Faith,
I know so many of us are mourning the circumstances of the shooting in Minneapolis. As I write that sentence, my guess is many might read it to see which side I’m on in the debate as to whose fault was the shooting–the ICE agent, or the driver. If I just described you, I invite you to forfeit your participation in the Blame Game. Instead, I ask you to join with the Holy Spirit who calls us in Romans 12:15 to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”
The weeping of the family of Renee Nicole Good, the ICE agents involved, and their families will not soon go away. None of us fully knows the circumstances. We have no power to change them, but we can join with the groaning of the Holy Spirit, who is always close to the brokenhearted. Yes, I understand we might be angry, but what a gift God gives us in James 1:20, “…human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
Will we address these issues this Sunday? Yes, but we will do so in light of the passage I was already planning to preach. In Exodus 14, Moses and the Israelites are stuck and in danger. They have escaped Egypt, but instead of taking the fastest route to the Promised Land, God leads them on a long journey to the edge of the Red Sea (or Reed Sea). Behind them, six hundred Egyptian chariots thunder across the desert, closing fast.
What do you do when life throws you an obstacle you have no power to cross? What do you do when your enemies clearly think they have you trapped? The good news is that God’s counsel for us is powerful but incredibly counterintuitive: “I will fight for you; you need only be still.” Exodus 14:14.
Join me in prayer for our state and its leaders. Bring a friend Sunday, and let’s do the most powerful thing in joining us this Sunday as we embrace God’s invitation to trust Him.
In Christ alone,
Pastor Brad
***Message notes are here.
Here are three videos relevant to Sunday’s Exodus journey:
Exodus 14-15 — Spoken Gospel (3:21)
God Walks Ahead of You (1:53)
Did the Israelites in the book of Exodus cross the Red Sea or the Reed Sea? (short article)