The march through the Book of Exodus begins in slavery, in fracture, and concludes with a celebration of what unique individuals can construct when united in noble purpose. View the study sheet here. Watch the recording here.
A long time ago I read a book about the imbalance that exists in our civic lives between how much we value our rights and how much we value our responsibilities. Our nation was founded on both. Citizens created communities through compacts and covenants. Some were express and written; others were implicit and brought to life by neighborly mutual interdependence. Eventually, the articulation of specific individual rights was seen as necessary to ensure adoption of a federal constitution.
We have lived this way as a nation for over two hundred forty years. Sometimes emphasizing our collective enterprise and engaging in the compromises necessary to advance it. Other times we have highlighted the rights with which we are each endowed and which enable us to pursue our individual aspirations. Where do you think we are today?
This week we come to the close of the Book of Exodus. It is a dramatic tale of both liberation and covenant. The notion of an individual apart from a family, a tribe, a nation did not exist as it does today. Yet written deep into the story is a profoundly provocative message about individual and community. Join us here at 7:00 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, March 11 as we explore uniqueness and union.
