Moses' Last Song

Moses’ Last Song
Deuteronomy 31: 1- 32: 47

In commenting on Deuteronomy 1, I referred to a service of contrition in our Episcopal diocese concerning the way we had treated African Americans. In the early decades of the twentieth century, in different parts of greater Los Angeles there were three Episcopal churches where it was made clear that “we” would prefer it if African Americans would form new congregations not far away from the existent white congregations (though in one of these white churches, African Americans were allowed to sit in the balcony). I noted how this is part of “our” history that “we” have to own (“we” being white people, and not least white clergy, like me). The end of Deuteronomy reminds us of an astounding companion fact. Solemnly, God remains mindful of such events from the past (and rejoices at our act of contrition, though I suspect is also wondering what we are going to do about it). Indeed, God was mindful of our wrongdoing before we undertook it. God and Moses knew what Israel’s wayward future would look like; one might infer that God knew what the church’s wayward future would look like. Yet with Israel and with us, God did not therefore abandon the project but remained committed to bringing it to a successful completion, a completion that glorifies God...