Is the Lord among us or not? Lectionary Leanings 28 September

Preaching a sermon about water after a summer where everyone seems to have had more than their fill of what I've told my students is really liquid sunshine, may seem like overkill. However, I think that the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday can perhaps give some theological context to the contemporary downpours.

Exodua 17:1-7 and Matthew 21:23-32

The Exodus reading has Prime Minister Moses trying to deal with a disgruntled representative cabinet questioning his leadership and asking what he was going to do about their current lack of liquid assets. Sounds rather familiar. Things are not going right for anyone and someone must be to blame! Its an everyone-but-me-situation.

The Gospel reading has another encounter with political overtones over the question of baptism and who has the right to exercise authority.

Brian P. Stoffregen wonders if it is God who comes in these situations and does things that threaten and shatter our understandings of God; and that it is the demonic who wants us to maintain the status quo about God -- which will normally be too narrow an understanding of the God whose ways are far beyond our own.









The thing I find significant within these readings is what I would call the hidden intervention of God. The people of Israel where aware of the results of the desert miracle, refreshing water, but not of the one who supplied their need. The elite in the temple where conscious of the religious principles but not of their theological significance or spiritual implications.

The cry of the Israelites was, "Is the Lord among us or not" and the Pharisees saw but did not believe. For the Desert community we read that God said to Moses I will be standing there in front of you on the rock and still they didn't see. For the temple groupies; the word made flesh was their teacher yet they failed to see or understand him.

Is it still a question of water, water all around and not a drop to drink?

Brueggemann makes an interesting observation in that there is a problem presented, God intervenes to solve the problem and they no longer are thirsty. In our advertising it is the "commodity" that becomes the substitute for God and provides the answer, whether it is the answer to loneliness, depression, popularity, joy well being etc. (Brueggemann: 818)