In the Margins

It has been awhile since I have posted, but I am here and I am still reading. To recap there was the book of Genesis, which starts with the story of Creation and continues onto through the descendents and their arrival in Egypt. Exodus continues after the time of the Pharaoh that Joseph had found favour with and depicts the journey the process and journey of the Israelites leaving Egypt, and traveling through the wilderness to the Promised Land. This brought us to Leviticus and rule around offerings and building the tabernacle that would travel with the Israelites. It is natirually filled with all the details of presenting offerings and how to build the tabernacle, and who would do what. This brings us to Numbers where the people are counted and assigned their roles in the community, as well as where they will camp around the tabernacle and this is where I am at today.

Over the course of Lent I will try to post more about my reading journey. I am enjoying the sense of calm with taking the time to wrestle with scripture, and with reading 4-5 chapters a day. It has been an interesting experience, and I am still trying to sort out how to put words to this daily experience of calm in the midst of pandemic upheaval.

In Numbers chapter 7 it is interesting after God has deivided everything between the 12 tribes of Israel that all of the tribes present the same gifts to the tabernacle. The tabernacle seems to be the center of this community. It literally is in the middle, and surrounded by the tribe’s camps, but it it also where the cooking takes place, where justice is served, where worship takes place. Today, I think we have lost something, especially in this pandemic where worship services have transitioned online or continued for the few lacking some of the traditions such as singing. There is a division in the community, even before the pandemic, church easily was something that happened on Sundays and was led and regulated by a handful of people. This is a very different style of community, compared with what is seen here in Numbers where the tabernacle was the center, the hub, of the community. It makes me wonder how we return to this? Is this part of a post-Christian era. Is this why God held so strongly to having the Israelites follow the laws and commandments? Has our lack of rigidity and ties, weakened the church community. It seems that it may have, and if we are to see a future for our large buildings that cause so much to upkeep, perhaps we need to find a way back to our center.

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I realize that I haven’t posted in a while. I have been journeying through the land of Egypt and into the Promised Land (Canaan). This is both figurative and literal as I have been reading through Genesis and am now halfway through Exodus. More personally, I have also been trying to settle into a routine with readings. I find it easiest to read when there is peace and quiet (don’t we all!) and in pandemic life that is a bit harder to find. I will never outrise my early riser (5am!) and while I enjoy reading in the evening, I struggle to string together coherent sentences of reflectionn at that time of day. So, finding the time and space to be with the Word has been a journey of trying different paths.

Jacob moved to Egypt along with the rest of his family to be near Joseph. Generations later his descendents have grown and are being oppressed by Pharoah who demands the same amount of bricks without the same amount of resources. Even in ancient times cost-cutting is a thing. Pharoah then demands that the male first borns be killed, which leads to the story of Moses. Moses who was placed by his mother in a basket and found by Egyptian woman. Moses who will lead the Israelites out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land of Canaan. During all of this God brings the plagues and while there are various ones, the worst the death of the first borns is the same as what Pharoah demanded of the Israelites. During the journey there is much back in forth about how the Israelites can depend on God (food) and God provides manna and quail. It is interesting to witness this back and forth between the Israelites who are concerned about their basic needs and God who seems to be more concerned with the bigger issues, and Moses is stuck between them as intermediary. I find this is particularly relevant currently with the pandemic, I am not so worried about many things, but I am concerned about the basics and taking it all one day at a time, although I do hope my wandering does not last another 40 years.

