Exodus 15:22-27 (NIV- 1984)
The Waters of Marah and Elim
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they travelled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
In the Exodus story of the Bible the people of Israel (the first people in the Bible to have a special relationship with God), had just escaped from Egypt.
Egypt was for them the land of slavery. Moses their leader, a kind of old and mystical Prophet, had commanded the Sea, which blocked the Israelites in Egypt from reaching the desert, to separate and it had opened wide. So wide that the people of Israel could walk right across it – tens of 1000s of them, families, animals, children and old – ALL of them crossed the floor of the Red Sea as the Egyptian armies and charioteers rushed to catch up with them. Finally, as the last of the Israelites crossed onto the other side, the waters collapsed back into the sea and the Egyptian armies were drowned.
The Israelites were jubilant! Moses and his sister Miriam in particular – their God, this mysterious, supernatural force and personality called – YHWH – or “Iam what Iam” had delivered his people out of arduous slavery. Moses had found YHWH difficult to believe at first, but he had obeyed this God and now God had showed him right in front of all the Israelites. God had proved himself, by delivering the Israelites out of Egypt into the Wilderness.
Moses and Miriam are so jubilant that they turn to song and sing out the glories of this Holy God and the story of how he had transferred the people of Israel out of a land of hard, routine, relentless labour into a land of freedom.
But freedom quickly brings its own problems…
…and although this God had enabled them to be free of Egyptian oppression, the Israelites were now in a situation where they had to survive in difficult circumstances of the wilderness. Imagine escaping from the city with all its shops and restaurants, but the dullness of seemingly endless 9-5 routine work…out into the moors and hills of the Peak District or Lake District… at first it’s great to be free…free of all your responsibilities…but soon hunger and thirst start to kick in. You’ve come prepared with food, but while with food you can carry quite a lot of it…water is more difficult to carry …You have enough for the first few days…but three days in… you are starting to run out…and beginning to worry.
From our reading the people of Israel are three days into the desert…three days into freedom…but the miraculous escape from the Egyptians through the Sea is no longer on their mind…what they are interested in are cold facts!Water and Bread
Water
Bread
i.e. – their most basic physical needs!
Biblical faith has always been about physical needs. It has always been about God providing bread and water when we need it.
We might think Christianity is more about spiritual highs and mystical, charismatic experiences…and it is!
But our God knows we are human too. He knows we are as the Bible tells – ‘Made from dust’ – Made from the soil of the Earth. We are physical beings…
as well as spiritual ones!
So, this situation in the desert for the Israelites is a real one…very real…If this new God that Moses has told them about…who has delivered them from Egyptian slavery is to be trusted…believed…he’s got to look after their physical needs…and this is not going to be a straight forward process when you have tens of thousands of people camping out in the desert. Imagine New Wine or Greenbelt, Glastonbury or Reading festivals without the portable toilet facilities, shower blocks and fast food takeaway vans…this is not an easy task. So, when we put this story in context it’s perhaps no wonder that when the Israelites glimpse from afar the glimmering pool of water at Marah, they are overjoyed to have found a source of refreshment…only to be (excuse the pun) bitterly disappointed!22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they travelled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
“What are we to drink?”
Good question!
For the Israelites 3 days into a desert hike and camping trip…it’s a very real issue. For us in 21st Century Britain with clean drinking water on tap and warm water for baths and showers in the boiler – our needs may be very different.
But nevertheless, there are times in our lives or there will be at some point times in our lives when we are desperate for refreshment…desperate for comfort…desperate for replenishment…and suddenly we find a source of comfort…only to find out that actually it is BITTER and no comfort at all. Actually, it is bitter water…undrinkable…a bitter illusion of refreshment!
I think of those times at the end of the month when, the numbers in the bank account look smaller and smaller…how am I going to survive till the next pay check? Or the times when one starts a new relationship which initially fulfils only rapidly begins to disintegrate even quicker than the last one…under the pressures of the daily routine. Or perhaps, it’s the question of funding for the Bridge…we have funding enough for today, but what about in the future?
