Trust in Disillusionment

 

Hey, wasn’t it just last Sunday when we had a happily ever after ending for the people of Israel?  Moses had got them through the Sea of Reeds, escaping the dreaded army of Pharaoh, even though the people had complained about Moses bringing them to the brink of the water.  God stepped in and rescued the complainers, helped them cross the sea, and Moses told them that they would never see the lands of Egypt, the place of great sorrow and slavery, ever again.  So what’s with all the belly-aching?  Wouldn’t they know that they were God’s people, that if the army of Pharaoh could be defeated, surely the growling of empty stomachs would be a minor thing for God to deal with? 

But no, they were whining and complaining like nothing had happened before, like they still weren’t sure of God, like they didn’t trust God to help them in a tight place where food was scarce.  They may have been in what mental health experts call the ‘Disillusionment’ phase of disaster reactions. 

People who study disasters, such as traumatologists, yes, that’s a real word, talk about different phases people go through.  When the lockdown first happened, many people put in heroic efforts to help out.  Doctors and nurses rolled up their sleeves; some came out of retirement, volunteers sewed masks and so on.  Then there’s the honeymoon, and the stage of disillusionment before we get to the reconstruction.  It’s complicated by people’s resilience before the event.  There are folks who have been so traumatized by events in their lives that they were already in disillusionment.  They rage about everything from masks to vaccines to government conspiracy theories.  They rant in fabric stores, they grumble in grocery stores, they attack online, spreading rumors and false news.  They quote manifestos that are scarily similar to propaganda first spread by National Socialists in the 1930’s, and are determined to ignore any facts they don’t like.  Scary people, hurting people, distrusting people who have been hurt before by people they trusted.

People like the ones Moses was leading in the desert.  They too had been living in disillusionment for generations, experiencing exploitation and poverty.  They had lost their community knowledge of who they were and how they had been free people, living as farmers and herders.  The cleverness of Abraham, the faith of Jacob, the honesty of Joseph had been forgotten.  Surrounded by massive statues of Osiris, Isis and Anubis among others, they had no patterns of worship, of holy days, of rituals that reminded them of who they had been.  They had lost their heritage, their culture, their pride and their faith.

Not unlike many in our society today.  Folks working two or more jobs to pay the rent in a slum neighborhood.  Others living in mansions.  The gap between the haves and the have nots growing wider every year.  The level of addictions and people caught in violence.  There has been a surge in overdose deaths in Alberta and BC since March.  In July, The First Nations Health Authority in BC reported a 93% increase in overdose deaths amongst first nations, and 728 British Columbians died from drug overdoses. COVID-19 had killed 190 people in the same time period.  Addicts are finding it harder to access help because of Covid and we see this here in Athabasca.  Offices are closed and finding ways to reach to the homeless has been tricky.  We had someone in church on Sunday who was homeless and hungry.  He also was delusional and incoherent, and an innocent soul who was harmless but he has little ability to survive an Athabascan winter on the streets.  We gave him a little snack and a coffee then called for help for him.

We contacted Primary Care Network who have a plan to get him the care he needs.  A good ending that was facilitated by this congregation being a beacon of hope in his time of wilderness wandering.

The people wandering with Moses had to learn to trust God and to trust their leaders.  Their story testified to God who provided not an excessive amount, an extravagant supply, but enough for each day.  Enough to sustain the community while they healed from their abuse in Egypt.  The day’s wages for the workers in the vineyard no matter when they came to work, enough to feed their families. The amount that Jesus taught his disciples to pray for, their daily bread. 

We in the west also don’t trust leadership, especially anything coming out of Toronto.  Which can be wise.  But I have been very inspired by our leaders who are boldly asking the government for manna for all Canadians.  Just as the depression in the 1930’s led to the Conservative Government establishing a national employment insurance program, and returning vets with a host of medical issues helped motivate people to push for Universal Health Care, now our leaders are campaigning for a universal basic income which has all kinds of surprising outcomes, families able to afford healthy foods which leads to less stressful and healthier lives which can reduce hospital stays, addiction and crime rates as people feel more hopeful.  Like the daily wages in Jesus’ parable, and the gift of manna in the wilderness, we can work with our leaders to encourage politicians to provide daily bread.  Our Moderator the Right Reverend Richard Bott wrote,

“Since 1972, The United Church of Canada has advocated for Guaranteed Annual Income as a method of insuring economic security for all in Canada that is more equitable and less expensive and complicated … than the numerous government support programs presently available. Since then, national and international studies and programs have shown that Universal Basic Income is both affordable and has beneficial effects in the areas of health, justice, education, and social welfare...”

You and I have an opportunity to make a difference that will be just as profound as our grandparents and great grandparents who called for universal health care and employment insurance.  We can make a lasting change that will bring Jesus’ call for economic fair play closer to reality, on earth as it is in heaven.  This is our chance to revolutionize Canada in a profound way!  Let us join together to bring manna to all who are in the wilderness of disillusionment.