Proper 21 (A) + Water of Life + 9.27.20
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.
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