"Drink the Living Water"

Meditation on Exodus 17:1-7 and Psalm 95

March 23, 2014

***

    From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

***

     My youngest child, James, turned 21 this week. And, as my children’s birthdays often lead me to do, I found myself recalling memories of when my kids were little—and when my life was so different than it is today.

     I remember that James was a good baby, an easy child, compared to his two older brothers.  James slept through the night before he was three months old and, unlike his oldest brother, he curled up with his “blanky” and took a nap every afternoon and still had no problem falling asleep at a reasonable hour at night. He rarely got sick, always had a good appetite and wasn’t picky about food, though he didn’t like Spaghettios, Cheerios, or peanut butter sandwiches. He got along with his brothers most of the time, made friends easily, and seldom cried, unless he was hurt and needed help.

    I was grateful to the Lord that James was an easy baby because when he was born, we had three kids under the age of 5.  In those days, I often felt overwhelmed and exhausted as a young mother, whose work was never done.  

    I made it harder for myself because I wanted to be the best mother in the world. I read Christian child-rearing books and eagerly listened to “expert advice” from mothers of older children. It didn’t always help, though, especially when the advice ended with the ominous, “Just wait until your kids are teenagers. You better enjoy them now!”

    I couldn’t help but compare my three boys to my brother’s two girls and wonder why my kids were not proceeding through the same developmental milestones as quickly as my precocious nieces. Was it because of my parenting skills—or lack thereof? Some days, it seemed what my three boys did best was fight with each other and break things. In a way, I am glad Facebook wasn’t invented, yet, because I probably would have been intimidated by all the photos of smiling families enjoying quality time together.

    My attitude finally began to change—and I began to have more grace and patience with myself—when a friend listened as I shared my struggles with parenting and reassured me that God had a plan for my children and me.  That the Lord God, Maker of all, never makes mistakes. He had chosen me to be their mother—and them to be my sons. And though I felt woefully inadequate, God would supply all of my needs—including wisdom, strength, patience, hope, and joy. God would supply all that my children needed, too. 

       This was a different way of looking at “needs” and God’s provision for me. I had only thought of material needs before and had not realized the importance of the gifts of the Spirit for parenting, gifts that come to us beginning at our own baptism.  The Spirit continues to grow these gifts in us and work in our hearts as we keep drinking of the Living Water—seeking Christ daily to satisfy our spiritual thirst.

***

     In our Exodus reading today, we learn of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the God who continues to graciously and miraculously provide for them. Often when we study this passage we focus on Israel’s bad treatment of Moses. We talk about how trials lead Israel to remember the past with rose-colored glasses. Their former life as slaves in Egypt, they insist, would be better than perishing of thirst in the wilderness!

    We feel sorry for Moses, who cries out to the Lord, “What shall I do with THESE PEOPLE? They are almost ready to stone me!”

    And yet, there is an important message here that may be overlooked—and that is Moses’ crisis of faith.  In the account of the same incident in Numbers 20:2-13, God deals harshly with Moses and Aaron because of their failure to trust in the Lord—that God was still in control and that God’s holiness would be shown through the wilderness trials and quarrels. In spite of everything they have been through, Moses and Aaron will not be the ones to bring Israel into the Promised Land.

      In Psalm 95, the psalmist reminds us of the importance of worship and obedience, using the story of the Israelites quarreling in the wilderness as an example of what not to do. He praises the “rock of our salvation,” who is “a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

     “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!  For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! 

   Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,

   as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,  when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.  For forty years I loathed that generation    and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.’  Therefore in my anger I swore,    ‘They shall not enter my rest.’

     

***      

       Friends, I can’t tell you what a difference it made in my life—when I began to trust, as a young adult, that my Good Shepherd was in control and would care for His sheep throughout the chaotic and difficult times. That he had a good plan for my family. And like Israel struggling with trials in the wilderness, in my moments of great need, God’s holiness would be shown.

       But it was important for me to remember, in my tiredness and in the busy-ness of life as a young parent, to make time to drink of the Living Water. I had to make time for prayer, scripture reading, worship and fellowship with other Christians.  I found it especially helpful to be in a young women’s Bible study. And when there wasn’t one in my area, I started one in my home and invited my neighbors.

      On Sunday, it was a lot of work getting the family ready for church. The diaper bag was fully packed with not just clothes, diapers, and wipes, but snacks, drinks, books and quiet toys. Sometimes, we would drive to church 25-30 minutes away and the baby, who slept the whole way there, would start to fuss as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. I would miss much of the service trying to soothe the baby in the lobby.

