\nNot
\nto give the answer away or anything, but I think both of these
\npassages try to prod us toward trust; trust in God and trust in each
\nother. \u00a0Exodus tells of God giving the people what they need,
\nPhilippians instructs people to take care of each other (which is a
\nway of ensuring everyone’s needs are met, if it is done well). \u00a0When
\npeople are paying attention to each other, and to the ones who are
\nmost vulnerable, God’s abundant creation is able to care for all. \u00a0I
\nsuspect that trusting in God requires two things of us: \u00a0trusting in
\neach other, and being trust worthy for each other. \u00a0Let’s take a
\ndeeper look. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThe
\nExodus story is about the people of God being quarrelsome, whiny, and
\nunfaithful. \u00a0Or, at least, it seems to be. \u00a0I’ve never quite
\nunderstood this passage though, because they’re said by the text
\nitself to be quarrelsome, whiny, and unfaithful BECAUSE they want
\naccess to water, and are afraid that they are about to die of thirst.
\n Just as a reminder, they are wandering around a desert. \u00a0In fact, in
\nthe Bible, the words desert and wilderness are functionally
\ninterchangeable, and they both indicate that the land is not capable
\nof sustaining human life without God’s help.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThe
\npeople are in the desert without water, and they ask for water, and
\nthat’s unfaithful? \u00a0I don’t follow. \u00a0It doesn’t seem unfaithful that
\nthe people in Puerto Rico are asking for water, water is necessary
\nfor life, and they don’t have water. \u00a0They need more than water, but
\nthey desperately need water. \u00a0Just like the people in the desert. \u00a0In
\nboth cases, asking for water doesn’t make them whiny, or quarrelsome.
\n It makes them alive, and wanting to stay alive! \u00a0Being without water
\nis dangerous to life! \u00a0Articulating that it is a problem and asking
\nfor help finding a solution is reasonable, rational, and wise. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nRegarding
\nExodus, I don’t think the people misbehave nearly as much as Moses
\ndoes. \u00a0The people notice there isn’t water and ask for water. \u00a0 Now,
\nif we want to defend Moses we can say that they don’t ask terribly
\npolitely (\u201cGive us water to drink.\u201d) but within the story itself
\nMoses has preformed a heck of a lot of miracles already and has
\nclaimed to be leading the people. \u00a0They don’t know why he hasn’t
\ndealt with this already. \u00a0If the leader isn’t taking care of the
\npeople’s needs, the people need not be POLITE in demanding what they
\nneed to live. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nMoses
\nresponds poorly. \u00a0He takes their request personally. \u00a0He asks why
\nthey are quarreling with him and why they are testing God. \u00a0Clearly
\nwe can now see whose perspective is dominating the interpretation of
\nthe story! \u00a0(Maybe this is why the tradition has said Moses wrote
\nthis book… \ud83d\ude09 ) \u00a0His angry response and accusation quiet the people
\nmomentarily, but they are still thirsty. \u00a0They still need water, for
\nlife. \u00a0So they can’t be silenced. \u00a0The second time they ask for water
\nwith significantly more drama, perhaps hoping that it will elicit a
\ndifferent response. \u00a0They are desperate, indicating that dying of
\ndehydration in the desert is worse than slavery in Egypt. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nMoses,
\nagain, mishears them. \u00a0He turns to God, but not to advocate for the
\npeople, to advocate for himself! \u00a0He prays, crying out that he
\ndoesn’t know how to handle the people and they’re so angry with him
\nhe is afraid for his life. \u00a0#MissingThePoint \u00a0The story says that God
\ndoes NOT miss the point though, and responds with a way to provide
\nwater. \u00a0Moses does as he’s told, and the people get water. \u00a0However,
\nthe narrative ends with Moses naming the place \u201cQuarreling\u201d and
\n\u201cTesting\u201d as his interpretation of how the people behaved. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAccording
\nto Deuteronomy, the entire story of the people wandering in the
\ndesert is said to be so that they can learn to depend on God, and not
\non their own capacities. Deuteronomy, in fact, spends a lot of time
\nworrying that once the people enter the land and have milk and honey
\nin abundance they will think this is because of their hard work,
\nrather than God’s good grace. \u00a0Thus, the Exodus narratives are meant
\nto teach that God can be depended on.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThis
\nis both an imperative lesson for all people of faith, and a dangerous
\none. \u00a0God can be depended on, this I believe. \u00a0Creation is abundant,
\nand there is enough food, water, shelter, and love for everyone.
