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Get your own, Free HomepageI may not know show tunes, but I do have a favorite musical (and no, it's not the only musical I've seen). My favorite musical is The King and I. It's about Anna Leonowen, a proper British woman who travels with her son to Slam (Thailand) to teach the king's children. Once she arrives in Siam, she finds herself in a strange land-she doesn't know anyone, and she certainly doesn't know the language or the customs of Siam. When she arrives at the king's palace, she finds that the conditions of their agreement aren't what she expected. She complained about wanting better living conditions, better pay, and she was uncomfortable with the crowd of the king's wives who hovered around her constantly.
The Israelites weren't in a musical, but they were in a similar situation. They had left their secure routine of being enslaved but having their most basic needs met in Egypt. And by God's hand they had just safely crossed the Red Sea, now clearly expecting to find plenty of food and drink and a place fit to live, all of which they had back in Egypt. Instead, they found themselves in the wilderness.
NOW, THE WILDERNESS was a profoundly troubling place for Israel. The text says it was a desert. For Israel, it was a place for them to complain and whine. It was a place in which they felt anxious and afraid. It's easy to imagine the Israelites saying, "We had plenty offood and water and a place to stay back in Egypt, and we left Egypt for our freedom. We get across the sea, and you bring us HERE? TO THE DESERT? What's up with that?" It was a place, they feared, of certain death. They had become wrapped up in their own anxieties and fears-the anxieties of survival, the anxieties of being displaced and out of their element, and their fear that God had abandoned them or brought them there to die. They were so convinced of this that they actually thought that life in the slavery of Pharaoh would be better than their freedom in the wildeness.
After Moses had a brief conversation with God and spoke God's word of promise, Aaron is instructed to tell the Israelites to "draw near to God." In the midst of all the whining, carping, and accusing, Aaron makes a very simple, but very powerful statement-"draw near to God." Have you ever run into a friend or an acquaintance you haven't seen in a long time, and when you leave you find yourself saying, "Let's keep in touch. Don't be a stranger!"? That's exactly what God was telling the people-come near, don't be a stranger...I want to get to know you in a whole new way."
IT'S AT THIS POINT THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND ISRAEL BEGINS TO CHANGE IN A VERY DRAMATIC, PERSONAL AND INTIMATE WAY. Because Israel drew near to God, God and Israel meet each other again for the first time. Because they drew near to God, Israel "saw the glory of God in the cloud" and heard Cod's glory spoken to them. Because Israel drew near to God, Israel was able to experience God's unconditional love, despite all their groanings. And if we read a few verses ahead in the story, we-find out that God begins speaking to Israel directly and not so much through Moses and Aaron. More importantly, their wilderness was transformed from a place of death into a place that was rich with life, faith, and the promise of the continual presence of God. Israel was now relating directly and intimately with God.
There's another story about someone in the wildeness-someone we all know-that someone is Jesus. After Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit had descended upon him, he was led by the Spirit into the wildemess. There in the wildeness, Jesus had nothing to eat for 40 days and 40 nights. Tired and very hungry, Jesus was suddenly tested in a confrontation with the devil. Now, I don't know about you, but the first thing on my mind after not eating for 40 days wouldn't be a test of my faithfulness! The first thing on my hungry mind would be FOOD! Jesus withstood his test and proved his faithfulness to God, and his relationship with God became eternally solidified as a very personal, very intimate relationship. Just like God's relationship with Israel.
When I was preparing this message, I shared the beginnings of it with Larry and later with Rev. Bob. They read about The King and I, and their reactions were identical-they looked me straight in the face and said, "YOU'RE NOT GONNA SING, ARE YOU?" I could, but like I said earlier-I don't know show tunes! There is a song I know in "The King autd I. " It's called "Getting to Know You." Anna Leonowen sings it immediately after she meets the King' s many-many-children-and before she begins to teach them. That's one thing that happens in the wilderness-we get to know each other, and we get to meet the God oflife. We get to meet the God who will be with us always. We get to meet the God who will transform our wildeness from a place of death into a place of life, faith, and the promise of God's continual presence with us.
WHEN I ANSWERED YES to God's calling into ordained ministry, I entered the wilderness. I had enough faith to believe that God would sustain me, but I had NO idea how often I would be tested. For three months after I said "Yes" to God, I was a basket case, just like the Israelites. The whole thing was so overwhelming, and I was so busy being anxious and afraid that I couldn't concentrate on anything else.
THEN, WHEN I ENTERED SEMINARY, I went farther into the wilderness. I went from being a basket case to being petrified with fear. Every day for the first semester, during my introductory Bible class, I kept thinking how little I knew about the Bible compared with others in the class, and that I had no business being there...and every time...in every instance, I'd either immediately read something or someone would immediately say something that helped me withstand my test. Despite my groanings, God's presence was continually with me.
Now here it is five years later, and I've left my family and long-time friends in Kansas City to come to St. Louis, which is somewhere I've never lived. And believe me-I've lived in lots of places in my 40 years. I arrived here knowing only Larry, our dogs, Rev. Teena and Rev. Bob. But I'm convinced that-just like Israel, and just like Jesus-I, too, have been led here by the Spirit. Sure, I'm anxious sometimes. And sure, sometimes I'm afraid. BUT THIS TIME, fresh in the wildeness of the next phase of my preparation to be an ordained pastor, I know for a fact that God is continually with me. I also know that I have come into a congregation of very deep faith. I feel as if God has put before me the very thing that I need to sustain me on my journey. Each and every one of you is a part of that-part of my bread from heaven, my meat in the evening and my bread in the morning. It is an honor to be with you. I thank my God every time I think of you. AMEN.
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