EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

PROPER 21

My Sisters & Brothers

The Old Testament lesson today continues Israel’s journey through the wilderness and their struggle to trust God. When they grumbled about having no food, God provided manna. Now they grumble about having no water, revealing a recurring theme of the wilderness experience: scarcity, both real and perceived. The people blamed Moses - and sometimes Aaron - for leading them out of Egypt and into hardship. Yet God, their true liberator, heard their grievances and responded by providing exactly what they needed.

Israel had not yet learned that the God who carried them safely through the Red Sea would also sustain them on the journey. In their fear, they lashed out at Moses: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (Exodus 17:3)

We should not judge the Israelites too harshly.  Conditions in the wilderness were severe, and a lack of water could quickly affect both physical health and one’s outlook, especially among older adults. The joy of their newfound freedom could not erase the journey's hardship. Still, their struggle was not only physical; it was spiritual.  Rather than turning to God in prayer, they let fear turn into complaint.

Today’s reading from Exodus speaks directly to our personal and congregational lives. We can become so focused on what we lack - and so convinced that harder times lie ahead - that we overlook the resources already surrounding us for our well-being and mission. Let us remember God’s wondrous movement in our lives and ask: When has God made a way in the wilderness where there seemed to be no way? Where have divine resources emerged to sustain us?

As we recount God’s faithfulness, we awaken to streams in the desert - streams of possibility - and begin to move from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance.

The Life Application Study Bible offers this helpful reflection on verse 2: “Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayer. We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining, because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen.”



May your week be prayerful, peaceful, and productive.

Patrick +