Our reading today is from Exodus 32.

Exodus 32:1-20 & 30-35

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took these from them, formed them in a mold, and cast an image of a calf, and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” But he said,

“It is not the sound made by victors
or the sound made by losers;
it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’s anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of the book that you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. Nevertheless, when the day for punishment comes, I will punish them for their sin.”

Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron had made.

For the Word of God in scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.

***

There is an old Jewish teaching, which is almost like a koan. You all know what a koan is right? In Zen Buddhism, a koan is a thought or question which has no real answer, but which helps your mind concentrate and focus. The classic example is What is the sound of one hand clapping? Though koans are usually more profound than corny.  So the ancient rabbis, their koan, they wondered if God prays? And if so, what is it that God prays for?

But instead of leaving this koan unanswered, the rabbis attempt to fill in the blank. Their answer? God prays that God’s own mercy will outweigh and outlast God’s anger.

We see the struggle between divine mercy and divine anger in today’s passage. Moses, who at God’s sending, helped free the people from captivity in Egypt, led them out into the wilderness, has gone off on some sort of silent retreat. But really, we know that he is up the mountain receiving the Torah, the ten commandments from God. The rabbis say that the Torah is a gift of love from God to God’s people, but like an impatient child at Christmas or their birthday, the people can’t wait to open their gift. Actually, it is really Moses that they are missing. After all, it is Moses who has led them all this way.

Well, again, it is God through Moses, but practically speaking Moses is their connection to God. To them, no Moses, no God. And Moses has left them on their own for 40 days. One ancient commentator postulated, “How late was Moses after 40 days?” Six hours! Just six hours!

They have only been waiting six hours before they lose their ever-loving minds. But that just shows their level of anticipation, their level of dependence on Moses. And so fearing that Moses, and by proxy God, has permanently abandoned them after only six hours, they seek comfort in the next best thing, Moses’ brother Aaron. They go to Aaron and say, “Come, make god’s for us.”

Now if we were to pause here and speculate about Aaron’s response, I am guessing most of us would say that Aaron would refuse their request, remind them that the God of Moses, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the one true God, and that God alone, led them out of Egypt.

Instead, Aaron says, collect all your gold rings, all your gold jewelry and melt it down so we can build a golden statue. What? I mean, I get the impatience of the people. They only seem to have a tenuous grip on what is going on, but Aaron? Aaron is Moses’ brother; he is part of the inner circle. Surely, he should know better!

But before we throw Aaron under the bus too hard, let me point out one redeeming factor: the people ask Aaron to produce for them gods, the generic Elohim in Hebrew. Aaron responds with the name Adonai, which is a direct reference to the God of Moses. So essentially, Aaron consents to the overwhelming need of the people to connect with something greater, but he does not help them build a statue to replace God, rather he does so as a substitute for Moses.

You see, what Aaron fails to recognize is that God acts through people, not inanimate objects like statues, even statues made of gold. God has used Moses, but God can use Aaron too. God can use any of us.

One of the fundamental claims of our faith is that God chooses not to be God without us. Presumably God could have. God didn’t have to create all that is, but God chose to. God could have just created beings which would do God’s will, no questions asked, but God chose to create beings that are free to make their own choices, free to experience joy and pain, love and loss.

Too often life makes us question, what kind of God would allow innocent people to suffer, children to die, disease, war, violence? What kind of God? The only answer I know to that question, and I admit it is not the one we are looking for, one that brings great comfort, is that it is a God who doesn’t want robots as children, but is willing to risk giving us freedom, which means the freedom to experience all the ups and downs. Because love is not love if it is forced or coerced.

So really, in this story, what we have is the sting and pain of rejection that God feels when the people God has chosen, so quickly abandon them and seek comfort elsewhere. The text tells us that God speaks to Moses saying, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.”

There is a lot going on in this short passage. God is clearly upset. We get that. But then God tells Moses to leave God alone so that God’s wrath may burn hot. In other words, God knows that Moses will try to talk God out of it. But not only does God tell Moses to leave them along, God makes Moses an offer. If Moses lets him wipe out the people again, like we are told happened in the great flood, God will appoint Moses as the new Noah, the new Abraham. He will raise up a new people, a new nation, through Moses. It is a temptation not unlike that which Jesus faces in the desert.

