Be Aaron or Hur Today!

I grew up on Bible stories… My mom didn’t just read the stories, she brought them to life.  As mom told stories, we could imagine David on the field of battle against the giant Goliath, a very pregnant Mary sitting on a donkey, and Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.  When she told the story of Noah and the Ark, we could practically hear the sounds of the animals and the creaking of the boat as the flood waters rose.  She would have loved our sermon series based on Benaiah, who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day.  Mom would have made all those details come alive so that we would quake with fear.  Those stories told at bedtime have stayed with me all these years, continuing to teach my mind and heart.

One of my favorites is the story of Moses, Aaron and Hur at Rephidim. (Exodus 18:8-16) That day, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the desert.  Lest you think this was a fair fight, know that the Amalekites had one of the strongest armies in that region, and the Israelites were a wandering band of newly freed slaves.  To make the scales even more unbalanced, those Israelites were travelling with unarmed women and children and all their worldly belongings.  They were just learning how to find food in the desert and were little prepared to face one of the fiercest armies of that day.  But there was no way to avoid the battle, so Joshua picked some of their best men and went to meet the Amalekites on the field of battle, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  Moses began to pray… not just your garden variety prayer.  Instead, imagine Moses as the conduit of power from heaven to earth.  As long as Moses held up his hands in prayer the Israelites were winning by the power of God.  But when Moses grew tired, his hands fell to his side and the Amalekites began to win.  Aaron and Hur gave Moses a rock to sit on and then stood on either side of Moses to hold up his arms.  That team work on the hilltop, combined with the brave work of the men on the field, brought victory to Israel that day.  My mom always said that we needed to be like Aaron and Hur, holding each other up through life.

This past week, I received an Aaron & Hur-style gift.  It came in the form of a basked full of cards, each with a kind word of support.  I have been reading a few every day, allowing your gift to lift me up again and again.  Lest you think that I am equating myself with Moses, I would never be so bold.  But I know an Aaron and a Hur when I see them.  Our faith community is full of Aarons and Hurs!  And I am not the only one who has been so blessed!

On Sunday, I visited our mission team in Souderton as they gutted a house to the studs and bare brick.  In time, this house will become apartments to house staff for Worth While Wear, a mission agency that rescues women from human trafficking.  The founder and Director of WWW was at the house when I arrived.  Seeing all those volunteers working on the house put a smile on Dan Emr’s face.  I could imagine our team standing side by side with Dan, holding up his hands.  On Saturday, a team of 20 from Lenape Valley did work at Cornerstone Christian Academy… gardening, carpentry, cleaning, painting… a simple few hours of work.  Today I received an email from one of Cornerstone’s staff members saying how Saturday encouraged her tired spirit.  Again, I could imagine our LVC folks standing side by side with Cornerstone teachers, holding up their hands.

Over the next two weeks, members of our faith community will partner with missions around our area and even in Tennessee.  We will feed the hungry and care for women recovering from addiction.  We will give a good hot breakfast to people waiting for a life-saving transplant and pack bags for children living in poverty.  We will send Christmas boxes to children in third-world countries, make meals for those who are homebound, and bless the pet population with food.  We will care for homeless women veterans and build a house for one of our own in need.  First Responders will be appreciated, and college students will receive a little love from home.  And those who live unnoticed in nursing homes will be blessed with Christmas cards sent with love.  It takes only a little bit of time and energy to be an Aaron or a Hur for someone in need.  And each time we do, we bless God’s people and good wins over the brokenness of this world.  I am so thankful to be a part of a faith community that choses to be the mission of Jesus Christ to the world God so loves.

I have only two questions as I finish this letter: will you be an Aaron or a Hur?  Whose hands will you lift up as you serve?

With you on the mission field,
 
Anita