This week, on the first Sunday of Lent, we will continue our series, "A Journey of Testing and Trial: Moses and the Hebrews in the Wilderness." We will focus on the fear panic that engulfed many of the Hebrews as they neared the Red Sea, with the army of Pharaoh chasing after them. Unimaginable as it might seem to us, some of them actually wished they had never been freed from slavery, and they were anxious to return to begin slaves, rather than face the uncertainty of the future.
After the initial joy of freedom, when the enormity of their journey to the Promised Land began to sink into their consciousness, the Hebrews began to think of all that could go wrong. Instead of looking forward, they were "Looking Back, with Fear." Through the centuries, people facing the challenges and anxiety of change have behaved in similar ways.
As we talked about in our Ash Wednesday worship service, God anticipated the Hebrews' response. In many ways, the journey "Into the Wilderness" was meant to give them time and space to forever leave behind any desire to return to slavery in Egypt. If you missed Wednesday's meditation, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.
Also, this Sunday, we will collect our first special offering of the year, supporting Week of Compassion, which offers emergency relief and humanitarian aid resources, particularly after natural disasters, in addition to supporting sustainable development.
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