From Pastor Phil...

There are two pieces of archeology that interest me greatly. One is something that we looked at in Bible class on Thursday morning earlier in the year. This is the Shroud of Turin. I find it fascinating to hear what is said about it, how scholars are figuring out the amount of energy that is required to make it; if my memory is correct, I heard some speak recently about it requires billions of lumens from every three dimensional corner of the person in the shroud's body in order to produce the burns that are there. Other scientists have produced information about how from a photographic standpoint that it appears the man in the shroud is moving. I find it interesting that this video that introduced me to this idea was taken down. Since the man in the shroud is argued about as whether this is Jesus or not, I find the discussion fascinating.

More recently, I've come across a discussion about the Exodus narrative. The question that scholastics have asked for some time is who is Moses? This is a Hebrew name, but who was he in Egyptian? The renaming of people is not uncommon as we hear this occurring when the Babylonian and Persian Empires carried the Children of Israel away. In order to "prove" that the exodus of Israel from Egypt occurred, identifying that Israel was in Egypt becomes important, perhaps mostly from an Egyptian standpoint. The Hyksos are a group of people that became incredibly populous in Egypt and rose to positions of power… think Joseph. Another name for them in Egyptian is Aamu, which is believed to mean Canaanite. After 500 years, they Hyksos are overthrown, and a new dynasty begins. This fits Genesis to Exodus. Move forward to some and there is an Egyptian character named Senenmut (which means mothers-brother) … it's believed the mother could have been the famous Hatshepsut. Peculiarly, Senenmut has two tombs, neither of which are used. Some archeologists are asking, was this the Hebrew/Egyptian who became Moses?

At this point, you might be asking what is Pastor Phil talking about, or perhaps it's just showing off how nerdy I can be, but there is a greater point. Where do we place our faith? Archeology can provide all kind of insights into various things; science can give us windows into the world. Money can provide us some form of temporal security, but where is our faith placed? In the end, archeology is interesting, but it can't save. Science is intriguing, but it does nothing to deal with sin. Money can be helpful, but it stays on this side of the grave. What we are left with at the most basic level is faith.

Hebrews 11 talks a lot about faith. Specifically verse 1 tells us that faith is, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." The writer goes on to speak to great extent of the faith of the heroes of the faith. Every one of them are failures that we can identify with. Every one of them are frail humans that have long since died, but the hope that they had carries them beyond the grave. As they placed their faith in YHWH, they lived with an expectation that informed their lives to what will occur in the future. They lived in the anticipation of the promise of Genesis 3, that sin would be reversed, and all humankind saved. Their faith was in Jesus.

Our faith is the same. There's lots of things that we can watch, listen to, and read, but our faith is ultimately placed securely in Jesus Christ. Through the working of the Holy Spirit in faith, we become the Children of Israel. You and I become the sons and daughters of Abraham. We are the Children of God. In faith, we, with the heroes of the faith and those who have gone before us, lay hold to the work of Jesus rejoicing that He has done everything.

This faith becomes transformative. We most certainly will all make mistakes. We will gossip, we will not love our neighbor, we will exalt ourselves, and the list goes on. The faith given to us by the Holy Spirit in the work of Jesus transforms our lives so that when those things do happen, we recognize them and run to the altar and there find Jesus waiting for us. We run to the grace of the cross and celebrate that we are the Children of God, not because we can prove anything, but because Jesus has done it all.

Material evidence is always a great thing to have, but faith lays hold to that which is unseen. It lays hold to Jesus Christ, and in Him we find our hope, our eternity, our joy.

Your nerdy pastor and brother in Christ,

Pastor Phil