"What would you do, brothers and sisters, if someone turned a staff into a snake in front of you?
Maybe you'd run away. Maybe you'd try to kill the snake, if you had a weapon or the right kind of power. If you're a cape, out in costume, you might think the other cape was attacking you. That's how we tend to hear those verses nowadays: Aaron and the Egyptian sorcerers got into a cape fight, and Aaron won."
With the ease of long practice, he represses a 'because his snake was bigger' joke.
"Now, as far as I could tell on PHO, there hasn't ever been a cape who can turn staves into snakes. But there could be, right? It's not confusing that a man can turn a staff into a snake. You might wonder why he's doing it! You might think it was a dumb thing to do. But it wouldn't stun you. It wouldn't fill you with awe to see it. You and Phaoroh have that in common.
So that's how things were, back in the time of Moses. The power of our all-mighty God could turn a staff into a snake, but, you know, so could plenty of other people, if they happened to know the right trick."
"We call that the First Dispensation."
"Now I've been told that particular story happened about thirty-three hundred years ago. Fast forward thirteen centuries to the time of Christ. It's still the First Dispensation but things are very different: our Lord has been crucified, died, buried, and rose again for the forgiveness of our sins, and now His first disciples, men who were taught by Him personally, are spread out all across the ancient world, performing miracles in His Name. The people are impressed, we're told, and the Word of God is spreading fast. It's all so new and cool, in fact, that this guy Simon Magus decides he wants a piece of it. And for a while it works! He's got some kind of power, probably better than the sticks-to-snakes thing, and when people see it they start to think he must be a big deal.
What's interesting to me about that story is that the disciple Peter doesn't catch him and make him stop -- Simon comes to them! Whatever sorcery he's got, he's not satisfied with it, and he tries to pay to get the real thing. And that's what Peter's upset about. He's not mad that Simon can do witchcraft. He's not even mad at Simon for tricking people! He's mad that Simon tried to get the power of God the wrong way. This is not, he tells us, a power you can buy. It's God's power, not man's. It can't be compelled. It only comes to you if you turn away from sin. And apparently Simon never managed that, because we never hear from him again.
Once again, the scriptures show a world of people like us, people who are at home with wonders. But it's easy to forget that most Christians, all through the two thousand year history of our church, didn't live that way. The world of the disciples faded, and what came afterward was a world in which both God's power and the other powers, whatever Phaoroh's sorcerers and Simon Magus had, moved only subtly in the world. It didn't quite vanish: there were a few healings, some prophecies, whatever our Lord was doing with Joan of Arc. But they were never ordinary. Every single one was a rare testament to the mighty power of our Lord. They were awe-inspiring. And most men and women of those long years lived and died without ever seeing one."
"We call that the Second Dispensation. The weight of men's sins were lifted from them by the power of our redeeming Lord, but their bodies suffered and died in a world where God's awesome power mostly did not take an overt form. Our ancestors lived -- for over a thousand years! -- in a world that was almost pure matter, and man slowly came to believe in a world without secret forces beyond that which we can weigh and measure and count."
"But we do not live in that world now, do we, brothers and sisters? Scion appeared, and everything changed. Mankind began to develop powers. But these are not the powers of the holy spirit, which Peter tells us come only to those with repentant hearts. They're not even the powers of the Egyptian sorcerers, secret arts that required study to master. They can come upon anyone: wise or foolish, good or wicked."
"This, the age we live in now, is the Third Dispensation."
"And so many people ask, where is Peter? Where are Aaron and Moses? Where is the awesome power of God, gobbling up these mortal powers the way Aaron's snake ate up the others?
There are those who will tell you that Scion is the Word of God moving in the world but brothers and sisters, don't believe it. I used to be a Reverend in the First Church of Christ and Scion Ascendant -- don't worry, I won't tell that story again, you newcomers can ask me about it afterwards if you're really curious. Suffice it to say, Scion does not preach the Word of God, does he? He doesn't preach anything. Aaron's snake ate up the other snakes, so it's tempting to look for God in the biggest snake around, but brothers and sisters, that is a mistake. God is mighty, but we do not know the godly by their might, but by the fruits of their spirits.
There are those who will tell you that all powers are demonic, that they come suddenly because they are possessing spirits, of the kind our Lord Jesus and his apostles cast out. But evil powers cannot be turned toward good ends, and we do see capes do good. Every day we see it. Even Scion -- I was a little hard on him just now, but he saves lives every day.
There are those who will tell you that this age is a fallen age, that God's power is gone from this world, but don't believe that either. God loves His creation. Each sparrow, we're told, each flower, is precious to Him. It is never too late to put your trust in the Lord, and if you do you will see that trust repaid.
There are a few who say that powers are of the Holy Spirit, but in that case you really have to ask: why all the villains?"
"So, fine, all those answers are wrong. What's right? Can we even know?"
"We can. I'll tell it to you, just as it was told to me."
"We are living at the beginning of a new age of man, as significant in God's plan for us as the times of Moses or Christ. At the end of the First Dispensation God's mercy lifted us up out of sin. In the Second Dispensation man mostly lived without powers, but God still blessed some men with strength, and some with intelligence. Some with insight, some with bravery. All of those blessings were also callings, to turn those gifts to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessings we receive now, in the Third Dispensation, are different in their scope but not in their nature, and through the redeeming glory of Christ any power, and any person, can be turned to His good service. Our God is an awesome God, and there is nothing anywhere more powerful.
It can be hard, these days, to truly live in awe. Like Phaoroh's, our hearts are hardened by the powers we live among, or sometimes - " he carefully doesn't look at anyone in particular " - by the powers we wield. But I'll say it again, I do not only mean the kinds of powers that make a person a cape. I stand before you now with no power but my voice and my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and I tell you, brothers and sisters, that is enough. All things, and all people, can serve the glory of God. Your powers, whatever they are, are meant for His service. And they are fit for his service, and so are you. This I promise you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray."
"Heavenly Father, send us into the world in the strength of Your spirit. Bless us and guide as we strive to turn the powers you've given us to the work that you demand. Grant us your mercy as we struggle in a world that does not know your Word, and lift us up to meet that world with Your redeeming love."
"Lord, we ask for your mercy and compassion for Andrew Agbay."
"We pray for your protection and guidance for Thomas Ivory."
"We pray to you for Eric's mother."
"We pray for support for Max Eaton, and for his family."
"For all of these, Lord, and all those we hold in our hearts, we ask for your mercy."
"Amen."
