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 A.B.F. (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 10:15 am to 11:00. We are following a course of study from the United Council of Churches titled Call Sealed with a Promise. You are invited to join our group as we begin a new unit titled "Called Out of Egypt" and spend some time with us studying the Book of Exodus.

Moses and the Israelites

Most of the Prime Timers can remember when we first saw Cecil B. DeMille's epic "The Ten Commandments" with the late Charlton Heston. Our reading for next Sunday, at the bottom of this page, is the story of the parting of the Red Sea from the Book of Exodus!

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.  Judy reports that her Dad, who was ailing, is much better. Marty reports that he discovered the valet parking at the Texas Medical center and that his Mom had a good first visit with a new doctor.

Pharaoh Ignores God's Call

Donn Fullenweider led the Prime Timers this morning, reminding us that the events we are studying took place somewhere between 1,280 and 1,600 B.C., depending on which scholar you read. The Israelites are descendents of Abraham, who came to Egypt 400 years before, so there was plenty of time for them to develop quite a number, in some estimates half a million people.  As James Kugel in his book "How to Read the Bible" points out, however, there is very little in the Egyptian record, and the Egyptian were very good record keepers, of the events unfolding in Exodus. Today our Class Mentor, Vice-Rector the Rev. Ken Field's told us of the Egyptians mentioning the "erev rav" or "riff raff" as a term for the Israelites. It is possible the numbers of people are exaggerated, but the cause of justice resonates throughout all history.

Donn looks at the reading today as an example of a very bad management style! Pharaoh finds his Israelite slaves asking to go into the desert to worship their God and responds with beatings and demands for more brick production! Pharaoh has Israelite overseers much like the Nazi's forced Jews to organize work crews. This caused Donn to recall an old T-shirt slogan "Unless morale improves, beatings will increase."

The theme today is "who is the Lord" or "Let My People Go." The latter phrase echoes through our own history with the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's and 70's. What was it that made this movement so powerful, in some cases changing peoples hearts as well as their minds and actions? Donn mentioned the Rev. Martin Luther King's letter from the Birmingham jail. It was Dr. King's use of a religious basis to his quest for equal rights that made it especially compelling to a wide group of people. Rev. Fields, who comes from the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, recalled how arrangements were made for Dr. King's release in the office of the Bishop. Due to the restrictions of the time there were very few places where blacks and whites were allowed to congregate!

The Israelites simple request to worship their God, or the blacks request for equal treatment, and the severe reaction of the people in authority led Donn to wonder how different history might be if that violence were replaced with respect.

Throughout our reading in Exodus Moses convenes with God, sometimes in fear, sometimes in anger, sometimes bargaining with God. This led Donn to ask "is it ok to be mad at God?" Anne responded “feelings are just feelings that I don’t think God judges, and that the important thing is for us to tell Him how we feel about everything and keep the line of communication open.” Rev. Fields mentioned how his grandson will occasionally throw a tantrum if he doesn't get his way and how Rev. Field's approach is to let the anger work its way out, as he tries to get to the real reason the grandson is upset.

George mentioned the method of praying by A.C.T.S:  Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Rev. Fields mentioned the scene in Steel Magnolias where Sally Fields rages against God in the cemetery, as a very powerful and touching moment. Donn mentioned seeing his son in the hospital as one of his life's most unforgettable moments (don't worry, the son grew up and has children of his own!) Then Donn read part of Psalm 10, the Lament of the Persecuted:

¹Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?
   Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
   who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
   he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

⁴In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
   in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

⁵His ways are always prosperous;
   he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
   he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me;
   I'll always be happy and never have trouble."

⁷His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;
   trouble and evil are under his tongue.

⁸He lies in wait near the villages;
   from ambush he murders the innocent,
   watching in secret for his victims.

⁹He lies in wait like a lion in cover;
   he lies in wait to catch the helpless;
   he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

¹⁰His victims are crushed, they collapse;
   they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, "God has forgotten;
   he covers his face and never sees."

¹²Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
   Do not forget the helpless.

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God?
   Why does he say to himself,
   "He won't call me to account"?

¹⁴But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
   you consider it to take it in hand.
   The victim commits himself to you;
   you are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
   call him to account for his wickedness
   that would not be found out.

¹⁶The LORD is King for ever and ever;
   the nations will perish from his land.

¹⁷You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
   you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

¹⁸defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
   in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

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 28th,  is "God Calls the People Out of Egypt"

Key Verse:  Exodus 14:30

Focus of the Lesson: Many people have "protectors" to help them through difficult, even perilous times. Where do we look for protection in difficult times? God protected the Israelites by parting the water, leading them out of slavery in Egypt, and destroying their enemies.

The reading is Exodus 14:15-25, 30. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Exodus 13:17--14:30

   ¹⁵Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

   ¹⁹Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

   ²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, ²²and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

   ²³The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. ²⁵He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."

   ³⁰That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.

NIV