Hey Riverside Family! This is Ila, and I’m glad to spend this moment in the Advent season with you. If you don’t know me, I’m Benji’s other half. Folks can usually find me singing with the worship team, teaching the 3rd-5th graders, or keeping up with our four adventurous girls!

Today, we are going to read a portion of Numbers together. In this section, the Hebrew people have been freed from slavery in Egypt for at least two years now. The journey so far has been filled with God performing remarkable signs, displaying his power over all creation. The people arrive just outside the promised land and send out a scout from each of the twelve tribes to gather information on this land they are to inherit.

Let’s read to find out what these twelve men report back to their community: Numbers 13:26-14:25.

The promised land was rich and beautiful…but there were giants. Giants are scary! Ten of the spies work the whole community into a frenzy of disbelief and dread. No matter how many acts of power they’ve witnessed, they refuse to trust God. Because of fear and unbelief, the whole community is sent back to wander the desert.

Only Joshua and Caleb believed in God’s power and goodness to conquer the land. How frustrating it must have been for those two to wait 40 years and suffer through the disobedience of their community. Others saw the giants and believed that God’s gift was too dangerous. They finished their days on Earth never receiving the promise.

Caleb and Joshua saw past the giants and believed God’s gift was good. Their Father had already purchased it, wrapped it up, and slapped a bow on it. All the people had to do was believe enough to grab it and open it. Following Jesus can also lead us to face scary giants. May our faith be greater!

• Get out a piece of paper and list any current giants you are facing.

• Let’s lay these giants at the feet of Jesus. Write a prayer of faith, trusting God to fight these battles with you and for you.

Hi, my name is Andrew, and I am the “In” Pastor at Riverside. It is truly a gift to be called to oversee home groups, formation ministries, and connections. At 6’9”, I am one of the tallest people around, and though it once took up most of my life, I gave up my brief basketball career at age 16.

The passages you will read today are Exodus 25:1-9 and Exodus 40:34-38. The Lord told Moses to “…have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). God wants to assure the Israelites that He is with them throughout their wilderness wanderings during their great forty-year exodus from the promised land. It is one thing for God to tell them He is with them, but it is another to show them. By building the Tabernacle, a beautiful yet portable central point for the presence of God, the people had a place to turn their eyes and know—the Lord is with us.

Centuries later, God’s people would need to be assured again that God is with us. But this time, God does not show up as a glorious presence on a throne behind tabernacle curtains, but as a baby in a cattle-feeding trough in a stable. This is the glory of the Lord’s presence, embodied in the awesome fragility of a newborn child. That God could somehow package the glory described in Exodus 40 in the frame of a baby is one of the primary reasons the hope of Advent is at the center of our life in God.

• What similarities do you see between the presence of God in the tabernacle and in the coming of Jesus? What differences do you see?

• Israel needed to see the tabernacle to be reminded of God’s presence among them. Christ was born in large part to assure us that God is with us. What is one way God makes His presence known in your life today?

Hi, my name is Greg and I’ve been an Elder at Riverside for the last 2 years. Megan and I have been married for 22 years and have seven kids, one daughter-in-law and one granddaughter : Nick and wife Morgan, Charlie, Ben, Lincoln, Crisiya, Tariya, Eddie and granddaughter Genevieve.

The passages you are going to read today are Numbers 21:4-9, Kings 18:4, and John 3:14. In Numbers 21 Moses has already led his people out of Egypt. They are in the desert and grumbling about Moses and God. They are talking about how Moses led them on a long journey in the desert and God’s provisions. Poisonous snakes came among the people and several died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out their wrongdoings against God and him. They asked Moses to pray. He made a replica of the poisonous snake out of bronze and placed it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten could look at the bronze snake and be healed. Then in Kings the Bronze snake was destroyed because people were offering sacrifices to it because of what had happened in the desert. In John, Jesus is comparing the lifting of the bronze snake to the Son of Man being lifted up.

Moses had led his people out of Egypt and into the desert. God had provided all their provisions for them but they still weren’t happy. God disciplined the people until they cried out for God’s help. The bronze snake was something God had made for that time. It is easy for God’s people to make idols out of good things that have outlived their usefulness. God used the Uplifting of the bronze serpent to picture his own death on the cross. Because of Christ’s death upon the cross we have him to look to for all healing. Jesus conquered death and all we have to do is believe in Him and we will have eternal life.

Now, do the Know, Be, Do method of study through the chapter.

• KNOW (What does the text say about God?)

• BE (What does the text say about us?)

• DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)

Hello, my name is Cathy. My husband Dale and I have been part of the Elder team for the past two years, and part of Riverside since it began 11 years ago. We both grew up in this area, and have three sons, and seven grandchildren. The passages you are going to read today are: Exodus 32 and Exodus 34:1-14.