     Looking back, I know that it was still worth the effort to be among other Christians, to sing joyful songs of God’s praise, and be spiritually fed. But it took an act of faith—just getting there.

     With the blessing of three baptisms this month, I have enjoyed spending time with young parents—listening to their stories and trying to encourage them in the faith—just as I needed encouragement when I was in their situation. And this is what we promise as a church when we baptize—that we will encourage and nurture the entire family in the faith.

    Let us reassure one another that God has a plan for us and our children! That in our weakness, God’s power and holiness will be shown! 

    And let us each remember to come and drink the Living Water that Christ offers to all who seek Him!

     So we will never be thirsty again!

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for Jesus Christ, our Living Water, who nourishes us to abundant and everlasting life with in the Kingdom. Strengthen us, Lord, so that through chaotic and difficult times of our life, we will trust in You—that You are our Good Shepherd and we are the sheep of your hand. That you are in control, have a plan for us and our families, and will provide us with the Spirit gifts we need for this journey of faith. Give us more wisdom, patience, joy, and love to be the parents, grandparents and great grandparents you want us to be. Lead us to nurture the children and their families in the faith all the days of their lives. And to remember to seek you daily for Your Living Water—so we will never be thirsty again. In Christ we pray.  Amen.

    

   

    

     

“He is Your Keeper”

Meditation on Psalm 121 & Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

March 16, 2014

***

      “What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” (Romans 4:1-5, 13-17).

***

    Her name was Gladys- Glady for short. She lived with her sister, “Rippy,” in a Spanish-style house across the highway from my grandmother’s cottage in Daytona Beach, Fla. They were two elderly widows who had lived together since their husbands had passed away. I don’t remember Rippy’s real name. She had been Rippy or “Rips”—as her sister called her—ever since someone said her laughter “rippled” when she was a little girl.

    I got to know Glady the summer I turned 19 and drove from Maryland to Daytona Beach to visit my grandparents. I was in an in-between time. I had resigned from an office job I had held for 18 months so that I could go to college full time and finish my degree. I wanted to be a teacher of young children.

     My grandmother was also in an in-between time. My parents had moved her and my grandfather that spring to a new home in a quiet, residential area, so Grandma was no longer living in the little house in which she had lived since she got married in the 1920s. Grandma’s life, along with the neighborhood, had changed. Mom, an only child, had moved out and moved north years before, and my grandfather, in his upper 90s, was not able to help with maintenance or chores anymore. The new house was nice, but it was a hard move. Grandma missed her home of many years with its memories and the people who were not just neighbors; they were her friends. 

     Grandma was setting out on an adventure into the unknown, trusting God to lead her to the life He had planned for her, not so differently than Abram, who trusted God when he was 75 and the Lord told him to leave everything that was familiar and go to the place the Lord wanted him to go.

     While I visited Grandma that summer, we drove to Glady and Rippy’s house to play cards one afternoon and enjoy Glady’s homemade lemon cake. They taught me how to play Spite and Malice, and told stories about the good ole days, when Glady and Rippy and their husbands, believe it or not, worked in Vaudeville. They traveled by car, train, and ship to put on shows of song, dance, and comic routines. As you can imagine, they were lots of fun to be around. They weren’t prim and proper—not like some of Grandma’s other friends. Glady and Rippy would occasionally burst into songs from the 20s, 30s and 40s, songs which Grandma would politely decline to join in singing. She was saving her voice to sing hymns for the Lord in church, she said.  But before we took a break from cards to eat Glady’s cake, Glady prayed a simple prayer that touched my heart. I remember how she gave thanks to God for the blessing of friendship. Friends had helped her through the difficult years, she told us, when her husband had cancer, and through the lonely years that followed his death—when her life no longer meant caring for someone else and she wasn’t sure what the future would bring—or that God had any plans for her at all.

   Grandma was quiet as Glady spoke; Grandma, too, was struggling to care for my grandfather, more than 20 years her senior.  We didn’t know it then, but he had less than a year to live. After his death, Grandma would be nurtured not as much by her family—who still lived up north—but her neighbors and friends who looked in on her every day, had coffee with her in the morning and stopped in to watch Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune after supper. They brought her meals and had her over to their house for dinner. They took her shopping or offered to go shopping for her. They made sure she got to church and choir practice. And they played cards and told stories.

