This week we are talking about the defining event in the Old Testament.  The Exodus, the escape of the Hebrews from the Egyptians across the Sea, has been etched into the very DNA of our Hebrew brothers and sisters.  This event is where God freed the people from the bonds of slavery.  It was a very scary event, the Egyptians were closing in.  There was no where to run.  They couldn't fight, they had no room to maneuver and they had their families to protect.  Into this panic Moses told the people "Do not be afraid, stand firm and you will see the deliverance of the Lord will bring you today."  God then tells Moses to get the people going, across the dry sea bed, into darkness.  The people respond and rush forward but they can't see what is ahead.  They go ahead because God is with them.  God never promises that our journeys are going to be easy or not confusing.  What God asks us to do though is to have faith and plunge into the darkness trusting God.  The reason we trust God is because God has promised us that God will lead us out of Darkness to freedom; out of terror to hope; and out of fear into peace.  Has there been a time or is there a time right now where you felt God ask you to follow and you felt confused?  What did it look like or what does that look like now?  Or do you need to ask God today, to help lead you out of darkness to freedom?

This week's text could be something out of the House of Cards episode.  We have moved past Abraham and Sarah this week and are looking at a phase of one of their descendants, Joseph, lives.  It is is the same Joseph who owned a colorful coat.  The same one whose brothers were jealous of him and sold him off to slavery.  This week, Joseph is in trouble again.  He has been wrongly accused of trying to sleep with his master's wife.  The reason that Joseph is in this position today, is because he said "No".  A righteous "No" that stares in the face of power, of greed, and of personal gain.  This "No" is going to get Joseph thrown in prison.  Ultimately this event leads to Joseph saving thousands of people by serving Pharaoh.  The question to be to ask yourself today, is have you seen somebody, including yourself, say this kind of righteous "No" before.  What were the consequences of doing this?  Is there some place in your life today where you need God to help you act with courage and integrity in?  What would that look like?