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No Snakes, Please
Moses said to God, “Suppose the people don’t believe me?” God said, “Take the staff in your hand, and throw it on the ground.” So Moses threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses recoiled. Then God instructed, “Reach out and seize the snake by its tail.” Moses grabbed it, and the snake became a staff again. (Exodus 4:1-4, adapted)
I would’ve walked away from God’s calling the moment that staff turned into a snake.
Nope, no, no thank you, not happening, hard pass. I’m out, God. No snake signs for me.
I’d prefer a purring cat sign. A windy whisper through the trees sign. An open window, closed door sign.
Maybe there’s no heavenly reason for God to exclude snakes from the potential list of divine signs, but to my mind, there’s no earthly reason for them to be included, either. Plenty of other options!
Jesus was often troubled by people’s preoccupation with signs: The false prophets who made a showy spectacle of signs. The disciples who anxiously asked how to recognize the right signs. The crowds that followed him for the thrill of gawking at signs. The doubters who demanded on-the-spot performative signs.
They all wanted signs to be answers. Undeniable answers. Preferably, undeniable answers they already knew.
Instead, Jesus pointed to signs that raised questions. Signs that challenged assumptions. Signs that interrupted routines.
Like a snake on the ground, stopping you in your tracks.
Like a loud clap of thunder, overwhelming you with awe.
Like the return of sunshine after a storm, revealing plainly the damage all around you.
The question is not whether we recognize a divine sign, but whether we accept its divine interruption.
Prayer: Grant me a receptive spirit, O God.
cross-posted with the UCC Daily Devotional
Executive Power
Jacob dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And [God] said, “The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring, and all the earth shall be blessed in you.” – Genesis 28:12-14 excerpted (NRSV)
Chosenness is a powerful drug. That special status of being picked out from all the others. That inner pride of being selected, set apart, anointed, elevated. That glow of an exclusive title alongside your name, or a bonus in your paycheck, or a blessing to pave your way forward.
Chosenness-by-election can convince a leader’s ego that every word they utter is gospel truth, every insight is unassailable. Chosenness-by-public-acclaim can persuade an influencer’s vanity that their talent is singular and self-made.
Even (especially) chosenness-by-God can deliver a heavy dose of self-righteousness that topples the ego under the weight of perceived exceptionality. A divine dream, a holy voice, a cascade of angels, a mystical omen—and suddenly no one on earth can tell you otherwise. Your anointing is exempt from critique.
Like Jacob, after his dream of God’s blessing, operating as though all the world is his to own and manage: from the shepherdess Rachel and her sheep at the well, to her sister and their maids, from all the strongest breeders in his uncle’s flocks, to his brother’s full forgiveness (without Jacob conceding an inch of inheritance) …
… until a second holy encounter redefines Jacob’s understanding of his chosenness. A divine wrestling match revises the divine right that Jacob thought was untouchable. God puts Jacob’s ego in its place by renaming Jacob according to his struggles, not his ambitions. His sacred dependence, not his sacrosanct autonomy.
God prescribes a new purpose for Jacob, as only the One with truly executive authority can.
Prayer: Let me not weigh down your crown of life with the jewels of my pride, O Holy One. Let me not be so slick with your anointing that I cannot receive another’s insight and companionship.
cross-posted with the UCC Daily Devotional
One More Thing
Finally, siblings, farewell. Be restored; listen to my appeal; agree with one another; live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and...
Where We Will Be
Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O river, that you turn back? O mountains, that you skip like rams? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Almighty, who melts rocks into water. - Psalm 114:5-8 (adapted) Of the many wonders of Artemis II’s mission, one was its...
Everywhere a Sign
“God spoke to King Ahaz, saying, ‘Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.’ When Ahaz refused, God said, ‘Then I myself will choose the sign: See this young woman who is pregnant? By the time her child is old enough to know right...
Deep Wells
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1, NRSV) My childhood home in rural Pennsylvania had a mountain spring as its sole water source when I was growing...
Finding Home
O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right; who do not slander with their tongue, and stand by their oath. Those who do these things shall never be moved. - Psalm 15, excerpts (NRSV) I made a...
Naked Rocks and Other Good News
Look to the rock from which you were hewn. Look to Abraham, who was one but I made him many. Look to Sarah, who was thirsty but I made her an oasis. Before you cower in fear of others’ disappointment, before you hang your head in doubt, look to the moths that will...
Telling Time
Is it time to pray again? Is it time to march again? Is it once again time to grieve, time to rage, time to resist? Is it ever not? So long as we have breath, it is time. Not because there is a cause. Not because there is a moment. Not because it's never been like...
My Deliverer Is Coming
The angel of the Lord appeared to the [wife of Manoah] and said to her, “You shall conceive and bear a son. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” - Judges 13:3-5, excerpted (NRSV) We all long for a deliverer, at least once in a...
The Mess of Money
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, saying, “When will the sabbath be over so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit by selling the sweepings of the wheat.” The Lord will turn your feasts into...