At some point we will ask: What are we to drink?!Moses does what every servant of God should do.
He doesn’t hold back!
He doesn’t control his emotions or look like he has a back-up plan – a plan B for these very circumstances.
No, he cries out to the LORD!25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood.
Six words in the NIV translation - Moses cried out to the LORD
No holding back… no smart suited boardroom meeting…he just asks God for help…
What is his prayer? We don’t know…but it is probably as simple as ‘Help!’
and God answers him. God shows him a piece of wood:25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
Now some writers say there is perhaps nothing miraculous about this story as in the desert where the Israelites were camping there are known to be pools of bitter water which can be remedied with a certain kind of wood that has herbal properties. There is literally a bush that grows in the desert which makes bitter water sweet.
But could there also be a analogy for us here as Christians…could the piece of wood represent for us something prophetic…something that foretells the future of a different piece of wood that 1500 years later would take away a different kind of bitterness and poison from our lives…from the whole world’s lives?
Could the piece of wood God showed Moses represent the Cross of Jesus?
A dry length of wood that soaks up the toxicity in the undrinkable water…is it just our imaginations to think that this might be an ancient foreshadowing of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross…taking in all the evil and bitter suffering of the World in his own flesh…as he hangs upon two beams of rough wood…His own blood soaking the dry grain as he takes upon the Sin of the World.Did not another desert Prophet, John the Baptizer, in a much later age, say of Jesus?
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29
‘(Moses) threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.’
The bitter water became… sweet.
Sweetness out of bitterness!
Isn’t that what we want to happen in our own lives?
For our bitter experiences to become sweet?
For our tears to become laughter?
For our mourning to become joy?
For our open wounds to become healed?Our society:
Our society is widely recognised as both a consumerist society and as a celebrity society.
That means:
When we feel sad or unhappy or ashamed or we tend to solve the problem of these difficult feelings by buying something.
We consume.
We consume to solve our problems.
We also live in a celebrity society.
Where certain glamorous men and women represent to us in full multi-colour, high definition the kind of success and adulation we would all like for ourselves, but cannot have…at least not to the same degree. We can see the allure of celebrity in the array of talent shows that have become such a huge hit over the last ten years or so…many people desire to be a celebrity…many people long for that glamorous lifestyle of a pop star or movie actress…we crave their beauty… We long to escape our own mediocre, dreary, routine lives, with all the chores and petty arguments with spouse or kids and be whisked away into the world of starlight celebrity…at least I do! Or is it just me?!
If we can’t become a star, we can make a deal
But if we can’t become full on celebrities our consumer society says actually if you work hard at your job and earn some money then I will allow you to ‘BUY’ – i.e. exchange some of your cash, which you have earned working away in a rather ordinary unglamorous job for a little bit of the celebrity shine…
So, we look to these celebrities for some of their magic and wonder to kind of rub off on us by buying a magazine telling us about the lives of celebrities or we watch on TV a documentary, we buy the latest DVD or download a music track, purchase the same brand clothing etc, etc
In this way, we can partake in the celebrity glory…even just taste it a little in exchange for money…of course the problem arises when we run out of money…then we really become stuck…but if we have money we can put up with it for a while…Why? Because the lives of celebrities are SWEET and our lives are BITTER
If I may, I would like to share with you a story from my own life that happened recently:
Dream testimony – Mr. Jesson’s ‘sour berries’ + Bitter fruit tasting good, ‘Better than normal sweet fruit’
In the end…God does lead the Israelites to a place of abundant fresh water…12 springs at Elim. In the Bible the number 12 is a number of completeness – fullness. 10 is also a number of completeness and fullness, but 12 is ten + two more so it is a number of abundance, more than sufficiency. There are twelve tribes of Israel – twelve different family groups – with twelve distinct identities all of them catered for.
