Strike the Rock

Exodus 17: 1-7, OT page 64 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Sermon Last Thursday below the fold our Daily Herald ran an article by Kevin Hardy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press titled, “Poll: Religion’s influence waning, but religion in politics growing.” It’s hard to say that the article was good – the reporting was good, but the news it reported isn’t very good at all. Hardy reported the results from a new poll released Monday by the Pew Research Center, which found that 72 percent of the public think religion is losing influence in American life. For any of you who are reading about churches closing their doors or of denominations like ours whose total membership numbers have been declining since the 1950’s, this is old news that I’m almost used to hearing. If you go to any place where pastors gather to talk the conversation is almost always the same – numbers are down and our influence is waning, which makes the interesting part of this article Hardy’s claim that “more than ever, Americans say religion is losing its influence in society, though the public’s appetite for religion in politics is only growing.” Now that is a major change, as I know that a pastor who preached politics from the pulpit would never have been tolerated in the church I grew up in. Generally Presbyterians like to keep religion and politics separate, but society is changing: while church attendance isn’t required, being able to talk about faith is, especially when it comes to running for major political office. I’m not sure that this change is very good for our country or our church, because the form of Christianity that is used to get votes can hardly be called Christianity at all for when politicians talk religion far too often they have no idea what they’re talking about. Let me give you my favorite example: Miriam A. Ferguson was the first female governor of Texas. She served the state for three terms, stood firm against the KKK, but is often credited with a quote allegedly spoken in reference to bilingualism in Texas schools: “If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas.” Just a couple years ago President Obama had urged the passage of a provision in his jobs bill by saying, “I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work.” A reporter later asked his press secretary Jay Carney if the President crossed the line by bringing God into the jobs debate and Carney responded: “I believe that the phrase from the Bible is, ‘The Lord helps those who help themselves.' ” However, the “Lord helps those who help themselves” is actually attributed to Benjamin Franklin. But the more important religious misunderstanding that some politicians suffer from is believing that following the example of Jesus will help get you elected – it won’t - it will get you crucified – and following the example of Moses leads to nearly the same place. If democracy had been the political system of the Israelites, Moses’ campaign never would have stood a chance. As soon as the polls came in Aaron would have advised him to change course. I can imagine his cabinet suggesting that he get back to his roots – start using some of those slogans that worked so well back in Egypt: “let my people go!” they wanted to hear him say. But catchy slogans run out of steam when the results slow down. Even though they were free – now they were thirsty. “The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink,” and in the absence of immediate results they complained about him, they questioned his judgment, and they asked if he had taken them out of Egypt to kill them, their children and their livestock with thirst. None of that has the makings of a great political legacy – but every bit of this second scripture lesson has the makings of real leadership, a subject that too many of our politicians in Washington seem less and less in touch with every day. The reality is that approval ratings often have little to do with leadership – if public approval is what you use to guide you than good luck getting anywhere. That’s why Moses is different. Even when the tide of discontent swept over the people, rather than join them in their frustration Moses stays rooted in the truth. Isn’t that what the world needs? More people like Moses who remember something that everyone else has such a tendency to forget – more people like Moses who hold onto a memory of a faithful, liberating God, even when thirst, frustration, and doubt could take everything away. He remembered the only source of living water, even when doing so didn’t make any rational sense. We live in this world where so often all we hear is that things are getting worse – that everything is being taken away. The schools are bad, the jobs are few, and freedom isn’t free. We must protect our jobs, our children, and our health care. The church needs to make some radical changes to appeal to a new generation or we’re sure to loose even more members. The people are thirsty and they want to know when someone is going to do something about it. But Moses wasn’t thinking about the dryness of his throat or his popularity that was slipping away. He was remembering the liberating power of the God who freed him from Egyptian oppression. He was remembering the promise of the God he knew would provide. Now I don’t know how to fix any problem that the church or our society faces today, but I have been thirsty and knowing some very thirsty people, knowing that we are all thirsty people thirsting for something, I want to remind you that water will come again. It is every Christian’s duty to testify in the desert of life to the God who makes water come from rocks. To remind the hopeless of a God who makes a way out of no way. To remind the family pulled apart by too much pressure and too much to do, that the Lord is in their midst and love will see them through. To remind a world that rushes to violence of the power of peace. To remind each other of goodness in a world that seems so cruel – for we all need to be reminded of a present God when we ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Moses stood before a rock in what everyone believed was barren land, and as foolish as it must have seemed, he struck that rock with his staff in the sight of the elders of Israel, and water streamed forth. Now this is leadership – believing when everyone else has given up – staying faithful to the promise despite the tide of public opinion – holding tight to hope and enduring the complaints of those around you because some things are worth holding onto, and there are some destinations that only those who persevere stand any chance of reaching. You must strike the rock – even when it doesn’t make any sense – even when everyone else has already given up. You must strike the rock because in our world hope is in short supply but the water of salvation is still there even if you can’t see it. Strike the rock, and make it to the Promised Land. Amen.