When was the last time you were surprised?
I don’t mean, necessarily, like a surprise party, though that counts.
What I mean is, like, a moment when you were taken aback, when reality didn’t go as expected.
Ugh. I’m not explaining this clearly.
So, let me try this: last Sunday’s Hebrew Bible reading was from Exodus 17. The Israelites were fresh off complaining about food, and they began going on about how they needed water. They began to ‘quarrel’ with Moses and Aaron.
Pause.
Did you know chapter 17 is often referred to as the chapter of complaints?
Unpause.
First, they had no food. Now they have no water. And again they say, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” I mean, I can’t say I’ve ever been in their situation, but I kind of feel like they have a valid point.
God hears their complaints once more and responds. God tells Moses to gather the elders, and Moses is to strike the rock. Water then flows out, astonishing the Israelites at God's power. God’s attention to their lives. God’s nearness. God’s ability to keep God’s promise.
That’s what I mean.
When was the last time you were surprised by God? When was the last time your spirit was thirsty and God provided refreshment? When were you left in awe of our Creator's goodness and mercy?
When did you last encounter the good news that God is among us?
Life has its ups and downs. In both tough and joyful times, we recall God’s goodness. Have you reflected on a difficult season you survived and wondered whether you would make it through? You did. And you will. That’s why I love the stories and myths in our sacred text. God can’t be controlled, yet God is faithful. We might, like the Israelites, have to take the long way and wait a minute, but God surprises us. Always with love.
I remember, as a child, feeling that some homework assignments were impossible. I would try with all my might, especially with math, to get my brother [who is a math teacher] to do it for me. He was wise. He knew the assignment. He loved me and, in those moments, essentially said, “I love you. I believe in you. I know what you’re capable of. So, I’m going to make you work.” What he gave me helped me for the rest of my life: a belief that I can do something, and that if I can’t, I can ask for help and learn from my mistakes. Sure, he could have just given me the answers. Instead, he taught me to think critically, trust my abilities, and rely on what I learned.
Do not hear me equating my math homework with what the Israelites endured. That would be silly. Instead, hear me in this example and metaphor [?], which attempts to communicate how God can surprise us by making Themselves known in and through each other. Above all, hear me try to explain that we have a part to play in our collective salvation and liberation!
This reminds me of what I wanted to say in my sermon but didn’t. It’s about a man with two children who asked them to do chores. One initially refused but eventually did the work; the other agreed but then backed out. My main point was that we can change our minds and it’s never too late to start working. We all can do something. Even if we said ‘no’ and if we said ‘yes.’ The story goes something like this:
An old man strolls along a beach after a storm so fierce that thousands of starfish were swept ashore. As he walks, the old man sees a young girl carefully picking up one starfish at a time and tossing it back into the ocean. The old man tells the girl that she is wasting her time—that she can’t possibly save all the starfish, can’t possibly make a real difference. The girl bends down, grabs another starfish, and flings it into the ocean. She says: “Well, I made a difference to that one!”
Our lives are often like that, no? Like a beach covered with starfish. And all we can do is . . . all we can do.
You can make a difference. The small next thing you can do is likely where God will surprise you. Don’t ever stop doing the faithful, loving thing. Even when you don’t want to. Even when you feel like you most certainly can. Do it. Complain. Celebrate. Lament. Praise. Do. It. All. God hears it all.
Do something – especially something you wouldn’t like to do or want to do. Then, wait to be surprised!
