Living Water

This past week The New York Times had an article followed a day or so later by letters to the Editor about the need for water in the midst of the current drought that has been plaguing the Southwest and the far western states.  The drought is severe causing litigation proceedings between farmers and environmentalists.

Meanwhile in some Midwestern states water is raging at flood stage levels because of record amounts of melting snow.  People are filling sandbags in efforts to protect buildings and riverbanks.  And, on the East coast ocean levels are rising and could pose a threat to beach houses and some of our cities.

The drought in California is the result of climate change.  Temperatures are much higher as they are all over the world.  There is consequently an increased demand for water for agriculture as well as for industry.  As the Times article states, “We are now unambiguously altering the climate, threatening water supplies for human and natural systems.”

Farmers have gone to court noticing the need for water in cities and for people, but they feel agriculture has been pushed to its limit.  Water is needed for crops to grow. Climate geologists have noted, “Residents of the arid West have always scrapped over water.  But years of persistent drought are now intensifying those struggles, and the explosive [population] growth — and thirst — of Western cities and suburbs is raising their stakes to an entirely new level.”

This sounds like a modern version of our readings today from the Book of Exodus and Moses’ struggle with the Israelites.  And the conflict between farmers and environmentalists is like a modern-day version of the division between the Jews and the Samaritans. 

Moses’ patience was tested as he led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the arid desert to the promised land.  He cried out to God, “What shall I do with these people?  They are almost ready to stone me.”  The Lord replied and 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 called the place Massah (which means quarreling) and Meribah (which means testing), because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord.

Quarreling and testing was the order of the day.  The present struggle in our Western states is causing quarrels and tests for everyone.  We can no longer argue about whether climate change is real; it is, and average temperatures, in spite of our recent experience of cold weather in New England, are rising.

The story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria is about water and the division between the Jews and the Samaritans.  It is similar to the struggle between the ancient Israelites and Moses, their leader.  Nor is it unlike the struggle for water between farmers and those in the cities in our drought-stricken states.

Jesus was traveling through Samaria on his way to Jerusalem.  He stopped along the way to rest by a well.  He was tired out by his journey.  While sitting there, “A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’”

Drawing water in his day was something that women did.  Moreover, a Jew would not normally ask anything of a Samaritan. “The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" … Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?”… Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."  The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."

The point of this story is that God provides water, the water of life or “living water” to Samaritan and Jews alike.  But the Samaritan woman told Jesus that the Samaritan “ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”  As one commentator points out, In the first century AD “Samaritan tribes worshiped God on Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem, the preferred Jewish site.”  Jesus responded to the woman, “believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. … The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

The woman upon hearing this  “left her water jar and went back to the city.  She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! … So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word.  They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.’"

The division between the Jews and the Samaritans was resolved over the need for water, water to quench thirst and water to provide life itself.  The divisions and the struggles over water for cities and farms in our country depend on our accepting the reality of climate change and global warming and then taking appropriate steps to deal with it.  This means changing our dependence on fossil fuels, practicing energy conservation, developing new and renewable energy sources, and being responsible stewards for the creation that God has given to us.  It is a big task.  It is both political and religious, and it is about our understanding of the resources of food and water as part of the gifts we receive from God.  May the water that God gives become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life for all people.  Amen.

Holy Scripture and Evolution

The Biblical stories of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, are stories about our destiny as human beings.  What is the direction of our lives?  Where are we headed?  What is God calling us to be and do?  The Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann said our destiny is "to live in God's world...on God's terms."  To put it another way, our failure to live on God's terms results in alienation from God.  That was the result of eating from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  The same outcome would have resulted had Jesus yielded to Satan’s temptations and failed to worship and serve only God. 

Matthew's account is a description of what Jesus encountered as he confronted the power of evil in the world.  “After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Adam and Eve's temptation by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and Israel's experience of being tested in the wilderness, form the background of this story.  Where Adam and Eve gave in to the serpent, and where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded and drove Satan away.