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After Jacob leaves the land of Canaan to return to Syria and Laban his uncle, he encounters Rachel and becomes married to both Leah (Rachel’s older sister) and Rachel. Between his two wives and their concubines he has many sons, in particular is one of Rachel’s sons Joseph. This is the Joseph who dreams and interpret dreams, this is the Joseph of the ‘coat of many colours’, or what in the musical realm is “Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat”. He is the original dreamer. The one who has and shares the truth of his dreams, which concerns his father and causes his brothers to want to destory him. Joseph’s brothers end up selling him as a slave to the Egyptians. In Egypt, Joseph works for Pharoah, until he is misrepresented by Pharoah’s wife and put into prison, where he continues interpreting dreams (foretelling the release and restoration of a fellow prisoner, and the death of another). His dreams may have started his whole initial downfall with his brothers, but it is the gift that he has been given, that he continues to use, no matter where circumstances may bring him. It reminds me of a song from ‘La La Land’ “The Fools Who Dream”, that has the lines

“Here’s to the ones who dream

Foolish as they may seem

Here’s to the hearts that ache

Here’s to the mess we make”

As a “dreamer” or any person really, we have gifts creative or otherwise, attitudes, and persepctives that go with us wherever we go. Sometime they can place us in sticky situations, but they are often what brings us through the difficult times and helps us to be more resilient. At a time when we are in a pandemic, perhaps even a lockdown because of this pandemic it is a good time to pause and reflect on what makes us so resilient. What is our little bit of “madness” that gets us through. For Joseph it is his dreaming and ability to interpret dreams. For me it has always been my faith. Growing up in the Baptist tradition and doing my Girl Guide religion and life badges with our church’s student minister, I remember being baptized and becoming a Christian being likened to marriage. Sometimes the balance may not be quite right, there may be days where you do not agree, but as long as you are married you are bound together. This truth is something that I have always carried with me, and in this time of a pandemic I will continue carrying it.

“A bit of madness is key

To give new colours to see

Who knows where it will lead us?

And that’s why they need us”.

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I have been very much enjoying rereading the bible. Many of the stories are familiar, particularly these ones of the later years of Abraham and Sarah, the birth of Isaac and his marriage to Rebekah and the birth of their sons Esau and Jacob. As a child in Sunday school, we learned about these characters and their stories. During a pandemic when everything is a little bit unfamiliar, there is much comfort in returning to them. They are so simple, and yet there can be so many layers to them. As a child I was always a bit appalled that Abraham could even consider sacirficing his long awaited son, and wondered “what kind of story is that”? Taking a step back however, and thinking about it more in terms of the most important thing in one’s life, my perspective changes. For Abraham the most important thing (if you will) in his life was his son Isaac (a son he never thought he would have), and sometimes the most important things in life we can take for granted and not appreciate their significance. Being at home with my family, over these pandemic months sometimes is a lot like this. My family is my most important thing, but having them always around I sometimes can take them for granted, and become more focused on having a quiet tea to myself or other daily rituals and tasks. Always completing these things in place of spending quality time with my family can cause me to fall off balance in life. Self care is always important, more so during a pandemic, however quality family time is important to for everyone’s health and well-being too. With the story of Abraham and Isaac this is what I see, a father so focused on God, that he is intent on sacrificing his only son, and it is God who brings this extreme situation back into balance.

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The first covenant in the Bible has already been made between God and Noah which reaffirms the blessing of humanity and the creation. This covenant while made between God and Noah did not have have explicit conditions for Noah’s descendants, reaffirming the order of creation and divinity in humanity. Abraham, the Father of both Ishmael and Isaac, is to whom God makes the second covenant. The second covenant being a blessing of land and descendents with the added condition of circumiscision and “that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring Abraham what God has spoken to him” (Genesis 18:19b).

I find it interesting that three men visit Abram, and he invites them in for refreshment and restoration on their journey to Sodom and Gomorrah, presumably as one would any guest. While talking with them he learns that Sodom and Gomorrah are to be destroyed, and we do not know for what reason (maybe because Lot was living near there) or maybe for a less personal reason Abraham negotiates with them that they will save the city if there are five decent men. However, the men arrive and are invited by Lot to his home, whereupon the crowd wants to break down the door to get to the men, and after even trying to encourage his sons-in-law to leave it seems the only “righteous” man may be Lot. The men enable Lot and his two daughters to escape before “fire and brimstone” come down and destroy the city.

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