31

God appointed Moses to go before Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelities. This was a tall order in Moses’ opinion. Moses was not eloquent - in fact, he had speech impediments. How could he be the one to take on such a monumental task? Have there been situations where we did not feel upto the task assigned to us? The Lord asked Moses - "Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak." Do we believe that if the Lord has entrusted us with a responsibility that he will equip us to carry it out? Moses struggled with accepting this assignment; he pleaded with God to send someone else. Upon hearing Moses’ response, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. Yet, in a spirit of compassion the Lord suggested that Moses take Aaron (Moses’ brother) with him as he could speak more fluently, and the Lord gave Moses a staff as something tangible to hold onto as a symbol of God’s presence and power. Let us look at these two things more closely. With regards to Moses teaming up with Aaron, we must recognize that the mark of a good leader is that they surround themselves with a good team. There is nothing sacred or holy about going at it alone. In fact, humility and awareness of our limitations is key to knowing what to look for as we assemble our team. With regards to the staff, it would be used for a specific goal and within a clearly measured time and space to reveal God’s presence and power to Pharaoh. What specific goals have we set for ourselves, and is there a clear time frame in which we hope to accomplish these goals? Another thing that we need to bear in mind is that God never promised Moses that this task would be easy. In fact, as Moses embarked on this task, we are told that the Lord met Moses and tried to kill him. WHAT???? Apparently, God wanted Moses to circumcise his son before he traveled with his family to Egypt but Moses had failed to do so. Zipporah, Moses’ wife, was not an Israelite and she may have objected to the rite of circumcision. It is interesting to note it was not Moses who performed his son’s circumcision but it was Zipporah. As crazy as this may sound, God attempting to kill Moses is a strong message to us that when God calls us to do something he has a plan for how he wants us to do it. Serving God means submitting fully to God’s ways. To make things even more complicated, God warned Moses that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened but that Moses would have to double down on the task at hand. If at first we don’t succeed, then try and try again. Persistence and faithfulness are key when obstacles threaten to dereal our goals.

1 Corinthians 14:1-19

True worship is rooted in love for God and neighbor. Our love for God is often mysterious while our love for neighbor is usually transparent in nature. On one hand, we must strive to worship God in mysterious ways. On the other hand, we must worship alongside others in transparent ways that are edifying, encouraging, and comforting. Mystery and transparency are not exclusive but rather two sides of the same coin.

Mark 9:30-41

A sharp contrast unfolds here between Jesus and the disciples in their understanding of greatness. On one hand, Jesus’s understanding of greatness is grounded in love and results in him being betrayed into human hands and killed. It is a humble approach to leadership. On the other hand, the disciples were arguing with one another as to who was the greatest. This was an arrogant approach to leadership. Jesus calls the twelve disciples together and explains to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Attaining the great blessings of God begins with embracing little blessings God brings into our life. The simplest blessing is our relationship with one another. Cherishing small blessings is the key to opening the door to bigger blessings. The great journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step forward. What is our mindset when it comes to defining greatness? Do we identify more with Jesus who allowed himself to be betrayed and crucified or do we relate more with the disciples who defined greatness according to worldly standards and argued with one another? In the race to be the greatest we often hurt each other. Yet, Jesus showed us a different kind of greatness - one that called him to lay down his life for others. Being great together was Jesus’ vision. As far as Jesus was concerned, whoever was not against him was for him. Do we feel an overwhelming need to be the only one at the top of the success ladder or do we approach greatness from a team perspective. The Bible teaches us that we are #BetterTogether. True greatness is rooted in a strong sense of community and wholesome fellowship with our brothers and sisters.

To God be the glory now and forever. Amen.

Fr. Thomas+