Twelve springs of fresh water – an oasis in the desert and trees too…trees for shade and lush greenery. But the journey takes us first through the bitter waters. God wants to prepare us for the fresh water by taking us through the bitter experiences…and showing us…in a way that the World cannot do…in a way our consumer, celebrity society cannot offer us… God shows us, like Mr. Jesson, that he is able and willing to transform our bitter experiences into sweet ones. This is a unique mission that only the Church…God’s People can share with the World. It doesn’t cost you anything…you can’t buy it…you just have to cry out to God and ask for his help and when he shows you the answer…the stick of wood… the teachings or Word of God…pick it up. Obey him and cast it into the bitter waters of your life… and they shall turn sweet…because God doesn’t want you to be in perpetual mourning. He wants to set you free. Free to enjoy the twelve springs of fresh water he has for you around the corner. The reality is though that we will never fully appreciate the fresh water springs until we have first encountered the bitter waters and seen them transformed.
Crying out to God is the answer.
The command of God is the answer. Pick up the piece of wood – the Cross – it is the answer.
Throw it into the bitter waters. There it will soak up the poison and your life will become sweet… a special kind of sweetness, born through suffering, but redeemed through God’s Love. It is a prize, that not even the World with all its celebrities can offer.
Will you cry out to God today?
Will you listen and obey his command to pick up the piece of wood and throw it into the waters of Marah in your life?
By David L Fletcher (Copyright 2010)
Bitter Life into Sweet Life
Best 60 Minutes – Seize the Day
Life will be easier when…
Turn and talk to someone next to you about when life might be easier…….
Don’t get me wrong there are times when we all spend some time wishing that life was easier. In fact there might be times when we feel like giving up completely.
Firstly, let me make it clear there are no easy answers to the traumas of family life, whether that is at home or within a community like this one at the Bridge.
Secondly , for most of us the number one need is for us not have ‘answers’, but to know that we are not alone. What can often keep us going in the tough time is hope: the belief that because others have come through experiences like ours – we can too.
A psychologist once said that:
“Most people believe that a future event will make them happy. They say, ‘when I get married I’ll be happy’ or ‘When I get a new job ….’ Or maybe even something like ‘When the weekend comes I will be happy’. The psychologist went to on to say ‘really happy people don’t think about their lives that way – even though life maybe far from perfect, they learn to appreciate the good bits. They grasp happiness – however small – NOW’.
But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses
1 Timothy 6:11-12 (The Message)
Anyone any idea of the importance of these two numbers?
6 570, 2 964 turn and see if they ring any bells with you
A man in his late mid life did a little math’s one day. He knew that the average age to which he might live was 75 years. He then multiplied that by 52 to give him a figure of 2 964 – the number of Saturday his life would hold. He was already 55 and so he had just 1040 Saturdays left. He went out and toured the toy shops in his town ‘til he managed to buy a 1040 marbles. When he got home he put them all in a large jar – each representing one of the Saturdays he had left in his life. As time passed every Saturday he took a marble out every week. One day he was chatting with a younger man who was struggling to make ends meet when it came to time. There just did not seem to be enough and his family was loosing out. He told the younger man that it helped him to focus on the important things in his life. He went to fetch the jar and the young man saw that is was empty. The older man said , “Today I am 75 any Saturday from now on is a bonus”
(Taken from The Sixty Minutes Family by Rob Parsons)
There are no easy answers
You are not alone
Seize the moment, now. Talk to someone, buy some marbles, count the days, find happiness now.
Jesus said to another, “Follow me.”
He said, “Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father’s funeral.” Jesus refused.
“First things first, your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s kingdom!” Then another said, “I’m ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home.”
Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.”
Luke 9: 59-62 (The Message)
Best 60 Minutes – Power of Encouragement
Can you finish the following saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but …?”
