Exodus 32:1-14; A Golden Calf and A Bull Market 10 15 17

Philippians 4:4-13

Idolatry is tempting because it simulates the easy/quick path to security rather

than long term trust.

Story about making an idol. What are the idols that we have today?

Commonality is that these things are short term place holders that simulate
security. They are temporary fixes for situations that need long-term trust.

The need for idols is triggered most often by fear, or a sudden change over which
we have no control. When faced with insecurity, we are drawn to the easy path
of being soothed rather than the longer path of profound trust.

The israelites were triggered when they saw that Moses was delayed up the
mountain. They had heard from him for months, maybe years during the sojourn
in the desert, that God had a plan for them. The plan was to escape slavery, go
across the desert, and arrive to the promised land. Moses went up the mountain
to talk with God and was gone for a longer time than was comfortable for the
recently released slaves. They were tempted to seek immediate security rather
than wait for God to fulfill the promises that were given to them. They gave into
the tempation and reacted to their fear. They created an idol a golden symbol
of a different god.

The golden calf created by the Israelites was a simulation of security. It was a
quick fix. It was the image of a bull market that had no chance of staying in the
black. It was the representation of a god who had nothing to do with their

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release from captivity, nothing to do with their trek across the desert, through the
Reed Sea a god who had no connection to providing manna and water for the
people. By making this image, they gave themselves a false sense of security.
They succumbed to the temptation of rewriting their history to create the illusion
that this new god was the one who carried them through the difficult times. They
created an idol for the purpose of immediate gratification an immanent sign of
the presence of A god they could invoke in the moment, rather than rely on the
transcendent presence of the God who promised to be with them for generation
after generation.
We in the United States were triggered by the stock market crash in 2008 when
financial institutions failed, and everything shifted. People who once felt secure
were at a loss and sought solutions for their depth of fear.

The most striking response to the crash, in my estimation, was a gathering of

people on Wall Street in front of the golden bull in front of Merrill Lynch. It was
an attempt to simulate security a short term fix to a deeper longing for stable
ground on which to stand. This gathering in 2008 on Wall Street, was one of
people in fear placing hands on the golden bull representing financial security,
and prayed to God to change the stock market.

There are alternative symbols to a golden calf or a bull market that point us
toward the trust-worthiness of the God of our ancestors the God who is still
speaking today.

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A fairly recent development around the bull was the placement of a bronze statue
of a pig-tailed Latina entitled Fearless Girl Fearless girl, arms akimbo and chin
raised, stands firmly in front of the image of a charging bull. The commissioned
statue was cast to represent one companys investment in minority-run
organizations. In our context this morning, I see her as a representation of not
giving in to the fear of circumstances around us, not giving into the desire for
everything to bounce back quickly and holding fast to the long term confidence in
the goodness of God, the value of acting justly, and trusting in the ability of
humankind to surmount challenges together. Like fearless girl, we can stand firm
together in the face of tragedy, loss and fear, knowing that there is something
larger and more secure for us to rely on than the value of stock or a god
represented by a golden calf.

Moses eventually came down the mountain, as promised. God delivered the
people to a new land of safety and freedom, as promised. Over generations,
Gods presence overcomes our short term fears, and erases the need we have to
put our faith in all the idols we mentioned today.

Like the fearles girl or our ancestor Moses, we can trust in the larger truths of
justice, the promise of the last being first, and the hope of God to sustain us
through all the changes and insecurities of our lives.
Amen.

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Exodus 32:1-14
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the
people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, Come, make gods for us, who
shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land
of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Aaron said to them, Take
off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your
daughters, and bring them to me. So all the people took off the gold rings from
their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a
mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, These are your gods, O Israel,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! When Aaron saw this, he built an
altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow shall be a
festival to the Lord. They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and
brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and
rose up to revel.
The Lord said to Moses, Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up
out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn
aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an
image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, These are
your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!< The Lord said
to Moses, I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone,
so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of
you I will make a great nation. But Moses implored the Lord God, and said,
O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought
out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should
the Egyptians say, It was with evil intent that God brought them out to kill them
in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from
your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your
people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to
them by your own self, saying to them, I will multiply your descendants like the
stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your
descendants, and they shall inherit it forever. And the Lords mind changed
about the disaster planned to bring on the people.

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Philippians 4:4-13
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be
known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard
and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern
for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show
it. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with
whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have
plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed
and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things
through God who strengthens me.

