As of the Sunday just gone, we are back in the book of Exodus!
Last year we journeyed through Exodus chapters 1-14, seeing God as the Great Redeemer.
We saw the the Israelites in slavery in Egypt (chapter 1-2). They trusted God, but their situation seemed to just get worse. Then God introduced himself to Israel by his name YHWH – the Lord, the holy and faithful one who keeps his promises (chapter 3). God acted through the first 9 plagues, landing blow after blow was on Pharaoh their oppressor, but still Pharaoh refused to listen, refused to let God be God and let the people go. And so there came the final plague – the death of every first born of Egypt, leading to the Great Redemption of the Israelites out of slavery, opening the way for them to be saved and protected through the blood of a lamb, giving them a new identity as his people.
Pharaoh sent the Israelites away – only to change his mind and start pursuing them again, trapping them between his great army with its chariots, and a large body of water. Things seemed hopeless, but again God made a way – he sent a strong East wind to open a path through the sea, and the Israelites crossed over, but when Pharaoh and his army tried to cross, the sea closed in on them and wiped them out.
On Sunday we heard the song of redemption that celebrated God’s salvation of his people (chapter 15:1-21), and now we move with the Israelites into the beginning of their new lives – as a people redeemed. That is why we are calling our little series leading up to Christmas Life Redeemed.
We’d love to have you with us as we consider together some of what it means to live in light of a story of redemption.
