ABUNDANT LIVING –DIALOGUE DAY OPENING – BRIDGE ST UNITED CHURCH – APRIL 5 2014
Welcome in Christ’s name.
I invite you to follow the first of two passages in our time together, this one from the story of the
Exodus, the departure of God’s people from slavery in Egypt as they travel toward an unknown land
which they are promised is a place of abundance.
Exodus 17:1-7
Just a jog to your Sunday School memories, God chose Moses who was as reluctant as you might
imagine a leader in the beginning. Almost in spite of Moses and his leadership team of brother Aaron
and sister Miriam, God sets these people free.
We’re told that forty years in the wilderness was about 39 years longer than it should have taken them
to get to the Promised Land, but we all know that if Moses’ sister Miriam was leading she would have
asked for directions.
To make it worse the people suffered from terminal nostalgia. Egypt was suddenly a wonderful place to
be where everyone had plenty to eat and drink. In our passage they grumble against Moses as they
search for water.
It sounds as though they were ready to strike Moses, but instead God directed him to strike a rock with
his staff. It seems like such an odd directive but out of the rock gushed water , their sustenance in the
wilderness, in their desert wandering.
It was an act of faith on Moses’ part and because of that faithfulness they went from being parched to
having more than enough, to slaking their thirst with the abundance of God’s provision.
As a congregation we are hoping to discern whether the waters of our life together have simply dried
up, or whether we can discover new and renewable sources of abundance.
Our Dialogue Day can be a Grumbling Day because we know we are not where we want to be. Or we
can smack a few rocks and see what God has in store for us.
Our planning group has been reading a document called Pathway to Renewal from the Alban Institute
which is honest in saying that lots of congregations don’t get where they want to go in the process of
renewal but it also encourages us:
“Renewal happens as you make a habit of living that new life, now. Don’t ever underestimate your
power to effect change. Congregations shift member by member . Live renewal. Live in each and every
day. That’s what makes the difference.”
Pathway to Renewal Daniel Smith & Mary Sellon
Is the God of a distant time still the source of abundant, living water for us today?
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ABUNDANT LIVING –DIALOGUE DAY OPENING – BRIDGE ST UNITED CHURCH – APRIL 5 2014
We are going to close today with another “water from the rock reading” this one from the New
Testament and a letter of the apostle Paul.
I Corinthians 10:1-4
This is a curious passage, because Paul speaks about the Rock, God’s fountain, which stayed with the
people of Israel wherever they were. It’s curious because this notion of the rock gushing water
following the Israelites isn’t in the Exodus story anywhere. But the rabbis of old were inventive. They
engaged in something called midrash in which they would look at puzzling or incomplete passages of
scripture and come up with what they felt were plausible explanations for what was missing. They
decided that God’s people would still need water as their journey through the wilderness continued. So
obviously the rock went along for the ride!
Our hope and prayer is that the Rock which is Christ continues with us beyond our time together. We
also pray that the circle of imagination and grace widens from our time together into the life of our
Bridge St. congregation.
There is a book called Holy Currencies in which Eric Law looks at how our ministries can be both
sustainable and missional. “Missional” is a popular term these days for looking outward rather than
navel-gazing.
His first chapter is called Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow which is the doxology we use in
worship at the time of the offering. We often pray that our gifts may ripple out to be blessings for
others.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures high and low;
give thanks to God in love made known:
Creator, Word, and Spirit, One.
Law has written his own verse for this doxology which I feel is worthwhile for us and a blessing on our
day.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Circling through earth so all may grow
Vanquishing fear so all may give
Widening grace so all may live
Is the Rock which is Christ still our companion on the journey of faith? What will the ripple effect of our
time together be?
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