But Moses is the hero of this story. He refuses to give in to temptation. He refuses to leave God alone to stew in his anger. Moses argues with God and reminds God of God’s own compassion and mercy. And then we get this gold nugget: “And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.”

Moses won the argument. God is persuaded. Mercy wins. Love wins. Anger subsides. God’s own prayer is answered and God acts out of compassion, not judgment.

The picture that emerges from this text is that the relationship between God and humanity, between God and creation is much more of a two-way street than we may have been at first led to believe. If God chooses not to be God without us, if God wants a genuine, not forced or coerced relationship with us, if God gives us the freedom to choose, then God also chooses not to remain far off and distant. The god we first met, the god who is in charge of everything, and makes everything happen, who has us like puppets on a string, well it turns out, according to the biblical witness that this god may be as false as the golden calf the people built at the foot of Sinai. This god may be one we invented to absolve ourselves from responsibility. We say, God is in charge. God will fix it. If it happened, it must be God’s will. As pious as these sound, they are golden calves of our own making.

The true God, Adonai, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the God of Moses, the God of Jesus Christ, is not a bully or a tyrant, but a partner. And arguing with God, disputing with God, is not blasphemy, but the living out of that relationship. Notice who in the text argues with God. It is not, as we often suppose, those who are against God, those who are far off. It is Moses, God’s own right-hand man in this scene. The one closest to God, who trusts God. Disputing with God is a sign of faith!

What does God pray for? I might answer that question a little different than those ancient rabbis. I think God prays for us to love God and to love one another, the way that God loves us. And that, I believe, is beyond dispute. Amen.

The post Disputing with God ~ Appealing to God’s Mercy appeared first on Roland Park Presbyterian Church.

Discussion Questions:

1. Paul in Athens:
   o Paul is troubled by the idols in Athens, but instead of reacting with anger, he enters into conversation. What does his approach teach us about engaging people whose beliefs or practices differ from our own?
   o Pastor Mark describes this as almost “a master class in interfaith dialogue.” Where do you see opportunities in your own life to be curious, respectful, and honest in conversation?
2. A Faith That Grows:
   o Pastor Mark says, “Faith is not static. It grows, it evolves, it changes.” How has your faith changed over the course of your life?
   o What parts of the faith you learned earlier in life still serve as a foundation for you? What have you had to rethink, expand, or let go?
3. Something Old and Something New:
   o The sermon reflects on how old and new can come together to create something that has never been before. Where do you see that happening in your own spiritual life?
   o How can a church honor its history while also remaining open to transformation, new questions, and new ways of serving?
4. Remembering Those Who Came Before Us:
   o Pastor Mark tells the story of Joe Day and the lasting impact of his generosity, love, and faithfulness. Who is someone whose memory is a blessing in your life or in the life of the church?
   o Joe’s gift helped the congregation understand that even a small church could do great things. What gifts—financial, relational, spiritual, or practical—help sustain a community of faith?
5. Grace, Gratitude, and the Table:
   o Pastor Mark invites us to come to the table remembering all those who gathered before us and all those who will gather after us. How does that image shape your understanding of communion and community?
   o Frederick Buechner’s words remind us, “Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are.” How does this understanding of grace speak to you today?
6. Applying the Sermon:
   o What is one way you can practice a living, growing faith this week?
   o How can RPPC continue to be a place where people experience grace, belonging, and transformation across generations?

The post Sermon Discussion Guide: Something New and Something Old appeared first on Roland Park Presbyterian Church.

