The Third Sunday in Lent

Feb. 24, 2008
The Rev. David R. Hackett

“Moses called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’”

(Exodus 17:7)

“Is the Lord among us or not?” Everyone of us has our Meribahs (which means to be contentious). Everyone of us has our Massahs (which means to test). Those are the times as we wander through life when we ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Stop and think. When have you asked that question? When have you contended with God? When have you tested the Lord? Often it is when we find ourselves sick or hurting. It is common to ask “Is the Lord among us? Is the Lord with me?” when we face the specter of death, either our own or that of someone we love. Another way of stating the question, “Why is this happening to me?, or “Why is God doing this to me?”

That’s on a personal level. But we also face Massah and Meribah on a larger scale: at the level of society, community, or church. The stress of living in today’s world, the lack of civility in society, the epidemic of violence which besets us, the continued waging of war, the disregard for human values, the threat of terrorism: all of this combines to cause us to ask at times, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

There are times in the life of our church when we are tempted to ask that question. I confess to you this morning that I am growing tired. I’m weary of the struggle we continually face over the issues that have come to dominate our life together as Episcopalians. We can’t seem to escape controversy. The Anglican Communion is divided. The Episcopal Church is divided. Our congregation of St. John’s Church faces the possibility of factions. We find our energy consumed by division.

The issue of human sexuality has arisen in conjunction with our search process. If you’ve read the last two issues of the newsletter, Interchange, you’ve read of the issues faced by your vestry, your search committee and your bishop.

I want you to know that your vestry and its search committee has dealt with this matter with great integrity. Theirs have been Godly conversations, full of prayer. They have wrestled with what they perceive to be the core values of this congregation as expressed in the “We Are Family” meetings of a year ago and reflected in the parish profile. Your bishop has, likewise, diligently and prayerfully struggled with his decision. Your vestry is respectful of his decision and his responsibility. A letter from your wardens, your bishop, and me was mailed at the end of the week. You may have already received it. We wanted to give clear and accurate information regarding the search process instead of the erroneous rumors that are circulating in the congregation. We are concerned because of the potential of division in the parish. That letter will be read at this service by one of your wardens.

In all of this controversy, which can sometimes be rather contentious, I find myself echoing the question of the ancient Hebrews, “Is God among us or not?” Aren’t we very much like the Hebrews in the wilderness? When I stop and think about it, I’m afraid I am. God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He had promised them salvation. They were on their way to the promised land. And when the going got tough they complained. They complained about the food; they complained about the lack of water. They complained about their leader, “Why did you bring us out here in the desert? We were better off in Egypt.”

Of course the issue was deeper than just being thirsty. The Bible describes the children of Israel as stubborn and “stiff-necked”. They wanted it both ways: liberty without risk, freedom and security. Sound familiar? We are a great deal like the Hebrews. When things are difficult then we begin to complain and to ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” The people of God in the wilderness needed a reminder that God indeed was with them, and God was gracious enough to give it.

We, in our wilderness of transition time, need a reminder of God’s presence and his goodness. And God is gracious enough to give it. St. Paul reminded the Christians in Rome, and would remind you and me this day, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Let’s remember that truth and remember who we are and whose we are: beloved children of God.

Jesus acted out that gracious presence of God in the lives of sinners when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. Remember she was a member of a despised race, an apostate religion, a scandalous and notorious “loose” woman. She comes to the village well in the heat of the day, at noon. That’s not when you normally would go to the center of town, but she went then in order to avoid the other women in town who come to the well in the morning or in the cool of the evening to draw water. She didn’t want their stares, their gossip, and their hassle.

This sinner receives the grace of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. She indeed drinks of the Living Water which quenches the soul, which never dries up, which refreshes for eternity. And this outcast immediately tells her good news of salvation to any and all who will listen to her. And they come to Messiah. They come to healing. They come to wholeness. They come to salvation.

The faithlessness of humanity is met by the graciousness of God. Undeserving humankind meets the unswerving goodness of the divine.

“Is the Lord among us or not?” In the midst of our questioning and testing of God, don’t we need to be reminded of his presence? In the middle of the contentiousness of this time in our church we need to lift up our eyes and see the Lord at work. He’s at work in our lives, in faith and sacrament, in works of mercy, in acts of justice.

We must not forget or waver from our purpose as a church. The Catechism states it best, “The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ.” And it goes on to say, “The church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.” I believe that St. John’s and the Diocese seeks to pursue that purpose and mission, even though there may be differences in how to go about the pursuit. We must not be distracted from the mission.

In the wildernesses of our lives, in the wilderness of this time of transition, at our Massahs and Meribahs, when the Lord may at times seem far away, we are reminded of the graciousness of God towards us. We are reminded by Moses, by Paul, and by that Samaritan woman at the well. Amen.