This week's podcast is less "teaching" and more "interactive and prayerful listening." Instead of pointing out all of the minute details of our passage and instead of reaching a point of application, Josh leads a form of "lectio divina." Our text for this week is the beginning portion of Exodus 6, where God speaks to Moses (again), this time after his failed attempt to request Pharaoh's release of the Israelite people. In our Sunday service, there was a time of silent reflection after each reading of Exodus 6:1-12. We would encourage you to pause the recording and engage in the reading, seeking to hear through the ears of Moses, the Israelites, and the heart of God.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 19 March 2017

In this week's teaching, Josh explores the main themes of Exodus 5 with the help of some prompts from Walter Brueggemann's exquisite commentary. These themes are categorized as: the church and politics, the church and consumerism/busyness, the church and the (comfortable) middle, the church and impatience/lack of faith/unbelief, and the church and Jesus.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 12 March 2017

Small Group Study Questions

(1)Josh argued that Yahweh's demand that the people go out and worship him in the wilderness was (among other things) a highly political demand. How so?

(2) Brueggemann writes, "Given the identification of Yahweh with the slaves, it follows that biblical faith is inevitably concerned with political questions, with an inescapable tilt not only toward justice, but also toward liberation." What do you think about the claim that "biblical faith is inevitably concerned with political questions? What do you think the relationship should be between the church and politics?

(3) Pharaoh denies Moses' and Aaron's request and then counters with an increased workload for the Israelite slaves. Brueggemann observes that part of the rationale could be Pharaoh's acknowledgment that "Productivity numbs attention to the voice of new possibility." How does this work out in Exodus? How does this work out in our context? (You could talk a bit about consumerism in our culture.)

(4)Josh mentioned an article by Eugene Peterson on the "busyness" of pastors. Peterson says, "[T]he word busy is the symptom not of commitment but of betrayal. It is not devotion but defection." Do you think busyness is betrayal/defection or is it honorable?

(5)In Exod 5:10-14, the (Egyptian) slave drivers beat the (Hebrew) foremen/overseers for not making the quota of bricks. These overseers functioned as something of middle men between the Egyptian hierarchy and the Hebrew people. Brueggemann draws a brilliant comparison with us, claiming that we are often “cast in our society precisely as those ‘in the middle’ of such abusive arrangements. Few among us are as powerful or as brutal as Pharaoh… Many more of us are positioned where we notice and care, where we can protest injustice, but only at risk." Is he right? What should we do?

(6) After Moses hears from the overseers, he immediately blames God for the lack of results. He says, "You have not rescued your people at all." Can you relate? Does it seem (or has it seemed) like God is not holding up his end of the bargain?

First, it should be noted that we had some technical difficulties with our computer on Sunday night (as you'll hear), so a little bit of fancy editing was necessary to make this "listenable." And what a week it was for some technical difficulties! This is the passage where God was on the verge of killing someone (probably Moses, though we aren't 100% sure), while he was on the way to Egypt. In response, Zipporah (Moses' wife)circumcises Gershom (their son) and then rubs the foreskin on Moses’ "feet" (which may actually be a euphemism for his genitalia). Totally normal. Josh does his best to walk us through some of the difficulties.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 5 March 2017

In this week's teaching, Josh tries to tackle both the nerdy and the practical issues emerging from the extended dialogue between Moses and God at the burning bush.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 26 February 2017

Small Group Questions:

(1) What were Moses' five objections to God's call? Can you relate to his sense of self-doubt/unwillingness?

(2) Walter Brueggemann explains the divine revelation (Exodus 3:14-15) in this way: “God’s answer is extensive and complicated.… Without pursuing the endless critical opinions about the origin of the formula, it is enough to see that the formula bespeaks power, fidelity, and presence.” Have the divine character traits of "power, fidelity, and presence" manifested in your life? In what ways?

(3) Josh explained the cultural background behind Moses' "magic" (i.e., his staff tricks). A staff turning into a snake in Egypt, for example, may have served to promote the surpassing power of Israel's God over against the Egyptian gods. (A snake was a symbol for Egyptian royal authority.) Terence Fretheim concludes, that this "reveals a God who acts in and through the realities that relate to the context of which people are a part.”

Why is this important?

(4) Commenting on the employment of Aaron, Walter Brueggemann wrote, "Moses wants another sent, and God agrees to send Aaron along with him. Fretheim terms this God’s ‘Plan B,’ after Moses has refused ‘Plan A.’ That is, Moses’ resistance is taken seriously by God, who must adapt.”

What is your first reaction to the thought of God "adapting"? Does it fit in your theological framework or do you feel the need to explain it away?

(5) God adapts, but Moses is still called to speak to Pharaoh. John Goldingay writes, “Moses runs from election by God…. The person who leads had to be dragged into a position of leadership: it is a suggestive idea. There are few volunteers among the leaders of Israel or the leaders of the early church.”

Do you find this a suggestive idea? If there are few volunteers in the early church, is it telling that TRP is looking for nominations/volunteers to help lead the church? (Should we rethink that?)

As we continue our study in the book of Exodus, Josh describes the "deep social conflict and violence" and the character of Moses in 2:11-22. What we find is an escalating struggle between the Hebrews and the Egyptians, and a "home-less" or "identity-less" Moses, who consistently (if not impetuously) advocates for the "weak." We are also provided a snapshot of the plight of the "Israelites," and the beginning of God's response.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 12 February 2017

Small Group Study Questions:

(1a) Walter Brueggemann claims, "This material in vv. 11-22 ... forces the narrative of Moses into the arena of deep social conflict, and of violence and brutality that are inescapable in an unjust society.” Have you considered the violence involved in the early chapters of Exodus (particularly in the reign of the king(s) of Egypt)? Would you ever teach your kids (or someone else's kids) about these stories? How?