    Grandma’s friends and neighbors, I realize now, were Christ’s hands and feet. God promises to care for us, His children, just as the Lord cared for Abram when he was in a strange land and his life was different than he ever knew.

     The way that God cares for us and heals us is through loving relationships. God’s Spirit works in and through the people around us. And God’s Spirit works in and through us to help other people.

***

    The Apostle Paul in Romans teaches that Abram is a model of righteousness because of his unquestioning faith. Abram trusted God completely, a trust that led him to be obedient even when God called Him to embark on a long journey so that God could make him the father of many nations and so that all the families of the world would be blessed.

      Psalm 121 reminds us that for those who place their trust in God, the Lord is their keeper. His faithful rely on the grace and mercy of God and don’t place their trust in any of their own works or abilities.

     I wish I had always known that I didn’t have to worry about my life, that I could trust in the Lord, who promises to keep our going out and our coming in from this time and forever more.

     I wish I had known that I could trust in the Lord that summer when I drove to Florida to see my grandparents, when I was worried about the future. When I was worried that I might make a mistake, do the wrong thing, and that I would never figure out what I should be when I grew up.

    But that summer I became friends with Glady, a woman of extraordinary grace and wisdom, sensitivity and humor.  She and I went to the movies, the mall, and the beach. She told me stories and I shared with her the things that made me anxious. Just telling my worries to a friend made me feel better.

      Glady was one of the people who showed my grandmother love in the days and months leading up to my grandfather’s death—and in the years that immediately followed it. The Lord used her to be His hands and feet. Through Glady and other people, the Lord was Grandma’s keeper.

***

   The night before I left Florida to begin my journey home, Glady opened her china closet and handed me a beautiful, flowered pitcher. I hesitated to take it, knowing that it was part of a set—that it belonged with the others.

   She insisted. It was something she loved and would notice missing. It was something that would lead me to always remember the blessing of friendship.

    That was the last time I ever saw Glady. And I no longer have the pitcher with me; I gave it to my mom before one of my moves about 10 years ago. But my faith assures me that God used Glady to be a blessing not just to my grandmother and her sister, Rippy, but to me!

    Friends, the Lord knows your situation. He knows the past. He holds the future. You can trust in Him. Don’t be afraid that you will make a mistake. God can use everything for His good purposes. And He will. In His time.

    Don’t forget the people who have been a blessing in your life!

    In your gratitude, pass the blessing on! Seek to be Christ’s hands and feet! Be a friend to someone in need.

    God’s Word assures us that He will protect us from harm. He will not allow our foot to be moved from the right path.

    You who are His faithful—You who rely on the grace and mercy of God and don’t place your trust in any of your own works or abilities: The Lord is your keeper.

     The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

     The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time and forever more.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for keeping us always in your tender care. Thank you for your mercy and grace that led you to give up your only son for our sakes so that we might be forgiven of all our sins through faith on Him. Build up our faith and confidence, Lord. Use us for your good purposes. May we be your hands and feet to encourage and lift up someone who is mourning the loss of a loved one or someone who is lonely and worried what the future will bring. Draw us nearer to you and reassure us that you are our keeper, that you have a plan for salvation that includes every one of us! Make your loving presence known to us and to all your children of faith—from this time and forever more. In Christ we pray. Amen. 

“One Body, One Spirit”

Meditation on Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13

For the First Sunday in Lent: March 9, 2014

***

     I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

      But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

***

       I had the pleasure of visiting our “preconfirmation class” last Sunday to talk about the creeds or confessions of our Church. I will be visiting the class once a month throughout the school year to try to get to know the 9 or so youth in grades 7 through 9 better and help prepare them for confirmation, when they will write their own statements of faith with the help of their mentors.  I hope also to help prepare them for after confirmation, when they are full, active members. And later on, when they become, Lord willing, the next generation of leaders in our church.

       So last Sunday, I talked with the students about what a “creed” is and how each creed was written as Christianity grew, especially in the 4^th century, to encompass people living hundreds and thousands of miles apart, across land and sea, in many nations, climates, and cultures. Distance and differences led to the Church wrestling with certain faith questions. Christians struggled to agree on what was “orthodox”—or “right belief”— so that the Church, finally a legal religion in the Roman Empire, could be united, a witness to the world of the One Body of Christ, filled and made alive by One Spirit. 

