If the Bible was summed up with a single question it could be, “Is the Lord really with us or not?” Nearly every major biblical character from Adam and Eve to the evangelist John in Revelation wrestles with this question one or more times in course of their stories. Lent is a season of reflecting on our humanity and our need for God. Lent is a time when we wait and prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Christ once again. It seems to me that Lent is also a natural time to ask ourselves the timeless question with a renewed sense of wonder, “Is the Lord really with us or not?”
The answer to this question often comes to us as we reflect on how God has been present with us in our own life stories. The Biblical story reminds us that you and I know and have experienced the God who has walked with us in the past and promises to walk with us in the future.
There is a famous biblical story in Exodus 14 that tells how the Jewish people were able to finally escape the clutches of Pharoah and find the freedom to follow God that is often called the parting of the Red Sea. It may be quite familiar to you. On Sunday we will explore a story that Jewish Rabbis have retold for centuries about the parting of the Red Sea about a faithful man named Nashon that may be less familiar to you. According to this story, even though God is active and working in this world, we still have to partner with God and make faithful and courageous actions.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we wrestle with God’s call to courageous acts of faith because of the Lord’s continued presence with you and with me. And I invite you to extend an invitation to someone in your life who needs to hear that God is with them.
Blessings,
Rev. Andy Blacksher
