Craving Help

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling,                                             St. Paul's Lynnfield

It’s good to be with you all again this morning, in yet another season of the year. A Sunday in February, another one in April, then June, and now September, with gratitude to Rob for his invitations, and to all of you for your warm welcomes, like a bad habit, I am back! You may remember that I love the Celtics basketball team, and right now I am excited about three teams. The Celtics season starts tonight at TD Garden, and I can’t wait! The Patriots are off to a slow start in football, but there’s no panic yet. And, yesterday, Paul and I were at Fenway, watching the Red Sox play the Yankees, and during which I caught a ball, then gave it to two boys, a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan. Let them fight over it! Today, I wonder about our red and blue teams. Are we a divided house?  With sports teams and their fans, I think there is always a craving to win.

Unlike its name, the book of Numbers isn’t only about counting the Israelites who had escaped from Egypt, or gathered in their tents for a meeting, a political vote, or Sabbath worship. The book of Numbers has some great stories about our Judeo-Christian team and our long history together. It has stories about our journeys, our leaders, and our people. It records our wins and losses in battles along the way. Written with unfailing honesty, the author talks about our human tendencies to whine and complain, and acknowledges our strong human cravings. We weep with our losses and unfulfilled desires. We are jealous of each other’s gifts. We use power for the wrong reasons. We get fed up, displeased, and outright angry because we want certain things and we can’t get them.

Now the Israelites had escaped from slavery in Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, received the 10 commandments of God, and are now wandering in the desert of Sinai. Moses is leading them towards the Promised Land, and they are all tired from their long and difficult journey. There is no end in sight, and the people and their families begin to complain, first among themselves, and then to Moses.They remember the good times; and they demand relief from their suffering.

I love the descriptive language in today’s lesson. The crowd is called “the rabble” which means “a mixed group of people who were not Israelites.” They were a bunch of rabble rousers, people who had joined the Israelites’ journey for different reasons, adding their voices to a swelling number of people along the way. There is power when large groups of people gather; people often divide into camps, according to their families, or their interests, or for manageability and crowd control. Needs aren’t met, voices rise, and conflict erupts; sometimes things turn ugly, even violent. It has been said that the first casualty of war is truth; and when peace is destroyed; it’s a long journey back to reconciliation.

Scripture tells us that the rabble among the Israelites had a strong craving. Like people addicted to opiods, our cravings can be so strong that we will do anything, or say anything, to satisfy our need for relief. We want our team to win, and so we play dirty. We crave support for our beliefs and are angry when others disagree. We have real experiences that people neither understand or don’t believe. We rightly demand to be treated with respect and dignity; and yet our political and church leaders, not to mention our fellow human beings, continue to fail us with unfailing consistency. We all end up being losers when vitriol and uncivil discourse rule our land.

We are people on a journey from one land to the next, living in a country, some would even call the Promised Land. We come from diverse ancestors, in a land which was conceived out of religious and political conflict, and is dedicated to providing liberty and justice for all. We have human laws, based upon God’s perfect laws, to protect our civil, religious, and human rights. We want the scales of justice and mercy to hang in balance.

We crave certain things, sometimes doing harm to ourselves and to others, with angry outbursts, undignified behavior, deception, disrespect, and even death threats. We whine and complain, raising our collective voices of discontent, and begin to make demands of others. We say, “I’m sick and tired of this; and I want that.” We blame others for our suffering. “It’s all your fault that we’re stuck here in this desert. And if you weren’t like that, I wouldn’t be here now.” In the heat of our craving and our conflict, we demand relief. “Give us some meat,” said the Israelites to Moses!

The Israelites are tired and weak from their journey. They are hungry and sick of the daily bread that God has been providing, and their memories are short and selective. Now, safely on the other side of the Red Sea, with forks and knives in their hands, they recall only the good life in Egypt. With mouths salivating, they remember “the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”

Have you ever been around children or adults whose whining, complaining, and incessant demands start to get under your skin?  Perhaps in a moment of frustration, you will say, “Just stop it!” When I am hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, I remember that acronym HALT. When I begin to whine, complain, and demand relief from others, I tell myself to stop it and get back to basics. Basics, like self-assessment. Basics, like rational analysis and listening to other perspectives. Like remembering the dignity and equality of all human beings, even if I disagree or dislike them. Above all, basics that include asking God for help.

After its loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday, quarterback Tom Brady said, “The process has been the same. It’s just not getting done on the field. And we have to get it corrected soon. It’s about hard work. It’s about being disciplined. We all (have) to look at ourselves and figure out what we can do to help.” And teammate Devin McCourty added , “We (have) to show character, keep working, and believe in our process and how we can get better.” (Tara Sullivan, the Globe, Sept. 24, 2018)

With great fear and trepidation, I raise the current Judge Kavanaugh situation. Today, I know it is tempting to take sides, to root for our team to win, to crave justice for one person, to complain about the process, and to demand that someone do something to make it right. Many of us are sick and tired of how the political games are being played, and the news that feeds us daily. Many of us are displeased, discontent, and like God, we are very angry.

Moses had been a faithful leader of his people, and throughout their journey together, he had often interceded for them through prayers and conversations with God. This time, however, he too was frustrated with the situation; and so he complained to God about how God was treating him. “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people on me?  If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—and do not let me see my misery.” Moses was demanding relief from God; and so can we.

“These are your people,” Moses told God, as if God didn’t already know. In a moment of pique, he said, “You created them; and so you should take care of them.” Scripture says that God was very angry. Had they forgotten all the good things that God had done? Had they forgotten that God provides? That God is always present, all powerful, and all knowing. That God would continue to liberate them, save them, and lead them?

Sometimes I wonder if anything good can ever come out of Washington, just as the people once asked that about Nazareth and Jesus. Today, Jesus talks about salt, and how when salt has lost its saltiness, it’s no longer good. When we get so worn out, hungry, lonely, angry, and tired, we lose our salt. We crave; we complain; we whine; and we demand things from others. We put up stumbling blocks. We remember only partial truths. We are jealous, suspicious, deceitful, and demanding. We forget to stop and ask God for help.

“Are any among you suffering?” asks the author of James. “They should pray.” I believe that we are all hungry for justice; that we are all angry about the uses and abuses of power; that we may feel lonely in our fight for justice, and I think it is safe to say that we are all tired of the way things are. HALT. News flash. We are all suffering. Even God.

Jesus proclaimed that “Whoever is for the goodness of God is not against God and so, do not stop them. Indeed remove the stumbling blocks or the parts of your Body that get in the way of the kingdom of God.” On this day when the Celtics season begins at home, I remember that there is no “I” in “team.” I remember that we are all equal and important members of the Body of Christ, with feet that stumble, hands that harm, and eyes that are blind. Today, I call a “time-out” in the games that people play. I call a recess in our House in order to pray and ask God for help.

“Moses, you need help?” God asked. “Call 70 elders and I will give them my Spirit” which blows everywhere, and gives wisdom to everyone. The Spirit is in this House today. Aside from our daily bread, God gives us the meat, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. God’s never-ending mission of reconciliation can unite us, bringing health and salvation to our broken and hurting world.

In the words of Jesus, ”Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” In praying for these things, we are all winners. Amen.

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29
Psalm 19:7-14
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

Book of Common Prayer, p.461: “This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.