We are Being Tested By God

September 27, 2020 Exodus 17:1-7 Being Tested By God 17th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer L: Come, let us worship God who provides for us. P: Even though we whine and complain, God hears our cries. L: Lift your voices in praise, for God has come to comfort you. P: Thanks be to God who forgives and heals our wounded souls. L: Come, celebrate God’s steadfast love. P: Open our hearts, O Lord, and let us truly listen to your words. AMEN. Stewardship Moment Offering Prayer (Exodus 17) God of abundance, you fill us with good things; you satisfy our thirst; you meet our every need. From your rock, our blessings flow. Accept what we give in return: our hearts, our hands, our gifts, our love. Use them to answer the cries of a world in need. Amen. Scripture Exodus 17:1-7 Water from a rock 17 The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the LORD commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the LORD?” 3 But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.” 5 The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel’s elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd’s rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. 6 I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink.” Moses did so while Israel’s elders watched. 7 He called the place Massah[a] and Meribah,[b] because the Israelites argued with and tested the LORD, asking, “Is the LORD really with us or not?” Sermon Being Tested By God The only thing that we can be sure of in life is change. Every generation experiences a big event that is so earth shattering that it transforms everything about life. Of course for us, we would all agree that the pandemic is the transforming event for us in this room. But I will say that the transformation is deeper than that, all of 2020 has been a transforming event and it is not over yet. We have no idea how this year will end. Things are happening so fast, we hardly have time to really process any of this. That must have been how the Isrealites must have felt when this strange man names Moses convinced them to leave the comforts of slavery in Egypt and go on an unknown journey into the desert. They had no map, no destination, no preparation, no idea of what to expect. All they could do was complain. And the complaining never ends. Moses probably started to ask them all – what kind of cheese do you want with your whine? Wandering in the wilderness We have all been there at some point in our lives. We have been at a time in our lives when we are just wandering in the wilderness – looking for where we will go next. We might be just finishing school looking for a career, just out of a relationship looking for what comes next, looking for a lifestyle change. We may be looking for a new job. There are any number of things that might put us in that place of wandering. The point is, some of us at some point find a sense of direction of where we are supposed to go, and some of us just keep on wandering Some of us get home and some of us keep wandering There is a saying that the king of England said a prayer to God on day – he prayed that God would give him a light so that he could see in the unknown. The priest replied, instead of praying for light, just pray for God – that is all that you need. That is the difference between those who make it to the promised land, and those who don’t. Some are still looking for the light, and some discover that God knows the way – not them. We have to go in the wilderness to find God Often times it is those wilderness experiences that teach us that we need God. It is those wilderness experiences that teach us of the ways of God. It is those wilderness experiences that put us face to face with a God. A God that had been with us all along, but for some reason we had not been paying attention to. It is in the wilderness that we start to exchange our fear for courage, and we have to strength to move on. Even when we get to the promised land we see that in reality, all of our lives are lived somewhere in between hardship and promise. No Matter how far we make it, there is something that we have to struggle with. Exodus 17 is the third murmuring story. They are complaining for food and water. In the first story God gives them a solution to the problem. In the second story God asks them to listen to his instructions. In this story God says that this is a test to see whether they will trust God to do what God says. In all three stories God provides for them. God continues to provide, and the people continue to complain This story does not end well for the people. Centuries later when they are excelled from their homeland, they reflect on what they could have done to make God so mad at them. God says that God never got ever their complaining here at Meribah. God could tolerate the complaining, but they never passed the test. They did not do what they were asked, and they did not rely on God for their provisions, they took matters in their own hands. Being exiled was the consequences for their actions. Speaking of consequences – in this story, the people blame Moses for all of their problems. If it wasn’t for him they would be safe and taken care of in Egypt, never mind the fact that they would have also been slaves. It was Moses fault. It is Moses that tells them that God never forgave them for not listening to God. The tension between the leader and the people. The end of Exodus says that Moses lived to an old age. But the bible says that his ending was mysterious. He went out into the desert one day and was never found again. People say that God came to him in the desert and told him that it was his time, and God took him. I am not a bible scholar, but I always assume that the people knew more than they are saying about Moses disappearance. They got tired of him telling them what to do. This story is much more than a story about the wilderness, whining, or blaming leaders. The main character of the story is God, the main point is that God provides, the main lesson is to look for God in the middle of life’s deserts. God provides for us