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 Fearless Girl is a bronze sculpture by Kristen Visbal, commissioned by State Street Global
Advisors via McCann New York, depicting a Latina girl facing the Charging Bull (or "Wall Street bull")
statue.[2] It was installed on March 7, 2017, at Bowling Green in the Financial
District of Manhattan, New York City. The statue measures approximately 50 inches (130 cm) tall,
and weighs about 250 pounds (110 kg).
Fearless Girl was commissioned by investment firm State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) to advertise
for an index fund which comprises gender-diverse companies that have a higher percentage of
women among their senior leadership. The plaque below the statue states, "Know the power of
women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," with "SHE" being both a descriptive pronoun and
the fund's NASDAQ ticker symbol.

Contents
[hide]

1History
2Reception
3See also
4References

History[edit]
The statue was installed on March 7, 2017the day before International Women's Dayby State
Street Global Advisors, in a campaign developed by advertising agency McCann New York.[3] SSgA
was celebrating the first anniversary of its "Gender Diversity Index" fund that "invests in U.S. large-
capitalization companies that rank among the highest in their sector in achieving gender diversity
across senior leadership".[4] The concept for the statue was developed by Senior Art Director Lizzie
Wilson and Senior Copywriter Tali Gumbiner. Wilson and Gumbiner established both the idea for the
statue as well as the overall look of the girl using countless moodboards and imagery, which Visbal
referenced.[5]Fearless Girl, which measures approximately 50 inches (130 cm) tall and weighs about
250 pounds (110 kg),[1] faces Charging Bull, a much larger and heavier bronze statue that is 11 feet
(3.4 m) tall and weighs 7,100 pounds (3,200 kg).[6][1] Both are located in Manhattan's Bowling Green,
at the intersection of Broadway and Whitehall Street.[7]
Fearless Girl is meant to "send a message" about workplace gender diversity and
encourage companies to recruit women to their boards.[8] The plaque below the statue states, "Know
the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," with SHE referring to both the gender
of the subject and the fund's NASDAQ ticker symbol.[9]
The commission by State Street Global Advisors specified that the statue should depict a girl with
hands on her hips and chin up, with a height of 36 inches, which Kristen Visbal and her collaborators
then increased to 50 inches, to better match the size of Charging Bull.[1] Still, Visbal commented that
"I made sure to keep her features soft; she's not defiant, she's brave, proud, and strong, not
belligerent".[1] She modeled the sculpture on two children from Delaware, a friend's daughter who
was instructed to pretend she was facing a bull, and a Latina girl, "so everyone could relate to the
Fearless Girl."[1]
Fearless Girl was originally given a one-week City Hall permit that was later extended to 30
days.[10]Later, it was announced that the statue would remain in place through February
2018.[11][12] Among those advocating for the statue to stay longer was U.S. Representative Carolyn
Maloney of New York's 12th congressional district, who stated, "This statue has touched hearts

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across the world with its symbolism of the resiliency of women." [13] A petition on Change.org asking
for the statue to be made permanent gathered 2,500 signatures in its first 48 hours. [10][14] Efforts to
make the statue permanent continued after the statue was granted a one-year permit.[15]

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 Like many of you, I keep track of my monthly spending online. I check my
bank account and credit card from home. Each time I check, I have a snapshot of
the priorities of my life, so I have learned to make this financial check-in a spiritual
practice. The first of the month as my money goes to pay my mortgage and
grocery bills, I give thanks for food and shelter. The tenth of the month is when
payments are made for my daughters education, and I give thanks for the gift of
her well-being. The 15th of every month, my pledge arrives at the church, and I
give thanks for this place.
As you know, the church fills a place in our lives differently than any other
organization of which we are a part. Here we are concerned with empowerment,
not power; We listen to each others hearts, not just ideas; We reach out in love
because we were first loved by God, not because it makes us feel good. In church
we are reminded of the ways we are compelled to serve, rather than how we can
find a way to get ahead. Here in this place, there are moments when our spirits
are touched by the grace of God, simply because this space opens us to that
possibility.
I am not a member of this church, but I make an annual pledge because it
matters. When my salary increases, my pledge to the church increases. When
there is a special offering, I do what I can to contribute to the cause. My pledge
card represents the fact that I know it takes $1,000 a day to run the church, and
there are people who count on us to be here every day for emotional and spiritual
care, and for food and shelter. My pledge alone cannot make this happen if we
are to continue to have a vibrant presence in this place, it will take all of us
together to make it happen.
I encourage you to fill out your pledge card and bring it to the church some
time between now and November 19th. Whether you are here one time a year, or
100 times a year, your pledge is important it is essential to sustaining Gods
ministry in our midst.