(1b)Can you describe the "deep social conflict" that occurs in Exodus between the Hebrew people and the Egyptians? Are there resonances with some of the deep social conflicts in our context?

(2)Have you thought about the age of Moses at various points in his life? Do you think it is "too convenient" that Stephen says he is 40 during this narrative, and Exodus claims he is 80 when he goes to meet Pharaoh, and then later, he is 120 at the time of his death? Does your view of the Bible necessitate that these numbers are "accurate"?

(3)Does it trouble you that Moses kills the Egyptian slave master? What do you do with it?

(4)Moses and Zipporah name their son, "Gershom." What does this mean and why is it significant?

(5) Have you noticed that the cries of the Israelites in vv. 23 are not directed to anyone in particular? If Moses is 40 years old when he goes out to his people and 80 when he finally appears before Pharaoh ... why has God waited so long to "hear, remember, look, and know"? (What does Genesis 15:13-16 have to do with anything?)

This week in our study on Exodus, we focus on the birth of Moses. Interestingly, the story is less about Moses, and more about the women in his life, who defy the edict of the empire (in their own unique ways) and collectively fight for his life. As Cheryl Exum notes, in the opening chapter of Exodus, "the courage of women is the beginning of liberation." Josh attempts to weave these themes together, while also challenging us to become allies with unlikely people for the sake of the Gospel.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 5 February 2017

Small Group Questions

(1) Josh opened the sermon by talking about good and bad storytelling (apologies to his Dad). Have you ever thought about the Bible as literature or do your other categories (e.g., the Bible as the "Word of God," the Bible as "inspired," the Bible as "infallible") steer you away from focusing on the story itself? Other than the opening chapters of Exodus, do you have any examples of great storytelling in the Bible?

(2) After listening to the sermon, what strikes you the most about the storytelling surrounding (and including) the birth of Moses?

(3) Josh highlighted the connections with Genesis in Exodus 2, most notably, the language describing Moses as a "fine/good child" (and a similar phrase in Genesis 1 referring to God's creative activity) and the construction of an "ark" for Moses. Do you find it frustrating that these connections are not easier to see on your own? Does it encourage you when you hear about them or is it depressing? How much work do you think *should go into reading the Bible?

(4) It is always dangerous to "psychologize" the text (that means to read in emotions or thoughts that are not stated in the text), but let's do it anyway. :) Put yourself in Moses' mom's place. What do you imagine was going on in her mind as she prepared Moses' "ark" and as she floated him down the river? What about Pharaoh's daughter?

(5) Josh talked about the unlikely nature of the relationship between Moses' (very Hebrew) mother and sister and Pharaoh's (very Egyptian) daughter. One scholar said that they defied their societal roles to become allies for the sake of Moses' life. Who are we, as TRP or as the larger Church, "allies" with? For what purposes? Who *should we become allies with? How could our "unlikely" partnerships speak a better word to the surrounding community for the sake of Jesus?

In this week's teaching, Josh discusses the arrival of a new king in Egypt and his fear-based policies that were meant to protect his own empire. In contrast to this, the text also introduces Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives, who are fearful of something altogether more powerful.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 29 January 2017

Small Group Study Questions:

(1) Most scholars view the finalized form of the Pentateuch as a product of the exilic period in the 6th century (read: a long time after Moses). Have you ever wondered about how the Bible "became the Bible"? Does it trouble you that so many people played a role in it becoming what it is?

(2) Josh mentioned that Exodus is best read as a "theological history." Do you read the Bible as a straightforward retelling of "historical facts"? Or do you allow for some authorial "shaping" in these stories? (Another way to put this is, would you be troubled if the exodus story did not happen in exactly the way that it is framed in Exodus?)

(3) What do you think the purpose of "the king of Egypt" being unnamed in vv. 8-22 is? Have you ever noticed that he does not have a name in the OT? And does it up the ante that the midwives are named?

(4) Josh argued that the "Hebrew" people in this text are often viewed as an out group of marginalized people. Who are the "out groups" in our context who need an advocate and how can we accomplish this?

(5) In this story, the king is motivated by fear (of success, of empire building, of status) and the midwives are motivated by their fear of God. Who or what do we fear? And how does this affect our actions (or non-actions)?

In this week's introduction to the book of Exodus, Josh explores the necessity of setting the proper context of a biblical book. For Exodus, that means looking back to Genesis. Josh also touches on the "use" of Exodus in the later OT period and for the NT authors, which helps us to see potential connections for us, here and now.

the restoration project. Joshua James. 22 January 2017

*Note: The computer was being dumb on Sunday night, so I chose to make a few edits near the beginning to make the sermon more listenable. This is one reason why you need to be with us on Sunday nights. You miss all of the awkward fun. I believe at one point, Josh said, "I'll give you a topic to discuss ... Moses, good guy? Discuss."

Josh gives a call to action that can be boiled down to this: we need you. Listen in and join us!

the restoration project. Joshua James. 1 January 2017

In this final week of Advent, Josh talks about the ancient Near Eastern context of Isaiah 7:14 (the text about the virgin birth). We usually read this passage only in light of the book of Matthew, but it's important to understand what was going on the 8th century BC to see how Jesus truly becomes "God with us."

the restoration project. Joshua James. 18 December 2016