08/03/2025 ~ Eighth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 13 ~ Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-12; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21 ~ NOTE: the Lectionary Readings Were Not Used. The Scripture Below Was Used

YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJvaHHZcY1U

VIDEO OF SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1107738993

NOTE: THE PORTION WHICH IS THE COMMUNION HAS BEEN DELETED

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

This reading has two segments: the first tells about the crossing of The Sea of Reeds. This journey has commonly been connected to The Red Sea but that event is much more likely to have been the crossing of a marshland, a sea of reeds. To be clear, the Exodus, this journey, is considered by be the primal, saving story in the Hebrew Scriptures, a tale of liberation, freedom and hence a clear disclosure about the nature of God. Therefore, to see this story as merely a miracle is to fall short of understanding its implications. The second segment of the reading is found at the end of the 15th chapter of Exodus. Most of the 15th chapter is comprised of what is commonly called The Song of Moses. At the end of the that chapter we hear what is commonly called The Song of Miriam— Miriam bring the sister of Moses and Aaron. We know The Song of Miriam is a much older text than The Song of Moses. So it’s likely these words are the initial description of the primal event in the history of Israel and is recorded as being intoned by a woman. Hear now this Word as it is found in that portion of the Torah known as Exodus.

A READING FROM THE TANAKH IN THE SECTION KNOWN AS THE TORAH — Exodus 14:19-24, 15:19-21 [ILV]

[19] The angel of God, who was going before the Israelites, moved and went behind them; the pillar of cloud left the front of their number and took its place behind them, between the Israelites and the Egyptians. [20] All through the night the cloud provided light to one side and darkness to the other side, so there was no contact between them.

[21] Then Moses stretched out a hand over the sea. And Yahweh, God, swept back the sea by a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned the sea into dry land. When the waters were thus divided, [22] the Israelites marched into its midst on dry land, with water on their right and on their left.

[23] The Egyptians followed in pursuit and went into the midst of sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. [24] At the morning watch, at dawn, Yahweh, God, looked down upon the Egyptian forces from the fiery cloud, and threw the army into confusion and panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they could hardly turn. The Egyptians turned to flee from the Israelites, saying, “Their God fights for them against us.”

[15:19] Once the horses, chariots and chariot drivers came into the seabed, Yahweh let the water collapse upon them. But the Israelites had walked through the seabed on dry ground.

[20] Then Aaron’s sister, the prophet Miriam, picked up a tambourine and all the women followed dancing, also carrying tambourines, [21] while Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to Yahweh,
Who has triumphed gloriously;
Who has fling horse and rider
into the sea.”

MIRIAM AND AARON OR


PROPHET SHARING

NARRATOR
So what we’re going to do this morning is a play and the title of the play is Miriam and Aaron or Prophet Sharing. The play uses the Exodus event to illustrate how things that happen can illuminate the relationship of humanity with God. The events depicted take place the evening after the people of Israel have crossed the Sea of Reeds. We do need your cooperation and your imagination, so please imagine with me as the curtain rises we see a rock strewn plateau which overlooks the encampment of the Israelites in a valley below. It is night. In the distance we can see there are many campfires burning. There is an occasional flash of lightning and the sound of thunder is heard. And we can also hear people in the distance and they are singing. Now you, this Congregation, have a part in this play. You are the people of Israel. And you are the people we hear singing. That hymn is in the bulletin and you just heard the choir sing it except they did it as a round. You won’t have to do it that way. You can just sing it in a straightforward way using, for those of you who read music, the second ending. O.K. You’re the people of Israel.

CHORUS
I WILL SING UNTO THE LORD,
FOR HE HAS TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY;
THE HORSE AND RIDER
THROWN INTO THE SEA!

LORD MY GOD
MY STRENGTH AND SONG
IS NOW MY VICTORY

THE LORD IS GOD AND
I WILL PRAISE HIM,
MY FATHER’S GOD
AND I WILL EXALT HIM.

NARRATOR
As the singing ends Miriam comes on stage and she is laughing, giggling. Aaron also is with her.

MIRIAM
Oh Aaron, Aaron. Isn’t it wonderful? Isn’t it amazing? Who would have believed this? Who could have predicted this? Our bondage is over!

AARON
Marion, you— you could have predicted this.

MIRIAM
Me?

AARON
You do not give yourself enough credit, Miriam. I’ve seen you predict things and they come true as sure as the sun rises.

MIRIAM
Speculate? Yes. Predict? I think not. And this? This is too… too… incredible, beyond anyone’s ability to predict.

AARON
No, no, not at all— it was not only possible. It was predictable. And these things all came about because you had a hand in them! You are the one who is most likely to have seen these times coming. How could you fail to see them coming?

