Tuesday, October 7, 2014
When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. Exodus 2:3 NRSV
"Well, if that were my child..."
You've heard folk say it, either with a sense of moral superiority, or in other cases with a sense of compassion, albeit detached from action. It wrongly assumes, however, that children are not the care and responsibility of us all.
Interestingly enough, the care of the babe Moses, the cunningness of his mother and sister, and even the fate of God's saving activity for the world, all hinge on the Pharaoh's daughter's ability to see within this foreign child her own human connectedness. She took pity on this child, just as Jesus took pity showing compassionate action in the lives of those he encountered.
How we see the foreign child matters. In them we see ourselves, our future, and even God's salvific activity in the world. "If that were my child..." might transform into compassionate, and even joyful acclamations of "that's my child!"
Grant us eyes to see and ears to hear, a heart to love and hands to serve with compassionate action. Adopted by your spirit, we embrace our Oneness with you and all your children. Amen.
Rev. Kenneth Hardway
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Wheeling, West Virginia
Associate Regional Minister for Youth and Young Adults, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia.
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