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Sermon March 12, 2023
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
The Third Sunday in Lent, Year A
https://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Lent/ALent3_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist__March_12__2023
Video: https://youtu.be/PGuGyvMRAo4
He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ Exodus 17:7
As a young child, I was pretty whiny, at least according to my parents. I guess I made my feelings known and when I wasn’t happy, you were sure to know it. I had wonderful parents and as in any family, there were definitely challenges. My mother had what is now called Bi-polar disorder. Until I was about 10, I remember the treatment seemed to be things that kind of knocked you out.
Yet, she still had times when she was very sick, hallucinating and hearing voices and talking to them. Then she’d go to the hospital for awhile. Her mother always came and took care of us during those times.
My dad was just starting out in his law career, so was under great pressure.
I was the oldest, so I took on a lot of responsibility. Things improved immensely when I was 10 and my mother was in the clinical trials for lithium. What a difference that medication made.
So, one time when I was seeing a therapist, I remember her helping me see that my whininess was my way of saying that something just wasn’t right in my world. It was a way that I could voice my distress. I think I’ve outgrown it, but when my grandchildren would get whiny, I’d tell them I was a champion whiner and they wouldn’t want to have a contest with me.
I have ALWAYS loved the story of the Exodus, because I find it so real when it comes to talking about us as humans. And you can imagine that as a whiner, I do love the part of the story we read today. I mean, the people are out there in the desert and there’s no water! Of course they were whiny.
We absolutely need water. Mostly, we can only live 2-3 days without any water. With water and no food, we can survive up to a month. Water is crucial.
For the Israelites, the journey has already been challenging and yet every step of the way, God has provided for their needs. They were able to cross the Red Sea on dry land. They had manna and then lots of quails, when they complained being tired of the manna.
And they were getting weary. Now there was no water! Suddenly, the awful conditions of slavery looked good. I imagine they had an idealized version of how good the past was.
While God had provided for their every need along the way, they still couldn’t totally trust that they would be taken care of. At what point would God abandon them, they wondered? Were they doing everything they needed to do to keep in the good graces of God? When would God give up on them?
They quarrel with God. They “murmur” against God. Don’t you like that word? Almost like they are saying things under their breath, as if God couldn’t hear. They quarrel and fight with Moses, the leader God had chosen for them. It must be bad, because Moses complains to God and is afraid the people will soon become violent against him.
And God comes through once again. God shows them where there is water. God reminds them that God is with them by asking Moses to use the same rod he used when the Red Sea parted. Moses uses that rod…I imagine it was a walking stick…and hits the rock identified by God and out comes wonderful water! Once again, God shows God is there for them.
Sometimes you hear someone say you should not argue with God …you should not quarrel with God and yet our story today tells us that it is okay to argue and quarrel with God, I think. We need to let God know when things are not right in our world. We need to let God know when we feel afraid. We need to let God know when we think God has abandoned us. We need to let God know when we find the situation we are in challenging.
I mean Moses even names the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarreling and testing. It’s a reminder of all of those feelings the people had and that we have too. There are times when we cry out, “God, are you really with us?” “God are you really there?”
It is part of our journey as disciples, I think. We have those times of fear, doubt and worry. We can be comforted by this story today and many of the stories in the book of Exodus. God hears our cries. God does not abandon us.
Amen
