Sermon
of October 16, 2005
Presented by Rev. Julia Williamson
Scripture lesson: Exodus 33:12-23
“Covered By God's Hand"
We've been following Moses for a while here. Up until now, things have gone pretty well. God has revealed himself in the burning bush, helped Moses lead the people out of slavery in Egypt, across the Red Sea, away from Pharaoh's army, and into the beginning of their journey towards the Promised Land. God has even given Moses the first version of the 10 commandments on those stone tablets. But the people have been complaining a lot -- not enough food, not enough water -- and God provides those things. Yet the people seem to forget pretty quickly, and keep complaining. So at this point Moses has just been up on the mountain talking to God and getting those stone tablets with the 10 commandments. And what are the people doing? They're making that golden calf and running wild! And Moses hurries down the mountain and is so angry that he smashes the tablets on the ground, and there go the 10 commandments. And then God tells Moses that He's not sure He can be with the people any more, because He is so angry with them.
For Moses this is a crisis moment. Up until this point, God has been pretty close by. But now the question is, will God stick it out with Moses and the people or not? There's a lot at stakes here: the very existence of the people, their future as a community, even their immediate survival out in the desert. All of these things are now up in the air because God may back out of the whole deal.
This story can speak to us here today. Here's how it spoke to me. One message I get from this story is: Being in community is always better than being alone. This is not only true for the Israelites, it is true for us too. It is better to be a part of this community right here, right now, than to be alone. Without God in their lives, Moses knows that the fragile community out there in the desert, all by themselves, could easily fall apart. And death isn't far behind because no one can survive alone in the desert. This is why Moses needs to know if he has found favor in God's sight, and just exactly what God's plans are. Moses is polite but direct. He says, "Show me your ways, and by the way don't forget, this nation is your people." I think he means, "Give it to me straight now God, are you in or are you out. Are you with us or not. 'Cause it's going to be kind of lonely out here in the desert without you."
I can tell you the time I felt most alone. It was the year when I taught French at a boarding school, way up north in Maine. Many days it felt like I was in the desert. I was glad I had the job, but soon realized it was going to be a tough year. It was difficult and draining, and there was no where to go to get a break. But God was with me in the form of a small Mennonite church community I visited and got to know that year. I remember I felt like I had no time or energy to do anything more than simply show up on Sunday mornings and occasionally Wednesday nights for Bible study. Soon they found out I had some background in the Bible, and they wanted me to take on more of a leadership role in the Bible study. And I just felt like I had no energy to do it. My plate was full with just making it through a day of teaching. I felt a little guilty about it, but I had to tell them no, I just need to be able to show up here when I can and be nurtured.
Being in a church community is better than being alone. So what does it mean to be in a community trying its best to follow God? It means that any given point, some people will be leaders and some will be followers. Back in 1987 when I was teaching, I needed to be a follower. One of the first things Moses says to God, in verse 12, is "listen, God, you told me to bring this people out of slavery, but you didn't way who's going to help me with this job." Moses is a leader who needs some help. He knows he's not going to be the one to bring the people all the way to the Promised Land, but he doesn't know who's going to take over after him, and it's making him nervous! In our church community, some people are -- nervous isn't quite the right word, how about expectant? -- some people are expectant, waiting patiently to see whom God will choose for some new leaders... new leaders who can set an example in pledging and giving, new leaders who can make the job of the nominating committee a little easier in November, new leaders who are creative in helping our church find ways to meet some new challenges brought on by the ways our culture is rapidly changing.
Ideally in a community there's a natural flow between being a follower and being a leader. It's good to take turns. It's kind of like that flock of geese I saw in the rain the other day. I heard that geese take turns being the front flyer. When the leader in that V-formation gets tired, he or she drops back and another bird takes over. Let's all pretend we're geese and imagine where we are in the formation. Are you a front flyer, a back flyer, or somewhere in the middle, and is God calling you to switch places? Here is where community really matters. When you need to be a follower, as I did back when I was having a tough time teaching, the community is there to surround you and keep you going. But when your load is a little lighter, think about taking one of those front spots.
What does it mean to be part of a church community? It means we are a distinct people. I know some people don't like to think that way, but we are disabling ourselves if we don't. Moses says, "Consider too that this nation is your people... we shall be distinct... from every people on the face of the earth." Now, before you think, Oh, that's terrible, that's how wars get started, by people thinking they're better than others, think of it another way. Moses didn't say better, he said distinct, different. Our church is different from other social service or charitable organizations. I like the quote that says, "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required." (Luke 12:48) As God's people, we have been given so much, the love of Jesus Christ, the promises of God, and the chance to be partners with God in so many ways. What gifts do you have to share with others? If you have already found your niche, that's a reason to celebrate! If you are drawing a blank, how about starting with the gift of your time, and let God take it from there? Just by being here in worship, you are giving back an hour of your time, and that is also a reason to celebrate! Being in community is better than being alone.
Of course there are also times to be alone. And that's the other message I got from this story. Moses is alone when God puts him in the cleft of that rock, covers him with his hand and passes by him. It's almost as if God is giving into Moses' demands because Moses just won't give up his need to understand and see the glory of God. So the question to all of us today then becomes, have we given up our own search for the glory of God? Has our modern, technological world made it ever-increasingly difficult to notice the ways that God's glory can still shine through? With all this rain, and talk about Noah's ark appearing, I'll tell you a quick rain story, or maybe it's a dew story.
A couple of weeks ago in the early morning, I went outside with the dog and I turned and looked at our bushes. What I saw was dozens of little, tiny spider webs, almost in the shape of dome tents, little round tents scattered along with bushes. If you looked really carefully you could see a little spider in the middle of each one. They were really beautiful, and I thought, where did all these little spiders with their webs come from, because I hadn't noticed them before. And then it occurred to me that these little webs probably were here every morning, I just couldn't see them if the weather conditions weren't just right, with just the right amount of dew to make them visible. So there's my analogy. Perhaps God's hand, like a little domed web, or maybe not, maybe like something we can't even begin to imagine, is covering and sheltering each one of us, all the time. We just can't see it unless the conditions are just right, as they were for Moses that day. And so may each one of us take the time, not only to be in community with each other, but also to search God out, to notice and feel God's hand, like a protective shelter, covering us and making a difference in our lives and in our world, even today. Amen.