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Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church
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May 28, 2017
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Questions for
Reflection
In Exodus 15 the echoes of the songs of Moses and Miriam had barely stopped ringing when the people of Israel found themselves in crisis. They could find no water for three days, and when they eventually did find water, it was too bitter to drink. The people complained until Moses cried out to God. Does it ever feel like you get out of one bad situation only to find yourself in another? What do you do when that happens?
Exodus 15:23-25a reads, "When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" He 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." How is Moses' response different from the response of the people to the crisis? Which one was more effective?
Exodus 15:25b states that "the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance" and "put them to the test." It goes on to promise that listening to God, doing what is right in God's sight, and following God's commandments will lead to healing (and avoidance of the fate of Egypt). What kind of healing do you think can come from aligning ourselves with God? Could it include physical healing? Spiritual healing? Maybe even communal healing? Thinking broadly of healing, what kind(s) of healing would you like to receive?
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Knowing God :: Jehovah-Rapha
The Rev. Steve Whitney, preaching
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Continuing our "Knowing God" sermon series, we examine the name Jehovah-Rapha (the Lord Who Heals). Jehovah-Rapha can refer not only to physical healing, but also spiritual healing and even societal healing. We know that Jesus interpreted healing broadly. On occasions when he healed, he discussed forgiveness, inclusion in the community, and release from oppression.
Some scholars conclude that Exodus 15:22-26, our sermon text for this Sunday, must have been assembled from multiple sources because the narrative doesn't flow. In the text, does the problem finding water connect with a statement about testing, following God's commandments, and receiving healing?
Maybe there's more continuity beneath the surface. God's people have been rescued from Egypt, but they don't yet know how to be God's people. To recover from the oppression they suffered and become partners with God in building a new society, they will need healing, training, and reorientation.
This Sunday, we'll reflect on the power of healing and what it means to be the people of Jehovah-Rapha. I look forward to worshiping with you at 7:50 a.m. (contemplative), 10 a.m. (traditional), or 5 p.m. (contemporary).
Blessings,
Steve
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Theme for the Day
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How lost was my condition
Till Jesus made me whole!
There is but one Physician
Can cure a sin-sick soul.
-John Newton
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Scripture Passage
Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" He 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 for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you."
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