\nHowever, I haven’t found human societies to be as dependable as God,
\nand while there is enough in the world, there is not enough if it is
\nhoarded, or wasted. \u00a0Abundant clean water is being destroyed by
\nfracking, sources of it are drying up with global climate change, and
\nvarious companies are seeking to glean profit from limiting people’s
\nwater access except through their sales. \u00a0Analysis I’ve read about
\nthe humanitarian crisis in Syria that has created a refugee crisis
\naround the world suggests that it started with years of drought that
\nkept people from being able to grow crops and sustain themselves.
\nFurthermore, our sisters, brothers, and siblings in Puerto Rico and
\nother Caribbean islands don’t have clean water, and that reality is
\nlife threatening. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nGod
\ncreated enough, but that doesn’t mean people have access to enough.
\nSimply claiming that God will take care of the vulnerable and thirsty
\ndoesn’t do them any good if the mechanisms of human society prevent
\nthem from having access to life giving water. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd
\nyet God created enough, and works with us and through us to
\nconnect resources to people in need. \u00a0In this church we seek to
\nconnect food, water, coffee, soap, toilet paper, diapers, hygiene
\nproducts, home furnishings, flood buckets, hygiene kits, beauty,
\nmusic, and knowledge to those who need them! \u00a0(To name a few.) \u00a0We
\nare part of the work of redistributing so that God’s abundance can be
\nknown. \u00a0We are seeking to live out the instructions in Philippians 2.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nDid
\nany of the computer geeks notice that the Philippians text is
\nbasically written in if\/then code? \u00a0Just me? \u00a0That’s OK. \u00a0IF there is
\nany encouragement in Christ (implication here seems to be that anyone
\nhearing this would say \u201cYES! \u00a0Of course there is), IF there is any
\nconsolation in love (almost everyone would agree with this), IF there
\nis any sharing in the Spirit, IF you have experienced any compassion
\nand sympathy (so most people by this time are yearning to say yes),
\nTHEN \u201cmake my joy complete.\u201d \u00a0OK, how? \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nWith
\nconnection. \u00a0Use your lives to take care of each other. \u00a0Let go of
\nambition that is only about you and work towards helping others. \u00a0Be
\ntogether in love. \u00a0Actually, it says a lot more, but I think the
\nchurch and the world both abuse the idea of \u201cunity\u201d as a means of
\ncontrolling the vulnerable: that is they claim that those who call
\nfor justice for all are disturbing the peace and should be silenced
\nin the name of unity. \u00a0This makes me squirm and I want to to skip
\nover the \u201csame mind, same love\u201d part. \u00a0However, I think more
\nnuance is called for! \u00a0(#whenindoubtmorenuance)<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nIn \n<\/p>\n \nWhile \n<\/p>\n \nTo 1<\/a>\u00a0Philip <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rev. Sara E. Baron<\/p>\n First United Methodist Church of Schenectady<\/p>\n 603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305<\/p>\n Pronouns: she\/her\/hers<\/p>\n http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n October 1, 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nan article I read this week on NPR, they
\ntalked about the form of Russian influence on US public opinion
\nsaying, \u201cMoscow’s
\nintelligence agencies not only used secret cyberattacks to steal and
\nleak information, as the U.S. intelligence community concluded. The
\nRussians also openly bought ads on Facebook aimed at amplifying the
\nmost controversial issues in American political life \u2014 including
\nabortion, guns and LGBT issues \u2014 and used fake accounts to spread
\ndisinformation and even organize real-life
\nrallies.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n
\nI have many strong opinions, most certainly including on the issues
\nthat Russia is trying to use our society, I’m really struck by this
\nstory. \u00a0Another country thinks that the best way to destabilize our
\nsociety and gain influence is by keeping us fighting with each other.
\n It is likely a great strategy, it leads to deep divisions, and could
\neven lead to the destruction of our country. \u00a0When issues divide us,
\nwe can end up not seeing or hearing each other as people at all! \u00a0So,
\nwhile I don’t much like the instruction to be of the \u201csame mind\u201d
\n(ok, fine, I still hate it), I think perhaps it needs to be taken
\nvery seriously. \u00a0We must work to humanize each other, even across
\ndifferences.<\/p>\n
\nreturn to the stories, God created and created with abundance. \u00a0When
\nwe trust in each other and are trustworthy for each other, there is
\nenough. \u00a0On this World Communion Sunday, where we are reminded that
\nGod’s table extends around our globe, may we savor the abundance of
\ncreation and seek to be people of trust in that \u201cenough-ness.\u201d
\nAmen\n<\/p>\n
\n\tEwing \u201cAs
\n\tScrutiny Of Social Networks Grows, Influence Attacks Continue In
\n\tReal Time\u201d published September
\n\t28, 2017 at 5:01AM ET
\n\thttp:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/09\/28\/554024047\/as-scrutiny-of-social-networks-grows-influence-attacks-continue-in-real-time<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a><\/p>\n