The Scripture Readings this week are:
- Exodus 17:1-17
- Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
The Sermon title is Thirst-gry?
Early Thoughts: Have you had one of those days? Maybe the schedule has been too full. Maybe you got distracted. Maybe there just wasn't a chance. But for some reason you missed a meal, or you forgot to drink enough. And now you are grumpy.
When our needs aren't getting met it often shows up in our actions and attitudes. Sometimes we need time to adjust to a new situation where our needs will be met differently. Sometimes we need to go and find what we need. Sometimes the world has changed and pushed us to recognize that what we thought were needs were really wants.
The people of Israel are out in the desert. The one term that defines a desert is that it is dry. It might be cold, it might be hot, but it is dry. Not surprisingly, this becomes an issue. And so Moses has a chat with God and God leads the people to water, water that gushes out of a rock.
For what are we thirsting? What needs are not getting met in our lives? Where is our need, our thirst, our lack making us grumpy? How is that grumpiness impacting how we interact with the world around us?
When we are in the wilderness times of life (and a pandemic would likely meet that description) it is easy to start to think and feel that we have been left alone, set aside to survive or perish on our own. That can make us grumpy too.
The people of Israel needed (repeated) reminders that they were not off on their own, that God was with them. They needed to know that God was there to protect, guide, and sustain them. They needed to know both that their cries were heard and that their needs would be met. When they doubted that they became grumpy.
Then there is the last half of that Exodus passage, the battle with the Amalekites. These battle stories, where God appears to be helping one army destroy another, are often uncomfortable for us. But in the Exodus story God is definitely seen as a warrior, going to battle for God's people. One thing I do take out of this story, coming as it does right after the water from the rock, is that the army of Israel is successful when they believe that God is with them (signified perhaps by Moses' up raised hands) but unsuccessful when they doubted God was with them (signified perhaps by Moses' lowered hands). When we trust that our needs are being met, that we are not alone, we can do more.
As we travel through the wilderness of COVID-tide, are we always sure our needs will be met? Are we sure that we are not alone? Where are we thirsting or hungering for something to fill an as yet unmet need? Where are we getting restless and grumpy and starting to cry out? What response do we need to our cries? What response do we want? (And no, those last two may not always have the same answer)
--Gord
Gord, your posts are very helpful .My wilderness is not so much having to do with the pandemic ,although it hasn't helped,but it's that I am in a time of grieving. I lost my oldest daughter in Jan.2020 . She died of cancer and I feel like there's a hole in my life that I can't fill.It feels like it's the worst wilderness feeling I have ever had to endure and yet I do know that I'm not alone ,even tho it is a lonely feeling .Your postings about wilderness wandering are very theraputic.Thanks
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