Week 5: The Gods We Make

Scripture Passage	Exodus 32:1-14
Focus Statement	Sometimes we allow things in our lives to become more important to us than God, distract us from God, and even come between us and God. These are the gods we make.
ME	Tell a story about something that prevents you from fully focusing on God – this can be something in the past or an ongoing struggle (for example, focusing on productivity over worship, wealth, physical appearance, prestige at work, even becoming preoccupied with meeting others’ needs/demands).
WE	At times, we all find ourselves being pulled in many directions. We may not feel God’s presence and we become focused on the things in our daily lives, things we think will fulfil us and deserves all our attention. This happens to us individually and as communities. Name some of the social sins that your community and the world struggle with – racism, greed, allowing people to live in poverty, etc.
GOD	People are frustrated with Moses for being absent on Mount Sinai for so long. Moses had been their God-appointed leader and his absence felt like God’s absence to them. So, they turned to their most prized possessions – golden jewelry -- and created an image of a calf from it. They said this golden calf was the god who had led them out of Egypt. God responded with burning, all-consuming anger. Though we may not like to think of God as angry, God’s reaction to the people’s idolatry demonstrates how God cares about them. God is not removed or distant, as they might feel; rather, God is in a living relationship with them. God wants them, and also wants us, to be active partners in this relationship. Moses pleads with God to demonstrate grace and reminds God of the promises made to the Israelites’ ancestors that they might be a great people. The text says the Lord “changed his mind”. Even though God is not indifferent to our sins, God always remains true to God’s promises and character. Even when we go so far as to create other gods for ourselves, God is always faithful to us and calls us back in grace. We too can “change our minds.” Moses mediated between God and the people. We, too, have been sent a mediator, Jesus the Christ, who shows us the character of God in human life. When we stray and find ourselves worshipping gods that seem closer, we can look to Jesus as God’s eternal promise to forgive our sins and call us back to Godself.
YOU	Consider what you spend most of your time doing, thinking about and talking about. What is at the center of your life? Sin is anything that draws us away from God. Let us not allow the sin of idol worship to draw us away from God. Rather, let us embrace God’s grace that causes us to change our minds and our lives.
WE	Is there something your church has become preoccupied with because it seems closer and more tangible than God? Having a perfect building, sticking to a familiar set of worship music, being a “certain kind” of church? This is a moment to honestly challenge the congregation, with gentleness and grace, to remember that none of those things are God. Challenge them to boldly center God in their lives, even when they do not feel God’s presence and even to be a Moses for others – a witness to the character of God, one who prays on behalf of others, and works to bring people closer to God.