Prophetic Imagination and the Poetry of Exodus

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Scriptures: Exodus 13+14

• Sermon Summary

  Summary
  In the fourth sermon of our series, Reads a Classic, Jeremy looks at Walter Brueggemann

  Empires: Jeremy highlights some of the details of the Exodus story that Brueggemann reveals in his work. Namely, that the God wants so see the Israelites liberated from their oppression and for Pharaoh to find freedom as well. The lack of specificity in the Exodus in the narrative, Brueggemann argues, shows that Egypt is a narrative archetype of empires that play out on repeat throughout history. Brueggemann says that these empires are marked by three distinct characteristics of affluence, amnesia, and numbness.

  Off-ramps: Jeremy points out how God offers Pharaoh multiple opportunities—off-ramps—to choose justice and release the Israelites, but Pharaoh refuses until his grief becomes unbearable. Even then, Pharaoh still clings to control, revealing that what looks like repentance can often be another attempt to maintain power. Breuggemann challenges us to examine how we respond to moments of crisis and whether we’re open to genuine change.

  Self-sabotage: The Israelites, newly freed, believe they are "ready for battle," Jeremy reminds us that their liberation came not by their strength but by divine grace. Their premature self-congratulation mirrors Pharaoh’s control, suggesting that without humility, we risk repeating the same cycles of domination. The story warns us not to mistake momentary freedom for lasting transformation.

  New ways forward: God leads the people not through conflict but through the sea, revealing a nonviolent path to liberation. Brueggemann argues that prophetic imagination allows us to see these alternative ways of being—rooted in trust, creativity, and peace. True freedom is not seizing power but breaking the cycle of power through grace, justice, and the courage to live differently.
  

• Discussion Guide

  Community is shaped by the conversations we share. These questions and reflections are a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.

  Summer Discussion Guide 2025

  If your group is meeting this summer and wants to talk about the sermons, here are a few questions that you could use to engage with our teaching.

  • What specific part of the message resonated with you the most? Why do you think that particular part, or idea, or story caught your attention?

  • Did the sermon speak into a particular struggle or question in your life or your faith journey right now?

  • What did the message challenge or encourage you personally? And what do you think the application could be for our church community? Was there anything that could strengthen or stretch us as a church?

  How did the exposition of the scriptures used in the sermon provide you with a new perspective of deeper understanding?

  It is good to remember that the conversation experience in the group is shaped by the personal stories of those who participate in it and how willing the people are to be open and vulnerable in the group.
  
  So if you’re leading the discussion, feel free to model and encourage person-centred and story-centred sharing by reflecting on how some parts of the sermon resonate with you personally.

  Additionally, what contributes to a more authentic group discussion is when people can share not about the abstract and theoretical applications, but one or two practical things they are taking away from either the sermon or the discussion.

  So, you can end your time together with this question:

  • What is one thing you are taking away from either the sermon or the discussion we’ve just had?

• Service Songs & Prayers

  CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 29

  MUSIC Curated by Rebecca Santos
  Cody Carnes - Firm Foundation
  Brooke Ligertwood - A Thousand Hallelujahs
  Brooke Ligertwood - Desert Song
  Cody Carnes - Gratitude
  
  PRAYER OF CONFESSION
  Written by Jeremy Duncan

  Loving God,
  We come to you together, aware of our brokenness and the ways we've missed the mark.
  As a community, we acknowledge that we have often preferred certainty over curiosity,
  comfort over compassion,
  and conformity over courageous love.
  
  We confess the moments when we've spoken harshly instead of gently,
  judged others instead of listening deeply,
  and guarded our resources instead of sharing generously.
  
  Forgive us for turning away from voices we don't understand, for not welcoming those who differ from us,
  and for allowing fear to dictate our actions instead of faith and hope.
  Open our hearts to humility,
  our minds to learning,
  and our hands to serving.
  
  Teach us again to embrace the beauty of doubt,
  the gift of questions,
  and the grace found in community.
  Restore us, renew us, and guide us toward becoming people marked by genuine love,
  radical welcome,
  and transformative grace.
  In the strong name of risen Christ, we pray
  Amen.
  
  SERIES BUMPER
  Reads A Classic