Proper 21 (A) + Water of Life + 9.27.20

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M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32)

 

“Is the Lord among us or not?”

We know what the people are talking about here, don’t we? We may not be wandering in the desert, but we have been in a wilderness these past six months. We have worried for our loved ones. We have felt isolated at home, unable to access the sources of comfort and sometimes over-relying on the sources of comfort that we have – for the Israelites, the memories of how it was, and for us, Netflix and baking bread.

Is the Lord among us or not? Some of our news this past week has made us wonder. And in our vestry meeting the other day I could have asked this. Will all the pledges come in? We can’t do the hall rentals that usually bring in some supplemental income to the church, so we depend on your pledges. And some have been faithfully sending them in through autopay or mail or Givelify. And some may be waiting until they can come in person. But the bills keep coming in and it is easy to get fearful. What about next year, and trying to put together a budget? Will we have the funds promised to keep not only the doors open but the staff on for the necessary hours?
And as I thought of this, I realized, is the Lord among us or not? Indeed God is with us. God will make a way. Where someone has had a change in circumstance, perhaps God has blessed another with the means to give a bit more this year and perhaps better, to pledge a bit more for next year!

But it isn’t just about maintaining the church, is it? We are also talking about our country, and a trust that we can find some unity and a way forward in the midst of a lot upheaval and division. And it goes further. The water of life that springs up in today’s reading from Exodus is both a reality and a symbol. If you look at a regular water bottle, its nutritional facts generally say it has 0% nutritional value. No vitamins unless they are added. But water is 100% necessary for life.[1] Kind of like God. We can go around thinking we do not need God, since in many ways we seem to get along fine when we forget God, at least for a while. But God is the air we breathe, the water we drink. And so we must find ways to trust in God not just for the welfare of the church but for our very lives. For our country.

Many of us feel this keenly now. Even venturing out can seem hairy, and I appreciate that many of you are still being very careful-thank you for taking care of yourselves! And when we do, we know that God’s got us. We do our best to stay safe, and we know that ultimately we are in God’s hands.

So now that we know that God is among us, how can we start acting like it?
One thing we can do is to take care of God’s creation. Just as we love God in loving our neighbor, I believe that we honor God by honoring creation. I must admit that during the pandemic at times I am better about single use plastics and similar things and other times I am not as environmentally sensitive in my choices. I prefer prepackaged items if I am going to distribute them, for safety. But attending the conference this week, Good Trouble for a Healthy Planet, put on by the Episcopal Church in collaboration with other denominations and faith groups, I was inspired to think again about those seemingly small decisions at church and in my personal life. How can I use less packaging and make a healthier choice?
I don’t know if each choice I make will slow down global warming enough to limit the forest fires which create such chaos for so many and affect our air quality, but I can try! And I can partner with Ted and Judy and others who are working to protect the farmworkers who often feel the effects of our decisions for the environment before the rest of us do.

You may know that Oxnard and Ventura County are facing some interesting decisions around oil drilling and excitingly a power plant that was not sustainable is being decommissioned. If you care about our environment, you may want to learn more about these things and let local officials know how you feel.

What can others do? Eat local veggies if and when you can, even if you cannot afford a Community Supported Agriculture Subscription. If you can, go with the Abundant Table CSA. It is wonderful! Try to drink tap or filtered water, not bottled water where you can to limit plastic use. But please take the bottled water if you are at church and can use it- because hydration is good! Choose sustainable energy where you can. And before you buy something, double check whether you really need it and if you can buy it in a more sustainable way. Support local businesses and organizations making a difference in your community. These are small ways to bring about a more just, peaceful and merciful world.

And then we can all drink the water of life and know that even here, especially here, God is among us, sustaining us and filling us with all that we need! God will bring us through this time of pandemic and this election and will guide us always. Amen.


[1][1] From the Working Preacher Sermon Brainwave Podcast for Proper 21, 2020.

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