How ridiculous! Words will never hurt me!Lets see what the Bible says about this.
Bible Reading – James 3:4-8
A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the strongest of winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything – or destroy it!
It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
This is scary you can tame a tiger but you can’t tame a tongue – it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer.Our words are vital they can literally tear us apart or keep us together. Words of encouragement are crucial. We need to be careful though as our encouragement can sometimes put pressure on people unintentionally. Let’s take a look at some encouraging words and see which might put pressure on someone.
|
Praise |
Encouragement
|
|
You are the best student I ever had |
You are a fine student. Any teacher will appreciate and enjoy you. |
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You are always on time. |
You sure make an effort to be on time. |
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You have the highest score in the class on this exam. |
You did very well on this exam. |
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I am so proud of you. |
You seem to really enjoy learning |
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You’re the best helper I ever had. |
The room looks very neat since you tidied the bookshelves. |
|
I’m so proud of your artwork. |
It is great to see that you enjoy art. |
Main Differences between Praise and Encouragement
One of the main differences between praise and encouragement is that praise often comes paired with a judgment or evaluation, such as “best” or “highest” in these examples.
|
Praise |
Encouragement
|
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stimulates rivalry and competition |
stimulates cooperation and contribution for the good of all |
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focuses on quality of performance |
focuses on amount of effort and joy |
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person feels “judged” no evaluation of person or act; |
person feels “accepted” |
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fosters selfishness at the expense of others |
fosters self-interest, which does not hurt others |
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emphasis on evaluation of the person-”You are better than others.” |
emphasis on specific contributions -”You have helped in this way.” |
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creates quitters |
creates try-ers |
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fosters fear of failure |
fosters acceptance of being imperfect |
|
fosters dependence |
fosters self-sufficiency and independence |
Marshall Rosenberg
Marshall Rosenberg tells this story after he had been working with a group of teachers, telling them about the dangers of using praise and complements as rewards. People are trained to use praise as a reward, as a manipulation to get people to do what they want. For example, in a family, we are taught that if you praise and compliment children daily, they are more likely to do what you want. Teachers do the same in school to get children to work more.Marshall had been trying to show them how to use encouragement instead. First, he said that you should identify what the person did that enriched their life, not a generality, like “you’re so kind, beautiful, or wonderful” but what concretely did they do for you. Second, how do you feel inside about their action? And third, what need was fulfilled inside you by their contribution?
He says he couldn’t have done a very good job of explaining this because afterward, a woman came up and said, “You were brilliant.”
He replied, “That is no help. I have been called a lot of names in my life some positive and some far from positive and I could never recall learning anything of value from someone telling me what I am. I don’t think anybody does but I can see by the look in your eyes you want to express gratitude. I want to receive it but telling me what I am doesn’t help.”
She then asked, What do you want to hear?”
So he then asked “What did I say in the workshop that made life more wonderful for you?”She replied, “You are so intelligent.”
He said, “That doesn’t help.”She thought for a moment and then opened her notebook and said, “Here are two things that you said that really made a difference.” So Marshall asked, “How do you feel?” And she said, “Hopeful and relieved.”
Marshall then asked, “It would help me if I knew what needs of yours were met.”
She said, “I have this 18 year old son and when we fight, it is horrible. It can go on for days. I have needed some concrete direction and these two things have made such a difference for me.”Now those are encouraging words. When we want to encourage someone we could try to use those three suggestions
Bible reading – Proverbs 15:23, 25:10 (The Message)
The Bible says that :Everyone enjoys giving good advice, and how wonderful it is to be able to say the right thing at the right time!
Timely advice is as lovely as gold apples in a silver basket.
