Are you satisfied?

 

Since I've been at my new work, I've been pressed to write and record a few homilies for replay on Sundays on the units. This is the first written for February 27th, and it's taken a while because it's required both my computer and my work computer to play nicely together when they are probably a decade apart in production, and I don't think either involved 2020 as the decade. 

SERVICE FOR FEBRUARY 27TH, 2022, AT WINNEBAGO MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTION

First Reading Exodus 34

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the LORD had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. 30When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw this, and they were afraid to go near him. 31Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. 32Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.

33The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. 34Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the LORD. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the LORD had told him to say. 35They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.

Second Reading Sura 7 “The Elevated Places”

144[God] said: O Musa! Surely I have chosen you above the people with My messages and with My words, therefore take hold of what I give you and be [among] the grateful ones. 145And We ordained for him in the tablets admonition of every kind and clear explanation of all things; so take hold of them with firmness and enjoin your people to take hold of what is best thereof…

I'm pretty certain we all have heard Bob Marley at one time or another. He was a great man whose death, 40 years ago, is remembered by all of us. We all have, I'm sure, our own favorite Marley song but it's generally agreed that his greatest is "Exodus" from the same titled album. I'm going to take a few minutes to play this for you. 

    

        You know, bouncing around a little up here I'm reminded of a commercial for a beer from Jamaica. The tagline is "Red Stripe and reggae, helping our white friends to dance for  seventy years." You have doubtless heard the song many times, and one phrase that comes through clearly, in tone and in meaning, are the words, “Open your eyes and look within. Are you satisfied with the life you’re living?”

            I want to turn to the scripture reading. In seminary one of the most important clues to interpreting scripture I was taught is the habit of reading the chapters before and after the selected one to put it into context. So here’s what’s happening in this selection. The Jews have left Egypt, they’re on their desert journey, God has given Moses the first set of Commandments. In his absence, the travelers have built a gold image and imbued it with their faith, and in fury Moses has flung the tablets to the ground and ground the calf to dust. Oddly, perhaps, after berating his people, Moses returns to Mount Sinai to ask God’s forgiveness and favor. Surprisingly, he finds it. God gives him another set of tablets, he returns to the travelers. Having spoken with God, his face shows a glowing difference that marks him as someone other, and he goes on to oversee the construction of the Tabernacle.

            Here’s where the song “Exodus” and the book Exodus intersect.

            Marley’s words are a reflection of a simple question we probably all ask ourselves. Does the way I’m living satisfy me? Am I doing the things I ought to be doing? Is this the life I should live? The author Jiddu Krishnamurti put it in a form I like. Does this path I’m following have a heart?

            The response, according to Moses’ people in the book Exodus, is a resounding “No.” The path they’re on might have a heart but after several decades of searching it’s really hard for them to see it. That’s why Moses climbs Mount Sinai to speak with God. God’s response is, “These are the laws you need to follow to live a good life.”

            Millenia later, we still ask that question. We all wonder what we need to do to live a good life. Our answer may lie in the tablets God gives to Moses. They’re great lessons to live by. But for most of us the day to day answer requires a response that’s a bit more complicated. We probably don’t daily have to make a choice whether or not to steal, should we kill or not. It’s likelier we’re going to ask, How should I behave in this situation? I guess it’s an old copout but it’s up to each of us individually what rules we need to follow to lead a life with heart. The sad truth is my path is not the same as yours. Buddhist monks say, “Many paths, one mountain.” So no one else can know what your path is like.

            But, for better and worse, change is our only constant. Everything can change between one day and another. As a result, don’t try to navigate your path alone because you’ll get lost. Find someone you trust and let them see you at your best and even your worst. And start small. Take your time. Smile as genuinely as you can when you see someone you like and acknowledge them. Be angry at people if you must but don’t be mean. We can’t know what’s ahead. We might live 120 years, like Moses, but die within sight of our Promised Land. We might, like Bob Marley, die at 36 from a cancer under our toenail. Whatever our path, it’s ours alone to travel. We should have good companions and comfortable places to rest.

[Lord’s Prayer]

Benediction by Wayne Arneson

“Take courage friends. The way is often hard, the path is never clear, and the stakes are very high. Take courage. For deep down, there is another truth: you are not alone.”