And yet, every Church council concluded with the drafting of a list of beliefs that were banned and people who were cursed, and the writing of a new set of beliefs—and the Church becoming more divided and fragmented. Those who clung to beliefs branded “heresy” or dangerously wrong were excommunicated. And some who were forced out of the Church began their own church or religious group. And this has happened, over and over in Christian history. And it is still happening today, perhaps not so much with excommunication and curses, but with dissatisfied churches leaving denominations to join with another group or to start something new on their own.

       Christians do not always value diversity or creativity in the Church, despite the Bible’s teachings. In I Cor. 12, Paul explains that the Body of Christ, though One, is made up of many members, each possessing different gifts. Each is necessary for the health and function of the whole Body. In I Cor. 12:4-6, Paul says, “There are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” In Romans 12:6, Paul teaches that God, in His grace, has given us differing gifts for doing certain things well—and if we have been given a gift, we should be using it to serve the Lord.

***

    

    In our Epistle reading today, we are again reading Paul’s teachings about the diversity of spiritual gifts and those who receive them, but the necessary unity of the Body of Christ as it seeks to obey the Lord. Paul rebukes the church at Ephesus for its divisiveness and inability to get along with each other. Paul says, “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Be gentle and patient. Bear with one another in love.

      Paul doesn’t advise the church to sit back and wait for the Lord to fix them or change the people who are behaving badly. And he doesn’t advise the church to split—or kick out the angry or divisive people.  He makes it clear that although unity is a divine gift, the responsibility for unity belongs to the entire congregation. For every Christian to be living a life worthy of the calling, everyone in the church must pursue and cultivate unity and loving relationships.

     Basically, Paul tells the church, “This is going to take some work!”  He says, “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!” To help the church understand his message of unity, he uses the word “one” seven times!

     “There is ONE body and ONE Spirit, just as you were called to the ONE hope of your calling, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism.” He concludes with a kind of Trinitarian creedal statement that may have been used during baptism. “ONE God and Father of All, who is above all and through all (Jesus) and in all (the Holy Spirit).”

***

       Last Sunday, when I met with the youth, I hoped to empower them to make every effort to make the church what they want it to be. To be the Church God is calling them to be! When I see them, I don’t worry if they might be like some of the young people in the past that did not continue to attend church after they were confirmed. I see our youth today and I praise God and think, “Here is the future of the Church.”

     I began my discussion of creeds by saying, “This is YOUR church. If you don’t like something about it, then change it.” I told them that I wanted them to be happy and comfortable in the church, and if they weren’t, I wanted to know so we could try to do something about it. As the apostle Paul teaches, unity is a divine gift that we have to work at; we have to be patient and cultivate unity in our loving relationships with ALL the generations.

       I am impressed with the diversity of our youth. Though many of them have grown up in the same church and community, each has a unique personality and family history. They have different interests and passions, varying academic strengths and social experiences, and they possess a variety of spiritual gifts—some yet to be discovered.  And all that are in need of developing and maturation.

      And that’s our job as a church, sisters and brothers! To raise up children in the faith and help them discover and develop their gifts so they may use them to serve the Lord.  It is also our job to show the children and youth what it means to live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called. To be patient and kind, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to live in unity—to be a witness to the ONE Body of Christ and the ONE Spirit that empowers and transforms us into the people God can use to build His Kingdom.

      With today’s baptism of Noah John, we are again making a commitment to the Lord to nurture a child and his parents in the faith—from this day forward. Through the cleansing waters of baptism, the Spirit claims us as God’s own and unites us with Christ’s Body.  We rejoice as we welcome Noah into our flock and into the Church in every time and place.  We are reminded of our own baptisms, how we are still sinners in need of God’s grace. And that we belong to God and to each other, connected as one Body by one Spirit, and the one hope of our calling.

      “One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 

      One God and Father of all,

      who is above all and through all and in all.”

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for claiming us as your own—for making us your children by the work of Jesus on the cross for our sakes. Thank you for your grace that covers our sins. Please forgive us when we haven’t always obeyed your call to pursue unity or when we may have looked the other way instead of addressing divisiveness, when we haven’t made every effort to maintain unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace. Help us to never forget to pursue a life worthy of our calling, though it may be hard work and may require us to change. Help us to be patient, bearing with one another in love. Lead us to forgive quickly, as you forgive all with hearts of repentance. Make us truly one in faith, One Body, led by your Spirit. And we pray for the children and youth of our church and community. Give them your spiritual gifts for your work in this world. Draw the children nearer to your heart. And give us wisdom and creativity to develop the gifts in our youth and to encourage them to use them for your glory. In Christ we pray. Amen.