2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
I am at the Annual Gathering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship celebrating the 25th anniversary of CBF's founding. In 1991, this new Baptist movement began, dedicating itself to the freedom of the local church and its membership to practice freely without threat of disfellowship over issues of gender or doctrine.
Last night religion scholar Diana Butler Bass spoke to us and made an interesting and also painfully sobering observation. She noted that in 1991, just as we were beginning, there is no way we could have known that the next 25 years would see the most precipitous decline in membership and affiliation in organized religious life in 200 years. We could not have known how shallow our resources would be and how difficult that would make to equip missionaries, support churches, and help educate clergy. She said, in fact, that 1991 was about the worst time in history anyone could have picked to begin a movement.
I listened to that last night and then get up this morning and read today's Daily Lesson. The Israelites are in their exodus and have escaped Egypt; they are bent on freedom. But then just as soon as they cross the Red Sea the resources run dry. There is not enough food or enough water. The people bicker and complain and some blame Moses. "You see," they say, "it was better in Egypt." And someone maybe says that this is the worst time in history they could have begun their movement. Some want to turn back; others are tempted to despair and die right there in the wilderness; most just don't know what to do.
But then Moses is told to look within, to look deep, to look deep into the hidden earth where it shall be discovered that there is resource and provision, water that God locked into the rock millennia ago -- for just such a time as this.
God does not leave those bent for freedom thirsty and dying in the wilderness. The LORD provides -- rams in bushes and water from rock. God meets us in our wilderness.
And then we discover something -- two truths about the Exodus. And the truths are these: 1) that even the absolute worst time in history for beginning a movement towards freedom is better than not beginning at all and 2) though at times the Promised Land does not look very promising their are resources hidden deep within us which will sustain and guide us along the way.
Thanks be to God!
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