GOD INVITES US TO REMEMBER

A Worship Reflection from Pastor Megan Torgerson

Yesterday, you heard a Biblical text with a lot of instructions that might not have made a lot of sense at first. When we read Exodus 12:1-13 and 13:3-8, we realize two things. First, that we’re not sure how we got here from last week. Second, that God seems really concerned with how people cook their food.

To the first point, this is one of only two stories about Moses that we’ll read this fall. Moses holds one of the most important places in all of scripture, Old or New Testament. He leads God’s people out of slavery, gives them God’s laws, and brings them to the land God promised them. Moses comes hundreds of years after Joseph, when the Israelites have lived in Egypt many generations and been enslaved by the Egyptians. Sunday’s reading happens on the eve of their release from slavery.

To the second point, it’s not so much that God wants to micromanage how the people cook. Instead, God wants the people to remember this night. God wants them to relive it every year, remembering how they had to move quickly, take nothing, escaping just ahead of an oppressive regime that would rather see them dead than free. They couldn’t even eat leavened bread because it would take too long to rise. Every year, they will smell, taste, touch, hear, and see exactly what God did for them.

When God invites us to remember, God doesn’t mean we should just think about something. God means we should remember with all of ourselves. We worship, pray, study, give, and serve to remember who God is and what God continues to do. You don’t pray to feel better about yourself – you pray because prayer connects you to God and helps you remember God’s will. You don’t give financially to brag about your wealth – you give because your generosity helps you remember God’s generous care for you. These faith practices aren’t ideas or theories. They’re acts of remembrance, keeping us close to God and connected to God’s work.

This week, I hope you’ll pick one faith practice – maybe it’s giving, prayer, worship, service, or something else – and focus in on it. How can you integrate it fully and meaningfully into your life? How will you develop the practice into a powerful faith habit? What will you remember about God as you do this good work?

Let us pray:
I remember the good you have done, God, both for me and for your people throughout history. Today, I dedicate my time and work to you. Help me as I practice what you mean to me today and every day, just as Jesus calls me to do, for I pray in his name. Amen.