I’ve got Moses on the brain. Everybody who’s doing anything with Legacy VBS this week has had Moses on the brain for a while now.
The stories of Moses are familiar to all of God’s people. We know about the basket in the river and the burning bush and the plagues and the passover and the crossing of the sea. We know all about that. But I wonder sometimes if we truly understand that the story of Moses and the Israelites—or, more accurately, the story of the Lord’s deliverance of Moses and the Israelites—is our story.
This is us.
This one foundational primary act of salvation in our Scriptures very powerfully shapes us and informs us and motivates us to this day. This story, forever linked with our God and his actions to deliver his people inspires and foreshadows all of our God’s acts of salvation. All of them.
Our God saves us and rescues us and redeems us and delivers us and provides for us over and over again in a million different ways. But this first grand watershed event is the pattern. This points to them all. This is the paradigm.
Our God is the God who brought us out of Egypt. Our Lord is the Lord who destroyed Pharaoh and his army. Our God brought us through the sea. Our Lord delivered us from slavery.
We find exodus and sea-crossing language on almost every other page in our Scriptures, from the crossing of the Jordan River through Revelation. Almost half the Psalms. Most of the Prophets. Deliverance from Babylonian exile, freedom from Assyrian captivity, and salvation from sins and the world are all described and predicted and imagined and manifested in terms of slavery and liberation and water and promised land.
This is our story.
We’re all on the other side of the sea. Egypt is behind us. The Promised Land is before us. Our enemies are dead, scattered on the shore, unable to do us any further harm. And our God is present with us, leading us out of one world and into another, from one existence to another. The crossing of the sea isn’t a pep talk. It’s an understanding that God is your God because he acted in your life to deliver you. And when you pass through the waters of salvation, your identity and your loyalties and your worldview radically changes as you live in service to and complete dependence on the Sovereign Monarch who lovingly provides that salvation.
That’s our story.
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One night down, three to go.
Moses: Bound for Holy Ground kicked off last night to a packed house here at Legacy. And the first evening went off almost without a hitch. From Taylor and Lance’s specatular open to our corny rendition of The Ballad of Jethro and Moses sung to the tune of the Beverly Hillbillies; from a real live baby Moses to the artificially “pumped up” shepherds; from the moving prayers of Jochebed and Miriam to the dramatic killing of an Egyptian taskmaster; from costume and set changes to ad-libbed lines and unexpected audience reactions; it was a night to remember.
Carrie-Anne’s been totally typecast as Moses’ wife, Zipporah. Jethro really did ask Moses, “If it’s convenient for you, would you please stand for the closing song?” The preacher really did kill a youth minister, and not just in his dreams. Doug Deere did enjoy his makeup a little too much. John West is under-utilized. No, Jerry Karels, I didn’t read the fine print on my preaching agreement. Kipi really did tell the cast backstage, “More cheeks and lips!”
Over 700 saw the show and stayed for a wonderful church dinner, maybe the final ever Legacy church dinner eaten in the hallways and not in the Fellowship Hall. I’ll have much more to write about all of this in the next couple of days. I’m trying desperately not to hyper-ventilate as the clock ticks on tonight’s finale, “One Day More.” But I’m moved by the gifts and the talents of this church family. I’m inspired by the beautiful voices all around me, the creative writing and directing, the know-how and ingenuity of those building the sets and props, and the spirit of unity and teamwork that’s all around us. It’s a tremendous sacrifice for every single person involved in our VBS. And we dedicate every bit of it to our Lord in the name of our crucified and resurrected Savior, Jesus the Christ. May he bless our efforts and may he use the gifts he’s given us to bless and encourage everyone who walks through these doors over the next few days.
As always, click on the pics for the full size. Night Two at 7:00 this evening.
Peace,
Allan
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