In Between

“IS THE LORD AMONG US OR NOT?”
Exodus 17:1-7
Faith United
February 24, 2008


In January of 2005,
we knew for sure that we had to move
The church that I was serving in Waverly, PA
had already asked me to leave
Actually, they insisted on it, as I remember

So as of January, 2005, we had no place to live
come June
We’d already decided that we were leaving that area
because after a couple of really bad experiences
we no longer trusted the Conference there
to appoint us
yet we had no place to go
We’d applied to other conferences in the region
and by Mid April of 2005,
we were told that none of them
had openings for a clergy couple
We had no idea what we were going to do
We were packing our boxes,
knowing that in mid-June
we were moving out of Waverly, PA
but we had no idea where we were moving TO
Very scary
because we literally had no prospects
and we’ve been told over many, many years
that it’s difficult to appoint clergy couples

Talk about a scary time!
I mean, sure, we were praying
that God would open something up
we were trying to trust that something good could happen
even that late in the season
BUT… the reality was,
we were scared
Circumstances didn’t look good
We’d been through enough bad times at that point
that it was hard to hope that there was a place for us
where we could all be happy
We knew that if worse came to worse
we could have moved in with my parents in Mississippi
for awhile
till we figured things out
but, realistically, I’m a bit old to move back in with my parents!

Have you ever been between things?
Have you ever been in the wilderness?
That in-between place?
Maybe something bad has happened
that has changed everything
and you trust that someday it’ll get better
but today is not that day
You lose a loved one
and your whole life changes
and it doesn’t feel like you can ever feel good again
You lose a job that you counted on to get you to retirement
and … well, now what?
You have to start over
at a time when you thought you’d be more secure
Whenever big changes happen
we’re disoriented
kind of wandering around
sometimes it feels like we’re not even wandering
in any particular direction
like we’re not even living
because everything we knew
everything we counted on
has changed
and nobody asked us if that was ok
It’s a terrible place to be
During that time where we packed boxes
not knowing where we’d be unpacking
or even if we WOULD be unpacking
I think Larry and I probably snapped at each other
a time or two
and we went for a lot of long walks
talked to God a lot
and said,
“Hey, what are you doing here?
We need a place to live.
We need a place to go.
We’re trying to trust that you won’t leave us alone
but it’s getting harder day by day…”

That went on for about 6 weeks,
maybe two months
of not knowing
of literally having no direction, no future
no hope

Sarah had made the comment somewhere along the way
that if she could live anywhere in the country,
she’d want to live in Nebraska,
where she was born
We had no idea she was a prophet

In late April of 2005,
we decided to do something crazy
we decided to email the Bishop of Nebraska
and ask her if there was any openings in Nebraska
that we realized it was really late to be asking
but we thought we’d give it a shot
We prayed, but I can’t say we really hoped
Two days later, we got a call from Carol Roettmer Brewer
saying that they didn’t know if they had anything
but they wanted to try to work something out
they wanted us!!
We waited another difficult week
not sleeping, praying, trying to hope against hope
Then William Williams called us
and said they’d like to move us to Gibbon
I had never heard of Gibbon,
but Larry remembered preaching here
for Jim Brewer
when Larry was a student pastor,
about 20 years ago
And the rest is becoming
quite the wonderful history ...

