In today's reading, the Moses story has begun! The book of Exodus has been a long time favorite of mine. I love the Moses story. It upsets me, it confuses me, it makes me joyous, excited, thoughtful, fearful, filled with worship, covered in doubt, loaded with questions, and soaked in the Divine. I'm telling ya the Moses story is FIRE! And, it will preach, but not easily! How do you feel about this new begining in Exodus?
What do you do with all of the elements of this story? The midwives? The basket Moses was in (ark)? His family ties? His killing of the Egyptian? His fear? His encounters after leaving Egypt? What's up with Midian? How long did he stay there? Does his being a sheperd say anything to us? There's just so much to consider. What's up with Horeb? Where is Horeb? What does it mean? Is there another name for Horeb? What's with the bush? Why is Moses so insecure? No shoes!? Holy ground in the desert, why? What's with God's name? Why is Aaron involved? Yada, Yada, Yada. The Moses story can shape us, form us, inform us, and more, but it's not an easy story to navigate. In fact the lessons of the Exodus won't easily be crocheted on a pillow or printed on a bumper sticker. Instead, it provides growth that goes beyond bianary answers and into the multifaceted human respose. Growth that calls us to mingle our story with these ancient tales and come out the otherside with a larger more expanaive story of us, of others, of God. That's why we need it to be a story--we don't need to be right about our understanding of the Exodus, what we need is to be changed by it every time we engage. I dropped one of my new favorite quotes below. Remember to post any thoughts or questions in the coments section. And hold on tight cuz the Exodus is a hell of a ride. Keep reading.
"For many people, 'myth' means something that isn’t true. Please put aside that understanding. Myth is, in fact, something that is so true that it can be adequately expressed only in story, symbol, and ritual. It can’t be abstracted and objectified. Its meaning and mystery are so deep and broad that they can be presented only in story form."
Rohr, Richard. What the Mystics Know (p. 24). The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.