without complaint. Moses was able to get them water by striking a rock with his walking stick. Moses leadership was no so much about coming up with answers to their problems, but in listening to God’s instruction. You can't get blood out of a turnip!" we've all heard (usually in response to a bill collector or a higher church budget). Or we've heard a variation, "You can't squeeze water out of a stone." We nod our heads in agreement with the speaker. After all, how can we argue with something so plain? The rational, analytical side of our brain says, "True, true, sad but true. You can't get water out of a rock." Oh, we of little faith. All we see is the rock. Every week when I need to come up with a sermon, I read the prescribed scripture passage(s) for that Sunday and scratch my head. "Come on," I say. "I need a sermon." Nothing comes out. I stare at the page and think, "This is like squeezing water out of a rock." What I see is the rock -- not the potential for water. I see the blank page, not the potential for a sermon. It's not until I trust God to reveal the sermon behind the page that it comes out. (Maybe not masterpieces, but I've never yet gotten into the pulpit Sunday morning and said, "Sorry, no word from God.") We're all like those Hebrews at times, aren't we? They're wandering in the wilderness, thirsting to death and grumbling about it. "Moses," they say, "we and our families and our animals are dying of thirst. Help." So Moses approaches God, and God tells him to go to a certain spot and to strike the rock with his staff, assuring him water will appear. Moses does as he is told and, wow, where before they'd seen only rock, water flows. Imagine the Hebrews' reaction. Cheering, clapping, whistling, people saying "Neat-o!" and "Cool!" But they probably believed the miracle was that water appeared where there had been no water. That's not the case. It's not that there was no water there. The water was there; it's just that they couldn't see it there, didn't have access to it, didn't know how to tap it. The true miracle wasn't water appearing where there was no water; the true miracle was they stopped seeing rock and finally saw water beneath. Richard Bach, in his terrific little paperback, Illusions: The Adventures Of A Reluctant Messiah, writes: "Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours."1 We must stop arguing for limitations, stop arguing "You can't get water out of a rock." We must ask God to help us see the water, the potential in our lives and in all of life's situations. Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, there they are, limiting you. We can complain, we can blame, but we also need to look for God. God stayed mad at the Isrealites, no so much because they complained. But they also didn’t listen, follow instructions or trust. The only thing we can be sure of is that things will change. The exodus story is an invitation. An invitation for all of us to come out of what is holding us back. An invitation to enter into a new relationship with life. Our wilderness experience are the growing pains of entering a new life. Next week we will see how this new relationship formed a new community, a new promise that God will provide and that we need to listen and be loyal – the story of the 10 commandments – whole new promise on a whole new level. Proof that we passed the test and chose to stay in relationship with our circumstance and with God. The prayer of the filled cup Recently I learned of a special prayer that one woman does every day. When she wakes up in the morning who gets a bowl- and as she pours water in to she starts to pray for all of the things and all of the people in her life. As the bowl fills up she still pour the water. And she is reminded of God’s grace in her life. She remembers all of the needs that God supplies, all that she is grateful for. All that she has for her say. She realizes that her life is just as full as that bowl. And then she leaves the bowl on her kitchen sink for the rest of her day – to remind her of the fullness of God, and that her soul is full. Let us pray….. Prayer Pastoral Prayer Lord of hope and healing, you have heard the cries of our hearts. You know that we do want to serve you, and yet when things get tough, we buckle and cave in. We lack the courage and strength to work for you. You have reminded us that you will be continually with us and we need to place our trust in that fact. Your love will sustain and heal us. Your mercy and grace will give us courage and strength, joy and peace. As we have come before you this day, offering our prayers for those near and dear to us, let us remember that you constantly lift and carry us in your love. Bring us to the knowledge of your mercy and powerful love that will never leave us. Prepare us for ministry in areas of need and desolation. For we ask these things in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. Song for Reflection Come Thou Font of Every Blessing UMH 400 Announcements Next week is World Communion Sunday- We will be celebrating communion. You can pick up your prepackaged elements from the office. Or have a drink and some type of bread product. The scripture for next week is Exodus 20:1-20 The song is One Bread One Body UMH - 620 Benediction Children’s Sermon – will be given via Facebook Moses did exactly what God told him to do and guess what happened? He got water from a rock! Once again, God took good care of His people just like He takes good care of us today. So, what should you and I do when we face a seemingly impossible situation? We should ask God for His help, and then trust in Him. Sometimes we may not understand the way God is leading, but we just have to trust Him and have faith in His ways. After all, who would have thought you could get water from a rock? (You can read this whole story in Exodus 17:1-7 if you want.) Let’s pray together. Dear Father, when we face impossible situations, help us to remember that we serve a God who can rain down food from heaven and get water from a rock. Nothing is impossible for You. You love us and always take care of us. Thank You! Am

