Exodus 3:4 "...And Moses said, 'Here I am.'"

Prime Timers, a St. Martin's Adult Christian Education (A.C.E.) group, also known as an ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship), is for people in the Prime of Life, age 50 and beyond. Class meets in the Parlor near the Church Offices each Sunday from 10:15am to 11:00. We are following a course of study from the United Council of Churches titled The New Testament Community. You are invited to join our group as we begin a new unit titled "Call Sealed with a Promise" and spend some time with us studying the Book of Exodus.

Moses and the Israelites

Cosimo Rosselli, Crossing of the Red Sea, 1481-82, Fresco, Cappella Sistina, Vatican

Prime Timers Celebrate Good News!

We celebrate our members Good News at Prime Timers with a $1 contribution to Henny Penny, our Good News chicken. Periodically Henny donates the money she collects to a charity, currently the Amistad Mission in Bolivia.  We got some more information about an upcoming event at the church August 10-14 titled "Marketplace A.D." Bruce Morgan, our Creative Director for Ministries, is bringing an entire stage set to St. Martin's, turning it into an authentic biblical city. There are lots of opportunities for participation and of course Jesus will be in the marketplace! Carol tells us there is still room to help out at the Health Fair in mid July. Carol gave a dollar to the chicken for an amazing story of leaving her purse in a shopping cart at Walmart*, frantically searching for it, and then a good samaritan knocking at her door with the missing purse!

Donn celebrated his Grandmother's 90th birthday and reports that even better she is in good health. Maurice celebrates her oldest daughter's birthday. And Lynn reports that her twenty-eight year old son is engaged at last to his childhood sweetheart! Lynn also expects her daughter will arrive from Budapest, Hungary this week. We hope she brings her to class after hearing so much about her missionary work. 

Moses and Aaron respond

Donn Fullenweider returned as our leader today, beginning today's study of Exodus with the context that the events occurred around 1,600 to 1,440 BC, although some scholars believe it is closer to 1,280 BC. Moses is reported to be around eighty years old as he begins his journey with the Israelites. This prompted a class member to ask about the accuracy of some Biblical ages. George pointed out that there was someone in Spain recently who was one hundred seventeen years old when she died! Then someone mentioned Methuselah (Genesis 5:21-27) who is said to have lived 969 years. This prompted Donn to recall the song in Porgy and Bess "It ain't necessarily so!" The Bible is a brilliantly written and divinely inspired book, created by many authors, and writers sometimes exaggerate for effect.

Donn explained how the Egyptians were very good record keepers and how scholars have not found any Egyptian records of the events chronicled in Exodus! Our reading for today is about Moses and his brother Aaron receiving the call from God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. Moses does not see himself able to take on such a mission and complains to God that he is not an eloquent speaker and is slow of speech and tongue. Then God reminds Moses, (Exodus 4:11) "... "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Is it not I, the Lord?" This gets into the issue of free will and the eternal question:  why do bad things happen to good people? Donn read this passage from John 9:1-12: ¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

³"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

Donn asked us if we had ever been in a position where we were unsure if we were ready for a challenge. Lynn mentioned how her husband and daughter were people who would "jump into" something new while she wanted to know more about it before committing. Having a child certainly puts you on the spot. Someone mentioned teenagers marrying, but someone else just said marriage in general is a challenge no one is really ready for!

In Exodus 4:14 God is described as being angry with Moses for not taking up His call. Other emotions attributed to God are love, humility (in Jesus), jealousy and vengeance. We place human emotions on God to get a handle on His actions. In Exodus God and Moses interact as collaborators, with the people and their foibles sometimes reaping severe punishment for their sins. How can human's change God's mind? Is God sometimes threatening severe treatment like a father to his children, mainly to get their attention?

Lynn mentioned one of her devotional books, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. This book is written from Jesus point-of-view in the first person, allowing a reader to experience the Savior speaking to them through scripture. Donn read these quotations: 

"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...initially scared me to death." Betty Bender.

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden

"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance." Bruce Barton.

Class member Carol added:  "He who straddles the fence will get splinters."

Donn read this from Proverbs 1:20-33:

²⁰Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public squares;

²¹at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

²²"How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?

²³If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.

²⁴But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

²⁵since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,

²⁶I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸"Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.

²⁹Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,

³⁰since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,

³¹they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

³²For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Donn concluded class with a benediction:  "We hear your call, O God, and ask that you send us forth empowered by your Spirit to live and serve as your covenant people."

The Lesson for Sunday, June 21st,  is "Pharaoh Ignores God's Call"

Key Verse:  Exodus 5:1

Focus of the Lesson: Some people fail to recognize true authority and power, erroneously believing that the authority and power rest within themselves. What brings us to recognize a higher authority? When Pharaoh refused to obey God's command to release the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, God promised to force obedience with a might hand.

The reading is Exodus 5:1-9, 22--6:1. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Exodus 5:1--6:1

   ¹Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.' "

   ²Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."

   ³Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword."

   ⁴But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!" ⁵Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working."

   ⁶That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: ⁷"You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' ⁹Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies."

   ²²Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? ²³Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

   ¹Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."

NIV