Ash Wednesday

I guess what struck me this morning was "out of the house of Bondage" from the 10 commandments. Conflicting with the readings this morning came the inevitable worry of one who might throw a party. I worried if anyone would even participate in this thing. It's one thing to take on a lenten practice. It's quite another to it online.

What resonated with me from "out of the house of bondage" is that the implications of the ten commandments are a second step. The Jews being chosen had nothing to do with the way they were leading their lives. God reacts to the groan of their suffering. Like the Father of the Prodigal he seeks them out (now if one is truly honest one might begin to wonder why it took 400 years for God to lead them out) So being "chosen" biblically has nothing it seems to do with say being "chosen" in gym class. I don't know if any one can relate but I remember the code of acceptance in choosing up sides for Gym. If left sole to the kids discretion it could be vicious. The athletes were gobbled up first in the excitement while the ones who may not have come into their own were forced to wait. Being the last one "chosen" in gym could not have been a fun experience. In light of the fact that the Jews did not really know the God of their past it appears that they were chosen not because they were good but because He was good. He was making a people. Merit seems to have nothing to do with it.

There is a strong connection between the Exodus deliverance through Moses and Jesus' death and resurrection. The parallel that jumped out at me is that in each case God seeks out a people who have lost sight of Him. In each there is a sacrifice that only is understood in the effects that it produces. The sacrifice itself is barely understandable at the time. Yet in each case is the agent of liberation. As with the Jews, our liberation is a gift we do not merit.