Elections and Moses

October 25, 2020 The Rev. Mark Pendleton Christ Church, Exeter Elections and Moses 1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain--that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees--as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. 9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Today our prayer focus turns to our upcoming national elections only eight days away. Lord, may election day come soon! We routinely pray for the leaders of this land: the President, the Cabinet, Governors, Mayors, and others in authority, that God grant them wisdom and grace to exercise their duties. I suppose a fair question might be: why do we pray for elections and governments? What can God do? What should God do? Does God favor one outcome over another? Can God use one candidate over another to carry out God's will? These questions resurface at least every four years. Best we remember what Abraham Lincoln, who began trending briefly on Twitter during Thursday's debate, once famously said: "my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." We should always be clear who are those on God's side. Those who work for justice, peace, unity, who care for the poor and God's creation. For wasn't that the intention of Jesus' summation of the commandments? (Matthew 22) "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' We can spend our lives just scratching the surface of what this might be for our lives. Whichever party or candidates carry the day on November 3, I do hope for peace to prevail over violence. One of my most foundational experiences in my life came out of the year I spent in Cuba in the 1980's, followed up by my many trips to the island in the decades since. Seeing how the people live under a true dictatorship, how their so-called elections are meaningless, it has reminded me to never take what we have inherited in this country for granted. The right and ability to vote in fair, safe and free elections is one the ways we can be agents for our own futures. We can say without reservation that the God in whom we believe cares deeply about all parts of our lives. God has acted within human history through ancient Israel and the life of the Church since believers began to follow Jesus as The Way. One of the collects from our prayer book reminds us and begins: Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being. On the subject of leaders and elections, if we could elect an ideal candidate to lead us out of any crisis we find ourselves, looking through the pages of the Bible I would nominate Moses. Moses, the quintessential model of wise and grace-filled leadership in the Bible. Like Jesus, we can read of his birth, his life and his death. In Exodus, we read about how as a newborn he was placed in a basket by his Hebrew mother at the banks of the river in Egypt. It was the only way to save the child from slaughter. Moses was later found by Pharaoh's daughter and was raised near the center of power. We can recall the burning bush where God spoke to him. Moses, as great as he was, was by no means perfect. One of the part of his biography glossed over in any Disney movie or cartoon is that Moses murdered a man. He killed an Egyptian who was beating a fellow Hebrew and buried the dead man in the sand. Deuteronomy, from which we read our lesson this morning, is a compilation of three of his farewell speeches. In the section we hear today, from another mountain top, the Lord God shows Moses the Promised Land: From Gilead to Dan, Judah, Jericho and the Negev. 4 The Lord said, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." What a life Moses lived! He saved his people from Pharaoh and led them through 40 years of wilderness. He received the Law on Mount Sinai. At the ripe age of 120 - which is today's language is the new 110 -- with good sight and vigor, Moses died. He was the only prophet to see God face-to-face. Yet he would not cross over. Imagine going all that way and not being able to reach what you had thought was your desired end. It is hard not to hear these ancient words and connect them to the night before Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed in Memphis in 1968. To an overflowing crowd, King said: "We've got some difficult days ahead" -- the city's sanitation workers were striking. "But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop ... I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." King revealed that he was not afraid to die: "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life-longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will.... And so I'm happy tonight; I'm not worried about anything; I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." Moses was given an opportunity not afforded to the great Civil Rights leader, he appointed a successor. It was Joshua, whom Moses had laid hand on him to confer authority, who would take his people across to a new beginning. Elections are said to be snapshots in time: capturing the winds and feeling of how people feel about their lives when to go to the polls. Somewhere along that way I hope that we retain a longer and larger vision. Like Moses who was reminded of who became before us. Take a moment to think of those who came before you. Parents and grandparents and generations before. Imagine what they endured. How they struggled, migrated, sacrificed and took risks that we only imagine. With All Hallows' Eve - Halloween - in the air this coming week, we can connect this time of year when it can feel as if the memories of those who have lived and loved draw even closer. Next week we celebrate All Saints' Sunday where we too will look to the light of those who walked before us and who now rest with God. We are all knit-together in one community of saints -- of the living and dead. I came across of book on my wife's desk - she and I often share articles and books in that her work is as a consultant with churches overlaps much of mine - "How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going" by Susan Beaumont. I thought: perfect title of a book for this moment in our lives. The subtitle: "Leading in a Liminal Season." The word liminal, as I've learned, means threshold. It is a kind of neutral space between an ending and new beginning. It is a disorienting time. Twilight is a liminal time between day and night. New Year's Day is an annual liminal time between the end of one year and beginning of another. As the leaves fall from the trees in the part of the world, we too can share this liminal space. As the author suggests: We have "one foot in something that is not yet over, whereas the other foot is planted in a thing not yet defined, something not ready to begin." (pg. 7) Living in in-between spaces is not easy. And it's a good thing to be aware of how we might be feeling during these moments. People and institutions can fray at the edges. Patience can evaporate. As the author outlines: it is possible that "anxieties rise, motivation dips, weaknesses emerge and to no one's surprise, people get more polarized."(pg. 12). What can we do. For one: hold steady. With God's help. The Apostle Paul wrote: whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4: 8-9) Whatever happens in the days and months ahead, we can draw strength from God and one another. We are on the threshold on something new. God, we believe and trust, will continue to show us the way. 3