Discussion Questions:

1. Power and Control
   • Pastor Mark contrasts “power over” and “power with.” Where do you see these two kinds of power at work in the world today?
   • When have you experienced “power with”—a kind of leadership or relationship rooted in service, compassion, or shared dignity?
2. Pilate, Jesus, and the Illusion of Control
   • Pilate appears to be in charge, yet seems controlled by fear and pressure. Where do we see similar dynamics in our own lives or leadership systems?
   • Jesus remains calm and grounded, even when his life is at risk. What do you think gives him that kind of presence and courage?
3. The Temptation of Dominant Power
   • The sermon suggests that even good intentions can be corrupted by the pursuit of control. Have you ever seen—or experienced—this happen?
   • Why do you think dominant power can feel so effective or appealing, even when it conflicts with our values?
4. Faith and Influence
   • The religious authorities align themselves with empire, declaring, “We have no king but Caesar.” Where do we see faith communities today tempted to align with power in unhealthy ways?
   • What does it look like to live faithfully without trying to impose beliefs on others?
5. Choosing the Way of Jesus
   • Jesus models nonviolence, forgiveness, and service even in the face of suffering. Which of these feels most challenging for you right now? Why?
   • Madeleine L’Engle writes about drawing others to Christ through a “lovely light.” What might that look like in your daily life?
6. Applying the Sermon
   • Where in your life this week are you being invited to choose “power with” instead of “power over”?
   • How can we as a church embody a kind of faith that reflects humility, justice, and love—especially in a divided world?

The post Sermon Discussion Guide: Were You There? No Kings (But Jesus) appeared first on Roland Park Presbyterian Church.

Discussion Questions:

1. Seeing and Blindness

• The disciples assume someone must have sinned to cause the man’s blindness. Why do you think we are often quick to assign blame when we see suffering?
• Jesus reframes the situation entirely. How does his response challenge the way you interpret hardship or injustice?

2. The Power of Listening

• Pastor Mark suggests this passage may be more about hearing than seeing. Where in the story do you notice people refusing to listen?
• The sermon says, “There is no better way to love, no greater gift than to listen.” When have you experienced the gift of someone truly listening to you?
• Who in your life or community may not be feeling heard right now?

3. Ignorance vs. Willful Blindness

• Pastor Mark distinguishes between ignorance (not knowing better) and willful blindness (refusing to see). Where do you see each of these at work in the story?
• When have you had a moment of “once I knew better, I could do better”?
• What helps you stay open to growth rather than becoming defensive?

4. Holy Trouble

• The man born blind refuses to deny his experience: “Though I was blind, now I see.” Why does his testimony cause such disruption?
• When does faithfulness require us to speak truth, even when it creates discomfort?
• How might following Jesus lead us into “holy trouble” in our own context?

5. Seeing God’s Glory in One Another

• Jesus says the man’s life reveals God’s works. How might we see God’s glory revealed in people whose gifts or abilities fall outside what society considers “normal”?
• Do we celebrate the unique gifts of those in our midst? How can we do this more intentionally?

6. Responding to a Hurting World

• The sermon names real suffering in our world — injustice, exclusion, environmental distress. How do you respond emotionally when confronted with overwhelming need?
• Pastor Mark reminds us: “You can’t solve the world’s problems. But you do have something to offer.” What might that “something” be for you this week?

7. Living the Light

• If Jesus is the Light of the World, what does it mean for us to reflect that light?
• What is one concrete way you can practice deeper listening this week — at home, at work, in church, or in the wider community?

The post Sermon Discussion Guide: The Light of the World appeared first on Roland Park Presbyterian Church.

We continue with our Advent sermon series on the Voices of Advent, using the book by the same name by Matthew Skinner.

I am going a little rogue this morning. The voice that we are listening to is that of Zechariah. And in Dr. Skinner’s book, he talks primarily about the song that Zechariah sings. But I’m choosing today instead to focus on what came before the song, because I think that that is instructive for us in this Advent season. So we will be reading a portion of Zechariah’s story from the Gospel according to Luke.

And one of the things that I want us to pay attention to, to notice, is the way that the Bible comments on itself.

In this story of Zechariah and his wife, we are going to hear echoes of another familiar story from Genesis. So I’ll just leave that with you so that you listen carefully for that reference.

Let us listen for God’s Word to us today from:  

Luke 1:5-23 

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. 

Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.” 

Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he returned to his home.

For the Word of God in scripture,
For the Word of God among us,
For the Word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.

***

“When I decided to speak, I had a lot to say and in which to say what I had to say.”