MIRIAM
But I had no hand in vanquishing the Pharaoh. It was not I who set our people free. It was not I who led the escape from the land of our oppression.

AARON
Oppression is never overcome in a single day or by a single individual. It takes years, decades, many people, thousands of people, doing small things, working, building toward freedom. Then when the timing is right… no, no, no… when Yahweh’s timing is right, it just happens! And you don’t seem to understand that you’ve had a great hand in this night, Miriam. You will be remembered by many for what you have done.

MIRIAM
But what is it that I did?

AARON
Still you don’t know?

MIRIAM
I am at a loss.

AARON
(He now becomes a reluctant teacher.) O.K. Very well. I’ll explain. Our brother, Moses, and I went to Pharaoh and said “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.’” Who was it who sent Moses to do this thing, to say these things to Pharaoh, and who told him that these things would come to pass?

MIRIAM
(Hesitantly.) I did not do that. It was the God of our ancestors, the God of Abraham and Sarah, of Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob and Rachel Who sent Moses.

AARON
(With a small chuckle.) Yes, very good. O.K. Now, why did Moses believe Yahweh?

MIRIAM
As incredible as this sounds, Yahweh spoke to Moses from a burning bush! After all, who would not believe a command given from the midst of a burning bush which fails to consume? And who would fail to believe when right in front of them a rod is turned into a serpent or a hand is made leprous and then made well again in the blink of an eye?

AARON
Why yes, anyone who has an experience of God believes. But I want you to think about this with a broader perspective. This is not about how Moses believed God but why Moses believed God is faithful. (Slight pause.) Tell me, who was it who taught Moses about the God of our ancestors?

MIRIAM
Well, Mother and… (She begins to realize what she is about to say and her voice trails off in wonderment.) …I, we both took turns… No! Why, we never dreamt telling Moses about Yahweh would result in this!

AARON
Of course, you didn’t. You didn’t dream of a night like this, a night of freedom, a night when God’s salvation becomes real and tangible, bound as we were in slavery. Who would have believed the reality or this night? But without your part in teaching Moses about the God of our ancestors he never would have stopped to hear Yahweh speak! As soon as he saw the bush, he would have run away. He would have been just another shepherd having delusions from too much desert sun! But now we have our freedom. Because Moses believed and listened to Yahweh! And you did it! You taught Moses. You were part of a hope that would not die, a legacy that we pass from generation to generation. And Yahweh, God, saw our affliction, heard our cries and delivered us out of the hands of our oppressors and shall bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey all because Moses knew to trust God! And where did Moses learn that lesson? From you!

MIRIAM
Aaron, you are always the politician!

AARON
Am I?

MIRIAM
You go on and on. You enjoy hearing yourself speak.

AARON
(He chuckles.) You cut me to the quick. But you’re right. I do enjoy hearing myself speak. But it is you to whom Moses first listened.

MIRIAM
No. Moses listened to Yahweh.

AARON
You are too modest.

MIRIAM
I am too honest.

AARON
And you’re not a politician? Will you tell this politician what it is you told Moses when he was a boy and lived in the palace of the Pharaoh?

MIRIAM
Why?

AARON
Curiosity.

MIRIAM
Killed the cat.

AARON
We do not kill cats either in Egypt where they worship cats nor outside of Egypt where we use them to catch rodents. But really, I am interested in hearing what you said, how you told the story of our people to Moses. Maybe if I hear you tell it to me I can then say it to my children, convey the same meanings and the feelings you imparted to Moses.

MIRIAM
What is it I told Moses? (Pause.) Over the years it was so much. Of course, it started with the stories of Abram. But I don’t think I was very concerned with the facts of the stories. Mother was. I can never remember details. I am much more concerned with what things mean than with the facts.

AARON
So tell me, what did you say to Moses about the story of Abram?

MIRIAM
Well, I told him of Abram’s obedience when God said leave the land of Haran and promised to make Abram a great nation, that the offspring of Abram would be as numerous as the stars. And Abram packed up the family, crossed miles of desert to Shechem, to Egypt, always in obedience, never questioning. And the covenants! God’s promises! I said God was personal, real, familial! And I also said God keeps God’s promises. Is our freedom now not proof of this? And yes, it has taken time. But God’s timing seems to apply. Often we have to wait and often we do not understand what it is God has promised but God always follows through on what God promises.
AARON
Tell me more about God and Abram.

MIRIAM
Well, God changed the name of this ancestor from Abram to Abraham, changed the name of Sarai to Sarah. This naming was an outward sign of the covenant. And then God gave them a son in their old age. Such a joy to have a son! And this (she sweeps her hand toward the congregation), all this, this nation, these people, will be God’s congregation from that seed!

AARON
So what have we learned from Abraham?

MIRIAM
God loves us. God will provide.

AARON
And what of Isaac.