Praise is what we do

Exodus 32:1-14
Philippians 4:1-9
17th Sunday After Pentecost
Year A
“Praise is what we do”


The Christian Boxer

Two men were driving the streets of Chicago. One cuts off the other one – as happens every day, lots of times here in the city. The man who was cut off he gets upset, he drives in front of the other man, stops , gets out of the car, and feels he is going to give the man a piece of his mind. He starts yelling and telling the man not to cut him off. The other man very politely apologizes, confesses that he was in a hurry and was not paying attention to what he was doing. Satisfied that he has gave the man a piece of his mind and that justice had been served, he gets back in his car and drives off with a little swagger.
His passenger is silent for a while, as he had been the whole time that this scenario had played out - after the man has driven off. The passenger asks if he knew who that was who he had just argued with. The driver, still high on his success, says, I really don’t care who that man was – he had no right to cut me off like that, and I needed to let him know that.
The passenger continues – that was the golden gloves featherweight boxing champion of the world. His hands are a legal deathly weapon. If he had chosen to get into a fight with you –you wouldn’t be sitting here now, you would not have had a chance. By the grace of God – he chose to be nice to you – even though he didn’t have to.


What does it mean to be a Christian in an Unchristian world?
That is the dilemma that we face each and every day as Christians – what does it mean to be Christian in an unchristian world. Philippians 4:4 says rejoice in the lord always – again I say rejoice. How am I supposed to maintain my joy – when every one around me is complaining. How am I supposed to preach the good news – when every you go there is bad news.


My favorite chapter
I am just full of this chapter –because it tells everything we need to know about what it means to be a Christian. The secrets to a Christian life. The secrets are rejoice, be gentle, pray, think. In the greek, Paul actually says dwell – think, meditate, contemplate long and hard, take the time to pray, before you respond.

Finally beloved, whatsoever is true, whatsoever is honorable, whatsoever is just, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is pleasing, whatsoever is commendable, if there is any arête - any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think or as Paul says dwell about these things.

Important words for me, because not only are they Paul’s advice to us – but this verse is the mission statement of my alma mater – northwestern. Quacumque Sunt Vera – latin for whatsoever things are true.


My visit to Philippi
I visited Philippians. It is on ignatia way – the main highway going through Greece – six hours north on that highway and you get to Macedonia. Our tour bus had to just pull of on the side of the road. We were literally on the side if the road buying souvenirs. The middle school boys in front of us highly recommended a book that we just had to have on greek history. Sex in greek times. I never every read the book until few years ago. Now I know why you should never trust the interest of middle school boys- the book was a lot more about sex than it was about history.
The remains of philippi were very small –we saw the jail where Paul and Silas were locked up, and freed by the jailer. We saw the courthouse, the marketplace, and there we several churches in the town. The congregation of church A had decided that they were going to build a church, but they were only going to use building techniques in the bible. They built the church building and the church fell down. They built the church again, and it fell down again. They built the church a third time, and a third time it fell down.

Church A at Philippi
The story goes Paul came in and preached to the congregation these verses. Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing commendable and excellent – think on these things, use them apply them to your life. In order to build a solid building you have to use geometry. Geometry may be from the egytians, it may not be in the bible, it might be considered pagan knowledge – but it is still from God. it is true, it works, and you need it in order to build a solid building. If it has truth it is, it can only come from God.