Is the Lord among us or not??
The Israelites wanted to know
It’s a good question
Have you ever wanted to ask that?
Is God with me or not?
Has God abandoned us?
The Israelites didn’t know happiness
they’d been slaves in Egypt forever
none of those living
had ever been free
They’d never known a life of freedom
never known joy
except little snippets here and there
perhaps at home at the end of the day
with their children
when no one was hovered over them with a whip
screaming at them like animals
And here Moses came
and got them out of Egypt
away from Pharoah
They weren’t slaves anymore
it was like a weird dream
when they remembered being trapped
by the edge of the sea
with Pharoah’s army right behind them
they knew it wouldn’t last
they knew it was too good to be true
so they’d expected then, to be captured
Instead,
Moses raised his staff into the air
and the sea opened up and gave them a way through
They’d been hungry in the desert
and God sent manna and quail
They’d come to a water hole
when they’d been so thirsty,
only to find that the water was bitter
and not fit to drink…
(Kind of like Gibbon water, eh?)
And yet Moses, with the help of God
had turned the bitter water into sweet, cold,
fresh, drinkable water
and their thirst was filled
But they’ve been wandering for a long time
with no end in sight
there was no sign that they would ever find a home
there was no signs
that they would even survive
much less get a life beyond this wilderness
They wanted to go back
They’re nuts!
They wanted to go back to Egypt!
Sure, they had been slaves, sure they were miserable
but they’re miserable now
at least back there they knew what to expect
at least they knew they’d be fed
that they had shelter
Out here, they had nothing
Out here, there was nothing to count on
nothing to hope for
nothing to look forward to
but more desert sand
more endless wandering
more uncertainty and instability
they must have felt like they were going to die out there
I know some of you have been there
maybe you’re there right now
will it ever get better?
will it ever hurt less?
Will I ever get back on my feet again
will I ever actually feel GOOD again?
Is the Lord among us or not?
I get annoyed with some of the televangelists out now
who make a lot of money on selling books
and packing auditoriums
and they’re telling us that if we’re having hard times
it’s only because we don’t trust the Lord enough
because if we’re right with the Lord
then everything else just works out
I don’t know where they got that idea
certainly not from the Bible
But people are easily convinced
that if they just had enough faith
than everything would get better
or if they had enough faith
they’d never struggle
or they’d never want for anything,
or nothing bad would ever happen
But throughout the Bible
throughout our world
we see that isn’t true
we live in a broken world
where bad things happen
and sometimes we’re just in the wrong place
at the wrong time
Is the Lord among us or not?
Does God abandon us when our world falls apart?
I wish sometimes that instead of asking me
if we’re on time with our apportionments
or asking me how many new members
we’ve brought in this last year
or how many people we have on Sunday morning,
I wish that the District Superintendent would ask me
is the Lord among your people or not?
How do you know?
I’ve seen God among us all the time
when people are hurting and struggling
I’ve seen you reach out to each other
and to others who don’t even have a church
I’ve seen you visit, write cards, give hugs
I’ve seen you want to learn more about God
and what God has to do with all of this
I’ve seen you share the joy of someone having a baby
or someone getting pregnant when they didn’t think they could
I’ve seen your prayer blankets on beds,
and in people’s houses all over the region
kept closeby, for the times they need to know
that God has not abandoned them
I’ve seen you shed tears of joy and sorrow
for yourselves and each other
I’ve seen your faces glow
I’ve seen your hearts break
and I’ve seen you get back up on your feet again
I’d say, yes, the Lord is most definitely among us
and that doesn’t mean at all
that our hearts haven’t been broken
or that things are always easy
God never promised that it would be easy
not as long as we live in this crazy world
where there’s war and disease
and poverty and racism
and all kinds of isms
that breed hatred and destruction
God never said to Moses,
hey, get a grip
tell those people they don’t have enough faith
so I’m going to hold out on them
No, the people were as we say at our house, they were ow-ey
Big time
they were at each other’s throats
they were figuring they were going to dry up and die
right there
and it was all Moses’ or God’s fault
for setting them free
God didn’t judge them for their panic
God had mercy and compassion on them
knowing that they didn’t even know what blessings looked like
even when they slapped them in the face
because all they’d known was hardship
it’s all they’d come to expect from life
They got to the point where their mouths were so dry
and their bodies ached so much
that they forgot about the parting of the Red Sea
they forgot that God rained down quail and manna
to feed them in the desert
all they knew was their debilitating thirst
and they wondered, can we trust God?
Is God trustworthy?
Is the Lord among us or not?
So God tells Moses,
take your staff again,
strike that rock
and water will come out of it
enough water,
plenty of water to quench their thirst
and get them going again
Sometimes that’s all we need
They still had a long road ahead of them
there were still more trials and struggles along the way
before they reached the Promised Land
but perhaps they learned to take one step at a time
one stage of the journey at a time
remembering how God gave them water in the desert before
and God can do it again
And they’d learn very well
that God never would forsake them
even when their faith wasn’t very strong
God doesn’t quit on us, when we run out of faith
in fact, that’s when we often see God at work the most
when we’ve run out of the ability to get by on our own
God will never leave us or forsake
never leave us to die alone in the wilderness
But God will get us through the desert
those places where we are disoriented and lost
because our lives have changed abruptly and dramatically
and we don’t even know what direction
to go toward
It was a tough road
getting here to Gibbon
you have no idea
and yet we tell people we’ve never felt more at home
more loved and welcomed
We couldn’t have known that in May of 2005
that our lives were about to open up
that all our wandering would finally get us home
to a place where we could know joy again
feel at home again
and unpack ALL the boxes this time
God will never leave you or forsake you
even when you are at your worst
even when your faith has all run out
God is still there, still with you
still among you
ready to take your hand and mine
and lead us home
Just one step at a time.