Pastoral Reflections........ "Even the Egyptians!"
It's tragic that the human family has been torn through the ages by so much hatred and violence. And sadly, as we enter the holy time of Lent we are all familiar with the on-going violence and unrest in our nation and in other nations. And it’s so needless. If only we realized that we are all children of God!
"The Rabbis used to tell a story of the exodus," says Dr. Fred Craddock. "God was very busy
at the time of the exodus," said the rabbis. And so God appointed a committee of angels to take care of parting the Red Sea. And so the angels, using the power that God gave them, parted the waters of the sea so that the children of Israel could walk through it. Then came the Egyptians. So the angels waited and when the Egyptians reached the middle of the sea, the angels caused the waters to close and drown the entire Egyptian army. Triumphantly the angels shouted and cheered, "We got 'em, we got 'em, we got 'em."
Then God looked over the banister of heaven, says Craddock, and said to that committee of
angels, "You're no longer in my service." "But we got them," the angels protested. And God said, "Don't you know? The Egyptians are also my children." Then Fred Craddock adds, "Who tells that story? Jewish Rabbis."
We are all children of God. Regardless of the color of our skin, our nationality or our religion!
Two hundred years ago there was a Scottish regiment quartered in Edinburgh Castle. Some of the officers were devout men. Each evening they gathered together and drank a toast. The toast went like this: "A clean sword and a dirty Bible."
The clean sword referred to their hope that they would not have to use their swords in battle. The dirty Bible, on the other hand, referred to a Bible that had been smudged and tattered from constant use.
As we journey through Lent perhaps our prayer life will include prayers for an end to violence and hatred in our land and in lands around the world---prayers for clean swords and dirty Bibles.
On this Lenten journey may we pray for a harvest of the "fruit of the Spirit" in our lives and in lives throughout the world---a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!
—Blessings! --Reverend Cooper Stonestreet