Splitting the Scene

Sometimes the bible’s lack of detail is maddening. The entire book of Exodus - from a the Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, to the baby Moses in the reeds, through all the plagues and the Passover - leads to one, climactic moment in which the Jews flee Egypt in the middle of the night. After all this build-up the story says little more than, “they left in a hurry.’ Really? That’s it? Did they leave in a big column, marching shoulder to shoulder? Who organized them? How? Were babies and children crying or was all silent save for the shuffling feet? Were the people jubilant or apprehensive or afraid? Where was Moses when all this was going on? What was going through his mind?

It’s almost as if this is not the climactic moment in the story and, really, it may not be. From a writer’s perspective it’s not clear that there’s a single, defining scene in the narrative, but rather several. The Passover is one, the Exodus another, the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments and the golden calf - all are plot-line peaks. It’s a much larger story - so large, in fact, that the climax is well beyond the lives all its characters.

We’re going to look at what this story means in a much fuller, broader context on Sunday morning. I don’t think we can fully grasp the Exodus story without seeing it in light of the person and work of Christ. The Israelites, as they flee Egypt by moonlight, are embarking on a great journey - a journey that takes all of us from Pharaoh’s court to the squalor and misery of the cross and brings us face to face with a God who is bigger than all of our imaginings could ever dream.

And after all the shoutin’ is done we’re going to have a pot luck with the folks from Peterborough Free Methodist. Oh my, how I love a party!