Lent
March 14, 2017
Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ –Exodus 17:4-7
My child welfare work began in a town of about 25,000 people and thus I knew most of the police force within a few months. Later I became the supervisor and my home telephone number appeared on their contact sheet as the first to call in an emergency. I was sound asleep one night when the phone next to my head jarred me awake about 1:00 am. The police had stopped a woman for a DUI who was going to jail and she had her four very young children with her. The caller said, “We have a serious situation here.” The first thing I said in my drowsy half-awake state was my hair looks awful. To this day, I have no idea why I said that. (I never lived it down) While I hope, I am presentable most of the time my looks have never been a primary concern ever and particularly not in an emergency. With a few choice words edited out, the police officer, with whom I had worked many times, said, “I do not care what your hair looks like you get yourself out of that bed and get down here.” I did.
In my experience, the police are amazing with little kids. Children pick up their calm reassuring manner. They sense the safety in their presence. A few minutes later when I arrived, I found four little cuties all dirty and inappropriately dressed, playing on the floor with some makeshift toys snacking on treats from a vending machine. I arranged for emergency foster care and enlisted the aid of another social worker as we took the children to their temporary home.
I like the phrase cooler heads will prevail. Moses had to fall back on his gift of patience dealing with the fear and panic the Israelites were experiencing. Walking into unknown territory even out of slavery is daunting. It takes great courage to lead in times like these. Moses succeeded by leaning on the everlasting arms of God*. As we face the challenges of our world we can take comfort from those same everlasting arms.
Prayer: God we long for the shelter of your wings as we deal with life situations that seem beyond our abilities to address. Give us the courage to face whatever confronts us with the support of your loving grace and power. Amen.
*From the hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms by Elisha A. Hoffman. See at http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Leaning_on_the_Everlasting_Arms/