Jesus was tempoted three times.  His first test was about turning stones into bread, and it dealt with his role as Messiah.  The devil suggested a political or social dimension for the role of messiah, allowing Jesus to feed the hungry.  But Jesus quoted the 8^th chapter of Deuteronomy: "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."   He pointed to the fundamental nourishment and direction provided by God's word.  Jesus relied on God's will and sought to be faithful to God and to God's authority.

In the second temptation the devil took Jesus to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple.  He was tested again, with the devil quoting scripture for his own purposes.  This time it was Psalm 91: "He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone."  Jesus was urged to force God's hand by throwing himself down, trusting that God would protect him.  Think of it this way: Jesus was not to be transformed into Superman or Batman.  He refused the temptation and again quoted Deuteronomy, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."

For the third temptation, Jesus was taken to a very high mountain, the place of revelation and teaching in Matthew's gospel.  Here, the devil tempted Jesus by offering him “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” if he would worship him.  This temptation is reminiscent of Israel's sin of idolatry.  Jesus' role as God's Son would be negated if he succumbed to this temptation.  He forcefully declared, again quoting Deuteronomy, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve only him."

In these temptation stories Jesus repeatedly refused to manipulate God or to rely on anyone other than God.  Feeding the hungry was a primary responsibility for Jesus and his followers, but not by miraculously turning stones into bread.  Jumping from the top of the temple would have been a spectacular act, but it would only result in a cult following and would not have glorified God.  Turning to the easy way of idolatry might have resulted in personal power and prestige, but it would not have resulted in faithful service and honor to God.

The story about Jesus’ temptation is instructive.  Jesus showed us that God is the God of history, a history that is a dynamic and ongoing process.  God is known in and through relationships, our relationships with one another and with all the natural wonders of the world and the universe beyond.  God transcends all that happens, and God rejoices and suffers with all who are rejoicing or suffering.  The work of Jesus’ disciples is to be faithful, to provide service to those in need, and to worship God.

Our Bishop, Nicholas Knisely, has written a book of meditations for Lent.  It is titled, “Lent Is Not Rocket Science: An Exploration of God, Creation, and the Cosmos.”  In it he invites us to see Natural Theology “as a channel of revelation about the nature of God that is not absolute in itself, but is an equal partner in conversation with Holy Scriptures and the traditions of the church.  Paying attention to the world around us – to the intricate structures of nature, to the mind-bending reality of the cosmic and microscopic realms – will invite us to recognize that the God we worship, and with whom we have n ongoing relationship, is present in the raging storm, the fiery whirlwind of the surface of a star, and the deep silence of intergalactic space.”

Reading Bishop Knisely’s meditations reminded me of a letter I signed in 2008 about Evolution and Holy Scripture.  The theme was titled Evolution Week and  11,000 clergy were signers.  Here is an excerpt from the leetter:  “Within the community of Christian believers there are areas of dispute and disagreement, including the proper way to interpret Holy Scripture.  While virtually all Christians take the Bible seriously and hold it to be authoritative in matters of faith and practice, the overwhelming majority do not read the Bible literally, as they would a science textbook.  Many of the beloved stories found in the Bible – the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, [Jesus’ temptations] – convey timeless truths about God, human beings, and the proper relationship between Creator and creation expressed in the only form capable of transmitting these truths from generation to generation.  Religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth.  Its purpose is not to convey scientific information but to transform hearts.

“We … believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist….  The theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests…. We believe that among God’s good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator.  To argue that God’s loving plan of salvation for humanity precludes the full employment of the God-given faculty of reason is to attempt to limit God,… Science [should] remain science and…religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.”