MIRIAM
The child named laughter.

AARON
The child God would have Abraham destroy.

MIRIAM
But God did not have Abraham destroy Isaac.

AARON
No.

MIRIAM
No! God provided for the sacrifice when all seemed lost. Trust! That is what we must learn about God! Trust!

AARON
That’s hard sometimes.

MIRIAM
Is it ever easy?

AARON
Well… no.

MIRIAM
Trust is, indeed, also one of the things we learn from Isaac. Trust and God will provide.

AARON
Trust? Yes, but the stories about Isaac make life seem so easy. It’s easy to trust when life is easy.

MIRIAM
Is that so? Life was easy? May you be blessed with two son’s like Esau and Jacob and we’ll see how easy life is for you!

AARON
I see your point. So… you said that from the story of Isaac and Rebekah the people should learn something of trusting God, but what is it you told Moses of Jacob? (Playing the devil’s advocate.) What is it you could have told Moses about Jacob— Jacob, the conniver— Jacob the schemer. How could you have said anything good about him?

MIRIAM
Jacob, the one who wrestled with God?

AARON
Yes, Jacob the one who wrestled with God.

MIRIAM
That is the simple story.

AARON
Simple?

MIRIAM
Yes. If you wrestle with God, grapple with God, then you may be the weakest clay that God, the potter, has but God will mold you into the finest pot, fit for use at any table, at Yahweh’s table! And if you wrestle with God your name shall be called Israel, for you have striven with God.

AARON
You amaze me.

MIRIAM
How?

AARON
You have spun out the history of our salvation, our freedom, in these few minutes. It’s no wonder Moses listened to you. You have summed up the meaning of our relationship with Yahweh.

MIRIAM
You are mistaken. It is not possible to really say in mere words what our relationship with Yahweh means.

AARON
Even as you say it, I know you are right. I have experienced Yahweh, God, and yet I can not express what it feels like— not fully, not adequately. Maybe that’s why I asked to hear you talk about it. There is no way to express the inexpressible, is there?

MIRIAM
Only in metaphor, Aaron.

AARON
Ah! The only way that we can describe the unspeakable is to speak, not with our mouths, but with our hearts, with our emotions, to say things with song and dance and stories, to speak of the deepest truths and to be free to express our feelings about God with our imagination.

MIRIAM
Well said, my brother. And we must continue to tell and retell each other the stories. We must remember Yahweh with these stories, for there is no other way to describe the experience of Yahweh.

AARON
It will be as you say, Miriam. We shall, we will retell the stories of our ancestors and we will retell the story of this night forever.

MIRIAM
There is one thing I would like to know from you, one thing that I would like you to explain.

AARON
As if I could. (Pause.) Well, what is it?

MIRIAM
We have now escaped the land of Egypt, the land of our oppression but what does that mean?

AARON
I, for one, don’t care what it means.

MIRIAM
Why not?

AARON
We can only know meaning partially and only then in the past. I have no wish to know what it means. The only thing that I want to know is what’s gong to happen next?

MIRIAM
That (pause) I can answer!

AARON
See, I knew you were a prophet!

MIRIAM
(She shouts.) Whatever will happen will happen in Yahweh’s timing!

NARRATOR
At that point Miriam runs offstage. Aaron stands there for a moment stunned and realizes what she has said.

AARON
Why yes! How could it be otherwise! Whatever will happen will happen in Yahweh’s timing.

NARRATOR
As Aaron leaves there is again a bolt of lightening and a roll of thunder. The curtain comes down, the people of Israel are heard singing in the distance. (The Narrator motions to the congregation to sing.)

CHORUS
I WILL SING UNTO THE LORD,
FOR HE HAS TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY;
THE HORSE AND RIDER
THROWN INTO THE SEA!

LORD MY GOD
MY STRENGTH AND SONG
IS NOW MY VICTORY

THE LORD IS GOD AND
I WILL PRAISE HIM,
MY FATHER’S GOD
AND I WILL EXALT HIM.

NARRATOR
The end!

THE END

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “I am sure you noticed the opening hymn was the Spiritual Go Down Moses. The enslaved community from which many spirituals come understood that the salvation history found in Scripture started with the stories in the Torah. They also understood the Biblical meaning of the word salvation was not some pie in the sky by and by idea. The Biblical meaning of the word salvation is God’s gift of freedom. We hit some of the high points of the salvation history in the Torah today, so it would be wise of us to understand salvation starts with God’s freedom.”

BENEDICTION: We have observed this day to honor God, Who promises to be with us. And we have been claimed as Christ’s own. Therefore the Spirit is present to us. And because of the reality of the Trinity we are taught to value every person. So may the reality of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses our understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the love, knowledge and companionship of the Holy Spirit this day and forevermore. Amen.