Do not worry C of E

 Deuteronomy 7:7-13

Moses knows full well and so do we that the Israelites can be stiff necked and rebellious, witness their behaviour in the wilderness or at the foot of mount Sinai. Now they are established in Egypt, Moses, is exhorting them to obey God’s commandments and statutes especially those concerning the worship, or I should say the prohibition to worship, foreign gods and idols. As I say they have form on this one. Moses has just reminded them that they are a Holy people to the Lord God and that they have been chosen to be a special people above all the people on the earth. He then explains that this is an outpouring of God’s grace, there was nothing to commend them at all. They were an inconsiderable number when brought out of Egypt and even now settled as they are they are the fewest of all the peoples. [Hittites, Girgashites, Ammonites, Cananites, Perezites are all more numerous.] God chose to love them but not for their merits. God is not earthly, where the greatness of our kings is measured by the numbers of their peoples. He loved them because he would love them. I have mentioned before that Peter Schaeffer’s play Amadeus opens with Salieri looking at a picture, he tells us it is of an Old Testament God, the sort of God you could bargain with. There is a hint of this at the end of Moses’ speech “If you heed these ordinances … he will love you, bless you and multiply you, the fruit of your ground, grain, wine,oil, cattle and flock” which sounds like a good deal doesn’t it. I think that considering it as a bargain though must I think to misread Moses' intent.

Rather he seems to be saying “Look without you deserving anything, God chose to love you and remember that a fruit of that love was the oath he swore to your ancestors so recently exemplified by bringing you out of Egypt. This love moreover is steadfast, returned to you who love HIM to the thousandth generation. 

Actually it seems we already have the gifts of grain, wine, oil, cattle and flock not to mention much else besides all of which are the fruits of his love for us.

So please can we take this on board? I have from time to time commented that in these recent  times the Church of England has become an anxious place; our leaders worry about the size of the declared membership (prepare for probable rending of garments following the census), they worry about balancing their budgets (see the clergy pay freeze and the call for bishops to be paid less) they worry about our buildings (committee after committee in a constant state of review) they worry  about how many clergy there are (see our own diocesan deployment review). Where is Moses in all this? Where is the simple faith “God loves you, he loves his church  - obey the statutes, stick to the great commission and God will bless and multiply you.?

So please do not worry, C of E, do not be disheartened, hear the promises of God which he made down to the thousandth generation. 

Amen