Out of the Melting Pot

Out of the Melting Pot

Between the Waters: Part 4
October 5, 2025

Exodus 32:1-10

The people saw that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain. They gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come on! Make us gods who can lead us. As for this man Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t have a clue what has happened to him.”

Aaron said to them, “All right, take out the gold rings from the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So, all the people took out the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He collected them and tied them up in a cloth. Then he made a metal image of a bull calf, and the people declared, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

 ~ Exodus 32:1-4 (CEB)

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What are we willing to give up for a sense of security?

Moses had been on the mountain for quite some time, amid the fire and smoke, and the people panicked.

If Moses didn’t return, or if this God who led them through the Red Sea changed his mind, they were in trouble.  So, they cried out, “Make us gods who can lead us.”  They couldn’t turn back to the gods of Egypt, and they barely knew this new God who only goes by “I AM.”  They wanted protection and security on their terms.

We like to think we only have one God, but the truth is that we have as many, if not more, gods today than they did in the Ancient Near East.  They don’t have names like Baal, El, or Astarte, but we still make tremendous sacrifices upon their altars.  We bow to the gods of money, technology, sports, entertainment, fame, political power, image & appearance, relationships, national security, guns, comfort, news media, and the list goes on. 

Howard Snyder offers a few questions to help us examen what might be serving as an idol in our own lives:

1. How much time, devotion & unquestioned loyalty do I give this “diversion”?

2. Am I willing to question or evaluate my loyalty?

3. What public symbols or displays show my devotion (social media, clothing, flags etc.)?

4. How does the time, money and energy I spend compare to the intensity of attention to God?

5. How does it affect my values, attitudes and behavior toward others?

The people of Israel poured all their gold into the melting pot, and as Aaron said, “out came this bull calf,” as if by magic (Exodus 32:24).  That’s the thing about idols: they consume everything we have.  They shift our priorities and our core values.  They capture our constant attention.  They keep us fixated on them above all else. 

We are out of control, and we are literally killing ourselves and each other at the whims of our idols.  These idols are merely tools of the rich and powerful, keeping us enslaved. 

They cannot save us. They do not bring freedom; they blind us to what is good and true.

Lord, have mercy. Set us free.

What is one idol in my life that keeps me from God’s freedom?

Humble Thyself

THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE - PART 5

Forgive
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Luke 9:35, 18:18-30

Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”

Luke 18:26-27

We can read this challenging parable about the rich man forward or backward, but no matter where we start, we come to the same question and the same answer.

Question: “Who can be saved?”

Answer: “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”

If only we could just leave it there.

Reading the passage forward we begin with a rich man essentially asking this question, “Who can be saved?” or more specifically, “What must I do to be saved, or to obtain eternal life?”

He walks away disappointed when he learns that he must give up all of his worldly possessions. When given a choice between the Kingdom of Heaven or “the treasure buried in the field” (Matthew 13:44) or the treasure he had already obtained, he chose the one he had already earned for himself.

The first point to notice is that Jesus doesn’t soften the deal. He doesn’t try to bargain for less just to get the man to show up for church on Sunday. He doesn’t sugar-coat the cost of discipleship. Instead, Jesus sadly lets the man walk way.

The people of Jesus’ day assumed that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing and to learn that such wealth and blessing did not guarantee this man a first class ticket to eternity came as a great shock. “Who then can be saved” if not someone who has been so richly blessed?

As much as we want to question Jesus for demanding too much or perhaps to judge the rich man for making such a horrible choice, notice we are not told about this man’s eternal destiny. Jesus still gives us hope. “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”

We don’t know the rest of this man’s story. Jesus may have only planted a seed that came to bear fruit much later in his life, or perhaps death did come like a thief in the night and take every last penny. The truth is we just don’t know.

What we do know is that no matter how wealthy or blessed this man may have been, it was not possible for him to earn his way to heaven.

But now let’s read the story backwards. The disciples are a bit worried about their own reward. “Look Jesus, we left everything to follow you”, they cried. “What about us?”

Jesus assures them that their sacrifice will be rewarded in eternity, but their eternal life does not come because of their sacrifice anymore than the rich man could earn eternal life through his wealth. It’s still impossible for humans… all humans… rich or poor… selfish or sacrificial… sinner or saint…. It’s still impossible…

Only what is impossible for humans is possible for God.

This is our hope. This is the hope of the rich man. This is the hope of the world.

So perhaps before we presume upon someone’s eternal destiny, including our own, we would be wise to remember… anything is possible with God. There is always hope for salvation, even for those who seem to have no hope. Thanks be to God!

Click here to listen to entire sermon series - “THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE”