The Journey that we call Life

Homily – Sunday, the 1st October 2023

Reading: Exodus 17:1-7

There are three realities of life all of us live with.

The first is that life is a journey in bumpy terrain. There are ups and downs in this journey but the journey goes on.

The second is that through these ups and downs our tryst with the divine also goes through a variable graph. There are ups and downs therein.

The third is that, each experience in this journey becomes powerful memories and these memories connect with collective memories of communities and constitute an important part of our lives.

Life is a Bumpy Journey

The journey of the Israelites into freedom is continuing. We read that From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”

There are five aspects that I would want to draw your attention to

The Reality of Movements.

Life is a journey and we constantly move. Sometimes this has geographical implications but need not necessarily always. But the journey goes on. Some people constantly move out of choice but most people are forced to move by the circumstances they are thrust into. Given a choice they would have stayed but they have no option but to move. This could happen even in our lives too even when we sometimes think that we are well settled. Upsetting the rhythm and the stirring of the nest can happen anytime. We must be willing to reconcile to this reality.

The Reality of Tents and Camps.

It Is noteworthy here that the people camped in tents. Camps always remind us of the temporariness of our lives. The pause or the halt is not for long. In this particular case when the cloud and the pillar of fire moved the people moved alongside. They were promised a safe land and they were hoping that one day they would be able to reach there and settle. It is true that Tents makes life simpler and closer to nature and protected from the complexities of modernity. It reminds us that all we need is just simple essentials to survive. But in our quest to amass more than we need we sometimes forget that this journey has to go on.

The Reality of Crisis points

It is also a fact that in the journey of life there could be crisis points. In this case there was no drinking water in Rephidim and the people were thirsty. Can you try and imagine that situation. A big crowd of travelling people and no drinking water. We have heard that thousands have survived without love but none have without water. We are always reminded whenever you drink water think of the millions who do not have access to safe and clean drinking water. It is possible that we could encounter situations in life wherein we are deprived of the basic essentials of life. Crisis points are a reality in human life.

The Reality of People Quarrelling

Complaining- Rebelling. How do we normally respond in a crisis situation. It is said a crisis is the real test of a persons or a communities character. Here they are quarrelling with Moses. They are complaining. They are rebelling to the extend that Moses fears for his life. Yes, there could be situations in life wherein we also start COMPLAINING. Though we know that complaining does not help find any solution we still resort to whining. It is a reality in life.

The Reality of People looking backwards rather than forward

It was with great passion that Moses went to the Pharoah and said Let my People Go. The Journey had not been easy and finally they are free from the slavery of the Egyptians and are marching to freedom and suddenly when they see a crisis listen to what they say- “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” They began to murmur- it was better to live as slaves rather than dying in thirst. Instead looking to the future with hope they are looking to the past with regret of having initiated the journey. This reality of being tied up to posts of the past could be a dampener in the journey.

Tryst with the Divine is an integral part of this journey

In the ups and downs of lives journey our encounters with the Divine also goes through ups and downs. They started trusting in the Lord for freedom but at a crisis point they started quarrelling and complaining

The Crying Out of Moses

So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” This crying out to the Lord can happen in all our lives when we reach crisis points.

ARE WE GOING THROUGH A POINT IN LIFE WHERE DEEP WITHIN WE ARE CRYING OUT TO THE LORD.

The Psalmist in 18:6 says- In my distress I cried out to the Lord for help. From his temple he heard me, my cry came before him, into his ears.

It is also meaningful to look around and see others who are crying out in crisis points;

The reality of people crying out as Moses did.

The Response of the Lord

It is worth listening to the response of the Divine. 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.

There is no situation in life that God does not provide an answer for. All we need to do is TRUST AND OBEY.

Moses cried out and Moses listened to what the Lord had to say. He did not consider whether what is said is logically possible. He just trusted.

He was asked to strike a rock and when he did so water just gushed forth.

Is that possible?

Why not ?

A new spring was just wanting a stone to be pushed aside to gush forth and flow.

Friends for many of our crisis points all we need is just a stroke on a rock with a rod of faith.

The Pointer towards the Rock of Ages

This event we are told is a pointer to the rock of ages cleft for each one of us. Jesus the rock. All we need is a tap on him with faith.

Is the Lord among us or not?

However a pertinent question remains here. Moses called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

In lives journey, through its ups and downs we alss ask this question often Is the Lord truly in our midst.

In my personal life- is the Lord truly in our midst?

In my family life, my professional life- is the Lord truly in our midst

In my church life, is the Lord truly in our midst.

In our mindsets of complaining we fail to see the presence of God in our midst

This has been the quest of generations who went through very tough trysts with destiny. Through their suffering while some found sustenance in God others found it hard to hold on to God.

This questioning of the presence of the Lord also happened in contexts of prosperity. When everything was provided they did not feel the need to have a genuine God search.

In this context of the text the question comes from deep anguish- Is the Lord truly in our midst?

Memory is a Strength during Crisis Times

Centuries later we find this incident being referred to in the Psalm that we heard read today. At the fag end of his life as a father blesses his son he calls for a memory of history.

Psalm 72

15 He split the hard rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as from the great deep.

16 He brought streams out of the cliff,
and the waters gushed out like rivers.

Our ancestors went through a similar situation and the Lord carried them through. If the Lord would carry them through the Lord will carry us also through. David reminds Solomon.

“Memory is the faculty that helps us to hold on to things we love, things we are and the things we never want to lose”, so we are told.

Memory is also the foothold in a marshy terrain where you stand firm and finds pathways to navigate through difficult phases of life.

Festivals are memories that we celebrate and are reminders to generations as to how God guided them through difficult times.

Our experiences of today are memories of the future and the authentic recording of the same gives a touchstone for generations to come to test their faith indices. The particular incident of water from the rock is one such significant memory in the life of the people.

Its message is simple- It is possible that Rephidims can happen in our lives too. Parched and Thirst we could also be complaining. We might also be thinking – it is not worth going forward. We might also sometimes be forced to ask- Is the Lord truly in our midst.

But remember- there is nothing impossible for God. All it needs is just a tap with faith on the rock and water would gush forth from the same rock.

Vinod Victor

October 1, 2023