Israel has been rescued from slavery, led through the parting of the Red Sea, and were sustained through the desert. The people have entered into a covenant relationship with God, and have received the law and the Ten Commandments. While Moses remained on Mt. Sinai with the Lord, the people became restless and asked Aaron to make them gods to go before them. They longed for the familiar patterns of their former life. Aaron went along with their request. God’s anger burned against the people. He tells Moses of their disobedience, and His plan to destroy them. Moses intercedes for the people, pleading for mercy, and in His mercy God spared them. Even though God in His mercy spared the people, harsh consequences remained.

The next part of the passage describes the new stone tablets made after Moses broke the original ones after seeing the evil that the people had done. The Lord proclaims his compassion and forgiveness of their wickedness to Moses, making a covenant with the people to go with them and give them victory, as long as they obey His commands.

These passages demonstrate how often we forget what God has done and who He is, and long to make Him into an image that suits our desires. God displayed his mercy and forgiveness to the people, keeping his covenant with Abraham through many generations, even though they deserved his wrath. In the same way we have been granted pardon from the penalty of sin and death, through Jesus Christ.

• What false god’s have moved into my/your life, preventing the true God from living in and through me/us?

• What action do we need to take to restore or preserve God’s reign and rule in our lives?

Hi, my name is Megan Colvin. I’ve been on the elder team for 2 years and also serve on the women’s ministry team with a wonderful group of ladies. I have been married to Greg for 22 years and we have been attending Riverside for almost 10 years with our children Charlie (17), Ben (16), Lincoln (9), Crisiya (9), Tariya (9) and Eddie (8). As an added bonus our oldest son Nick, daughter-in-law Morgan and granddaughter Genevieve (2 months) live right across the street!

The passage you are going to read today is Exodus 16. In this chapter the Israelites, led by Moses and Aaron, left Elim and entered the Desert of Sin. As things began to get more difficult and uncomfortable the Israelites started to complain and grumble. The Lord told Moses He would provide for them by sending manna. He provided detailed instruction on the collection of the manna. The Lord was teaching and testing the Israelites to see if they would obey His instructions. He also sent quail for them for their evening meal. When morning came the Israelites collected just as much as they needed. Moses told them not to save any of it, some did and it was rotten. As they were instructed on the sixth day they collected twice as much so they could rest on the seventh day, the Sabbath. Some still went to gather on the seventh day and there was nothing to be found. The Lord instructed them to save two quarts in a jar that would then be placed at the Ark of the Covenant so their descendants could see the food He had provided for them during the forty years that it took them to get to the land of Canaan.

There is so much symbolism in this passage, but I am going to focus on just a few things here. God wanted to provide for his people. As the Israelites complained and grumbled, He sent manna from heaven down to earth so they had sustenance to strengthen their bodies, and so they would survive their journey.

In the same way, God sent Jesus, perfect Redeemer, from heaven down to earth to satisfy us spiritually. Jesus, who came as a baby, was then placed in a manger (a feeding trough!) God provided Jesus, the Bread of Life, to redeem us from our sin. When God instructed them to put the manna in The Ark of the Covenant it was to show generations of people of His provision, that He always had these things in place because of His Sovereignty.

Now, do the Know, Be, Do method of study through the chapter.

• KNOW – What does the text say about God?

• BE – What does the text say about us?

• DO – What is the text calling me to do?

Pray that the Lord will bring to mind all the things He has provided for you and thank Him for them.

Hi, my name is Shawn and I have been an elder at Riverside for a few years since City Chapel and Riverside merged. I am a test engineer at Clark Testing, but my real claim to fame is I am the husband of Susan who does the announcements.

The passage you are going to read today is Exodus 11–12:42 which describes the final plague in Egypt and the Passover. At this time the Jewish people were slaves in Egypt, and God had a plan to deliver them. Pharaoh had hardened his heart to the previous plagues, so one final plague was brought. This might not seem to connect with the Advent season, but I love the final verse in our reading. “Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.”

Sit for a minute and imagine the situation in Egypt at that time. Slaves in a foreign land. A special meal together. An odd command to spread blood over the doorway. A night (with no electricity) with death, wailing, and fear.

Similar to the Jews at this time, we are in a land not our own. Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is easy to get complacent here and think things are pretty good, we are not in quite the same situation as the Jews in Egypt. But are we just fooling ourselves, lukewarm like the Laodicean church?

Two questions for the day:

• How have you settled for life in Egypt?

• How can you eagerly await Jesus today?

And one final thought. Exodus says the Lord kept vigil that night. What a great picture of the Lord caring and watching over us as we wait.

This Sunday is the third Sunday in Advent, we will light the pink candle and reflect on the word Joy.

• As you sit and enjoy time with your Heavenly Father this morning, what is bringing you the most joy today?

• As you anticipate the Lord’s working in yourself and those around you, what are you joyfully looking forward to?