Acceptance
And yet many of us carry around the hurt or pain caused by other people’s words. We do not have a silver basket in our life that contains golden apples.A good friend of mine who is a church minister shared that over the years she has stored and kept the cards and notes of appreciation that she has received. And there have been times when she has needed to go back to that box to re-read them because of the criticism and lack of acceptance that she has experienced from people. When we do not encourage one another we are judging each other and failing to accept each other as we are. When you have not been encouraged you will feel judged and unacceptable. The challenge this evening is that our lives and words need to be an encouragement to each other, which means within our own smaller family units, within our Bridge family and within our wider community.
Developing an attitude of encouragement will only come with practice and it will only come when we are willing to be let go of the pain and hurt that others may have caused us. God totally accepts and wants to encourage us and as we begin to know that deep down we can begin to offer the same encouragement to others. God loves to catch us doing something right, he loves to encourage us and cheer us on. He accepts us now even whilst he knows our full future potential.
There is a silver bowl here with words that can become golden apples for you. If you would like a word of encouragement from God then please come and take one.
Lent 1 – Direction
If you make a journey what counts as travel essentials?
I dare say each one of us would answer in a different way. You might even have a list that you keep on a computer or on a piece of paper that you get out before you go on holiday. You might not be that organised and just gather it all together in the last half hour as it comes into your head.
What would you take on a journey with you?
Many of us would day we are on a journey, one that is more spiritual in nature, but it has some very earthy impact. What are the travel essentials for that journey?
What do you need to put in the rucksack to carry with you?
Discussion – Where are you?
There is a sort of map here on the screen for you to look at – Where are you? Where does it feel like you are at this season of your life?
Turn and talk to someone about where you are
“Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow, follow, follow, follow,
Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
Follow the Yellow Brick, Follow the Yellow Brick,
Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”
Sang by Dorothy in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz.
Do you know where you going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you?
From the classic song by Diana Ross that was a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
“You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen.”
Bono in the clip you have just seen called Walk on. How can you pack for somewhere none of us have been to?
The recent TV series hit from the USA called Lost has featured a group who survived a plane crash on a desert island
Lostness, or a lack of direction is as old as what it is to be human.
Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you know what it is like to be lost?
Have you ever been completely lost?
Have you ever had the map in your hand but have still no idea where you are?
“Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”
Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
John 14:1-7 (The Message)
Now we have to set the passage in it’s context. Jesus is in Jerusalem with his Disciples at the time of the biggest festival in the Jewish calendar – the Passover. Jesus has told the Disciples he is going to die, he has washed their feet as an act of service, he has told them of his betrayal and has now told them they will all desert him. The Disciples cannot follow the way he is going right now but the time will come when they will. Peter has said he will do anything for Jesus, even die for him.
Then, in the midst of all this bad news, all this gloom, all this turmoil Jesus asks them to trust him and in His Father.
Jesus knows where he is going but he also knows where the Disciples are going and there is plenty of room. Jesus will get things ready and he will be back for them. Trust me.
And then Thomas comes up with this wonderful question, “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way” Sound familiar, Sounds like lostness or a lack of direction. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way” A child to a parent, a passenger to a driver, a friend to another friend, a student to a teacher, anyone to God,
I am not sure where you put yourself on the jelly baby map. Maybe you are on a high, maybe in the depths, struggling to keep afloat, maybe you don’t know,
Jesus says to Thomas and the Disciples I am The Road, The Truth and The Life.
Jesus being The Road or the Way – Difficult concept to get you head around. Jesus says he is the way, but how does that work, what does that mean?
The way the truth and the life has often been used as a doctrinal statement of who is in and who is out, but what happens if this statement by Jesus is an invitation.
It is an invitation to walk. An invitation to walk with Jesus. It is when we walk with Jesus that we are on the Road, we are on the way.
Dorothy followed the yellow brick road with her companions, the way was yellow and easy to see. I think Bono might have been more right that it might possibly have first seemed.
“You’re packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen.”
That does not make it easy unless you put in the context of joining with Jesus on the journey he is making.
If you are lost who do you trust for direction?
Try Jesus, join him on his Road, on his Way.