Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
Last week’s reading from Exodus was the giving of the Law in what we know as the Ten Commandments. The lectionary jumps forward a significant twelve chapters for this week, to a story of confusion and disappointment. All of those chapters are about the Law, with God geeking out about dimensions of the Temple and how awesome things are going to be when they finally get to where they’re going. Imagine how excited God is, how exhiliarting this is for Moses, how high they’re flying and God is like, oh, man, look at the time! We’ve been at this for weeks! We need to check on the people. And they go back down to find . . .
The people, feeling abandoned and scared, go back to old ways. They don’t trust that God actually does have their backs (despite all of the evidence). But it isn’t rational, right? They’re scared. So they do what they are used to doing. Which is flirting with a bunch of gods and making idols to them . . .
Aaron, the priest, is stuck in a lose/lose situation. He needs to deal pastorally with his people. And trust in God. But, as is usually the case, the people are closer. And they’re demanding (and did I mention they’re scared?). So as they melt down gold to make a giant idol, Aaron finds a compromise, putting an altar in front, as if to say, this isn’t blasphemy, they’re really praying to God . . .
The whole thing is tragic and sad. It is also too easy to affix blame to any one figure. It’s fear and nostalgia and distrust and balancing egos and altogether so very familiar. Because this is church. And Moses avoids the temptation to take it all to his benefit. To start over with God. He saves the people. Unworthy and unrepentant. Perhaps that, too, can be church.
With love,
Drew+