Bishop Knisely strikes a similar theme.  He writes, “Science is built on a ladder of deductions and observations.  Religion, particularly in the case of Christianity, is built on revelation and experience.”  In relating this to the temptation stories of Adam and Eve in the Garden and Jesus in the wilderness, it is clear that the real test is for us to be focused on God.  As Christians we should understand that what we know through science is part of God’s creation.  To be fully human, to live a life of faithful service, to honor God and use our knowledge responsibly by understanding science and religion as complementary forms of truth -- these are the challenges we face.  May this season of Lent be a time for us to worship the Lord our God, and to serve God in all we do.  Amen.

From the Cloud

Today is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany.  This week we shall observe Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  It is a time of transition, a time for progressing from the darkest and coldest days of winter into the longer and brighter days of Spring.  It is a transition from the earlier joys of Christmas and the stories of Jesus’ ministry and his transfiguration on the top of a mountain to the valley of experiencing forty days in the wilderness. Jesus descended from the mountain to encounter temptations and later, arrest, trial, and death.  You and I are invited to enter into the forty days of the wilderness of our lives and with penitent hearts to meditate and reflect on God’s holy Word.

The Biblical story of Jesus on a mountaintop, and the vision of his disciples seeing him with Moses and Elijah on either side while being overshadowed by a cloud is a story of transition.  Moses represents the law, Elijah the prophets, and Jesus is now the one transfigured, changed as the Messiah, the anointed one of God.  “From the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’”

Being in a cloud is sometimes an awesome and at other times an anxious experience.  There are times when in an airplane flying from place to place you can look out the window and see the clouds below.  Perhaps they are bright white clouds seemingly sitting there in the light of the sun, or they are dark and stormy clouds signaling bad weather.  There can be times when landing through stormy clouds seemingly takes forever.  There might even be flashes of lightening visible through the clouds before the plane descends below them so you can see the ground below.  Anxiety then subsides and soon you are safely on the ground.

Our readings from the Book of Exodus and the Gospel of Matthew are like that.  “Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. The appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.  Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain.  Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.”

Jesus’ experience of going up a high mountain puts him within the historical setting of Moses and Elijah.  He took Peter and James and his brother John with him.  While on the top of the mountain “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’  While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’"

Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal Priest and writer says, “The story that we have just heard … is the luminous story of a mystical encounter, not only between God and God's Beloved but also between those at the center of the story and those who watch.  Those at the center are Jesus, Moses and Elijah.  Those who watch are Peter, James and John.  And then, of course, there are all of us watching all of them, most of us laboring under the illusion that our job is to figure out what the story means.”

Peter, in writing a letter told about this experience and what it meant for him. “We have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”   

Barbara Brown Taylor writes that Peter knew what he was seeing “when Jesus lit up right in front of him… The Bible calls it ‘God's glory’--the shining cloud that is the sure sign of God's capital P Presence…. God's glory looks like… a big bright cloud--dark and dazzling at the same time--an envelope for the Divine Presence that would blow people away if they looked upon it directly.” 

Peter said in explaining his experience, “You must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”  His experience of seeing the cloud was beyond any rational explanation.  He was so moved by the Holy Spirit that he only knew what he had seen; God was right there.

This week we move from the mountaintop of God’s appearance to the disciples and the transfiguration of Jesus as the anointed Messiah to the valley and earthly experience of Ash Wednesday and Lent.

Are we prepared to enter into the Lenten wilderness for the coming forty days?  The Good News of Lent is that we are afforded time to turn away from all the frenzied routines of our lives and enter into a time of reflection and meditation. It is a time to focus on what it means to be in relationship to God who was present in the cloud.  It is a time to hear and to listen to God’s Holy Word.

At the conclusion of her commentary Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “Today you have heard a story [that] tells you that no one has to go up the mountain alone.  It tells you that sometimes things get really scary before they get holy.  Above all, it tells you that there is someone standing in the center of the cloud with you, shining so brightly that you may never be able to wrap your mind around him, but who is worth listening to all the same--because he is God's beloved, and you are his, and whatever comes next, you are up to it.”  

Good friends, I pray that the knowledge of God’s presence and God’s love will remain with you as you come down from your mountaintop experiences and enter into the valley of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.  Amen.