The Water and the Rock

Grumbling in the desert of Sin

Not “sin” but “clay” and “Thorns” -> Sinai

Barren place

Thirsting for water

End up at Horeb - Mt. Sinai

The New International Version Chapter 17

“Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

Massah & Meribah - Temptation and Strife

The New International Version Chapter 17

“Is the LORD among us or not?”

This is the key question

As a reader it is obvious

The passover, the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud and fire literally leading them

It’s clear to us before the question is even asked

But it’s always easier to see God at work in the rear view mirror

When we look back on our lives, we can see where God has been with us.

But every time we are confident that God has been with us, we are faced withanother difficult or challenging situation, and it’s so hard to see how God can possibly with us. We feel abandoned.

Lost in a desert of clay and thorns.

Far from the rock that flows with living water

It’s all too easy to lose hope

Begs the question

What do we hope for?

In the desert, the people of Israel hoped for water.

What is it that we hope for?

Peace in the world?

Harmony in our families?

Thriving in our church?

We yearn for these things. They are signs of life as it is meant to be.

When they are absent, things start to go wrong

When we lose hope, it is hard to imagine how things might turn around.

It’s easy for us to see how God was with the people of Israel in the desert, and to criticise them for their lack of hope. But would we be much different?

Who do we hope in?

Last weekend had the privilege of going on retreat at Sister Eveleen House in Sumner

In many ways the perfect preparation for my study leave

Was browsing the library and came across a littel book from a dutch theologian Henri Nouwen called “Creative Ministry”. The main idea in this book is that as ministers of the Gospel - and we’re all of us ministers of hte Gospel. As ministers of the Gospel our spirituality is more important than our professionalism. Who we are, whose we are, is more imprtant than what we do.

It was an interesting book, plenty of food for thought.

There was one short passage, one small aside, an almost throwaway comment that left me undone.

Nouwen was talking about hope.

He said that all too often we hope for changes in our circumstances

We hope that our problems will go away

We hope that our lot in life will improve.

When is doesn’t, then our hopes are dashed, and we are left… hopeless.

It’s a familiar story.

It resonates with us.

Instead of hoping for our circumstances to change, what if we placed our hope in the God who is with us in every circumstance?

What difference would that make for us?

Not in our circumstances, but in our perspective, in our outlook, in our ability to find springs of living water in the hard and thorny desert

We see this throughout scripture

With Ruth and Naomi gleaning in the fields

With David facing Goliath

Throughout the Psalms

Isaiah in exile

Jesus in the Garden, and on the cross

Paul in prison

Again and again we see God at work in His people’s lives, not necessarily chagning their circumstances (though he often does), but by preparing a table in presence of their enemies, by placing their feet in a spacious place

“Hope is not dependent on peace in the land, justice in the world, and success in the business. Hope is willing to leave unanswered questions unanswered and unknown futures unknown. Hope makes you see God’s guiding hand not only in the gentle and pleasant moments but also in the shadows of disappointment and darkness.

What do we hope for in our nation?

Heading into our election season

Every party setting out their stalls, hoping to change the circumstances of our nation.

And I don’t have a problem with that.

We shouldbe seeking to bring about positive change in our world.

Jesus in his minsitry reached out again and again to the poor, the marginalised and the excluded.

Throughout scripture God illustrates His preferential option for the poor.

Dame Judith Potter - poverty of hope

Not about a list of policies, no one party is “more Christian” than others, despite what they may claim.

A task of discernment, founded in who we hope in, rather than what we hope for.

The key question for us as followers of Jesus in this election season is this:

As we participate in our society, as we participate in God’s ministry of reconciliation in the world, How can we work towards concrete signs of hope?

Not an easy question to answer, and each of us might come to different conclusions, but we turn our hearts and minds towards the one in whom we hope.

No one can truly say with certainty where he or she will be ten or twenty years from now. You do not know if you will be free or in captivity, if you will be honored or despised, if you will have many friends or few, if you will be liked or rejected. But when you hold lightly these dreams and fears, you can be open to receive every day as a new day and to live your life as a unique expression of God’s love for humankind. There is an old expression that says, “As long as there is life there is hope.” As Christians we also say, “As long as there is hope there is life.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Turn My Mourning into Dancing: Finding Hope in Hard Times