These are the words of Maya Angelou in her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. For five whole years as a child, Maya didn’t speak a word. It all started when she was seven. Her mother’s boyfriend—he was arrested, but they released him after only four days. And shortly thereafter, he turned up dead. It was believed that Maya’s uncles were responsible.

“I thought I had caused the man’s death,” she writes, “because I had spoken his name. That was my seven-and-a-half-year-old logic. So I stopped talking for five years.”

Later she writes, “Now, to show you how out of evil there can come good—in those five years I read every book in the Black school library. Out of this evil, which is a dire kind of evil in my case, I was saved by my muteness. I was able to draw from human thought, human disappointments, enough to triumph myself.”

Now, unlike Angelou’s muteness, Zechariah’s inability to speak is not voluntary.

Having been told by an angel that his wife Elizabeth will have a son who is great in the sight of the Lord, Zechariah finds it hard to believe. His doubts have less to do with the abilities of the Almighty and more to do with the fact that, like Abraham and Sarah before them, they’re just past that point in their life.

The angel doesn’t seem to take kindly to Zechariah’s questioning and so strikes him mute until the child is born.

Now as I mentioned, in his book Voices of Advent, Skinner identifies Zechariah as one of the biblical voices of Advent—not for his muteness, but for the song that he sings upon his son’s birth. A song which heralds a Savior—not his son John, but Mary’s child, Jesus.

Skinner writes: “Zechariah shows his awareness of the larger story that is moving forward here. It’s a story about a God who keeps showing up to redeem and deliver.”

It’s fair to wonder whether Zechariah being struck mute is punishment—or something else.

One of my seminary professors, Robert Dykstra, gestures toward some possibilities when he writes:

“Maybe Zechariah’s silence was not so much an imposition of God’s judgment, but of God’s severe mercy. A poignant pause in the cynicism and tragedy and traumas of this world, in which gestates our prayer of wonder and thanksgiving and gratitude in the miracle of new birth.

A son named John.
A son named Jesus.
A redemption, and refreshment, and restoration of hope and life.
A severe mercy.
A healing silence.”

But of course, not all silences are healing.

Psychologist Michelle Leno writes, “In our fast-paced, hyper-connected world, silence can feel unnatural. Whether we’re scrolling through social media or engaged in a conversation, we’re used to constant stimulation. Quiet moments interrupt the rhythm, leaving us face to face with our thoughts—and sometimes, that’s the last place we want to be.”

It’s true, though. Some silences can be quite disturbing.

The silence of the home after a loved one dies, for example. Or that of an empty home after a divorce, or a child goes off to college.

In fact, many of us prefer white noise to drown out the silence—because of all the silence might say to us.

In her book When God Is Silent, Barbara Brown Taylor writes:

“Many words—silence affects people who are no longer affected by sound. Plenty of us who are defended against sound have no defense against silence.”

But Zechariah’s silence isn’t just a personal crisis. Lest we forget, Zechariah is a priest. It is literally his job to speak for God.

His silence could lead to a crisis of faith in the community. Is God angry at the people? Why is God giving them the silent treatment? What might the silence be saying?

French philosopher Max Picard says that “silence is the central place of faith—where we give the word back to the God from whom we first received it. Surrendering the word, we surrender the medium of our creation. We unsay ourselves, voluntarily returning to the source of our being, where we must trust God to say us once again.”

And so it just may be that of all the voices that we hear during Advent, silence says the most.

It lays us utterly bare before God and one another. It reveals our fears and insecurities and sends us inward to reflect and repair.

Michelle Leno writes: “While silence may be uncomfortable, it doesn’t have to be negative. In fact, those quiet pauses can offer valuable opportunities—if we’re willing to embrace them.”

When Zechariah finally spoke again, he had many things to say and many ways in which to say them.

In his first words, a song of peace and blessing, proclaiming God’s love for the whole world.

Friends, as we sit at this table today, let us embrace the opportunity to quiet our hearts and minds so that we may hear what God is saying to us.

The song that is welling up inside of each and every one of us.

The song of a Savior’s love.
A song about a God who keeps showing up to redeem and deliver.
A song of a world made new.

Amen.

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