God in the pagan virtue list
But the question remains, then how am I supposed to remain Christian in an unchristian world? Am I really supposed to value what the world values? Am I supposed to follow the ways of the world? One thing that we modern readers may not realize is that Paul intentionally list the virtues important to the Roman pagans – truth, honor, justice, purity, beauty, excellence. These are all of the things that the world holds dear. Virtues that any roman citizen should strive to meet.
Paul’s question to us is how is this list any different then what God requires of us. These are the same places that we find God – in truth, honor, justice, purity, when we admire the beauty of a rainbow – we are in awe because we know that is a sign that God is present. Many pictures of the leaves turning for the fall on facebook – with the caption of how we should admire the beauty of God.
But the more important lesson for us – is to remember that the true temple of God is not this building, the true temple of God is in inside of us. It is truly not what we do in here that makes us a Christian, it is what we do our there.
We think that we have to work at getting people to come in here with us. When paul is reminding us that we may have to go out there with them. There is a campaign within the united Methodist church – rethink church.

Rethink church
That story of the church in philippi – I thought it was interesting that I had never heard that story in the bible before. Was it true, or just a part of the folklore of the tourist industry of Greece. But it still tells an interesting truth about our behavior as Christians. It may not be true – but is a truth. Just as they felt that the only knowledge that they could use to build a church building had to be in the bible. We tend to think that the only knowledge of how to build a church has to be in our own understanding of what it means to be a Christian. If people don’t act the way we act, if people don’t worship the way we worship, if people are not interested in what we are interested in, then they must not be Christian. In the Philippians shortsighted, the building fell down. In our shortsidedness, our churches are dying. People are not coming in the door to be the church with us.
There is nothing wrong with our idea of being Christian – its is biblical – actually it is our interpretation of what is biblical. There is nothing wrong with that – Paul tells us to think and pray on these things. But we also have to expand our ideas of what it means to be Christian.



St Luke Choir
We were at St Luke UMC in Cambridge, MD. I was very impressed with the choir – they sang with a lot more rhythm than I have ever seen in a united Methodist choir. There was one little girl in front. It is okay to dance in the black church, and to sway a little bit. but as I was watching this one little girl – I couldn’t help but to think that she was shaking her hips a little too much and twisting a little too far. I couldn’t help but to think I am not so sure that she got that in church. That dancing she was doing wasn’t in the bible. But the point was – she was there – in church, singing the songs praising God.
The church was in the heart of an all black community. And we wondered, how many of those people in the community have any relationship with the church. Besides it being the place where they come to get food and other supplies. We are in the world, but not of the world – and we wonder why are churches are dying.
We tend to think that in order to be a part of our church – to one of us – you have to come to worship every Sunday – and then we will find something for you to do. And we wonder why our churches are dying. I heard on tv of a church right here in Englewood. A church of young adults – one was saying that he loved his church- because it was there hang out place. They spent all of their time during the week at church, so it was the logical place for them to go on Sunday. The church has to be more than a place to get services, the church has to be a place where people are safe to hang out and have fun in their everyday lives.
Paul message to us is that we have to rethink our definition of church. The church has to be a part of the world. The worlds values are God’s values. God created the world, God wants to save the world. God wants every person to actually live up to those values that have been instilled into the human heart.

We have to be the temple of God for the world
It is not enough for us to just sit here and pray that people come in. it is not enough for us to go outside and knock on doors and ask people to come in an join us. We are going to have to go and take the temple of God out into our lives. In who we are and how we treat people. And how we respond to to bad news of life.
Put your life to the test - if it is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, and excellent – then it is from God and worth our time and energy. We can incorporate it into our lives.

We are the presence of God for the world
How do we remain Christian in an unchristian world – take life one step further. Don’t just think – but pray. Don’t react – be gentle. And rejoice in the lord at all times for the lord is near.

A woman went to visit her friend in a retirement center – and she was impressed as she heard the choir giving a concert. Her friend responded you know that God is in this place. Her friend asked how did she know – because old people cant sing that good unless they have god is with them. The lesson for all of us – is to rejoice – rejoice in the lord always. Let us pray…..