Snakes Alive!

The things we do to survive difficult times are truly surprising.  Wilderness survival has become a staple on Netflix and YouTube, with shows like Man Tracker being popular.  But the ancient Hebrews, wandering around in the wilderness, didn’t have encyclopedias to tell them how to survive, or what to eat.  They didn’t have an app on their phone pointing to where the nearest grocery store was, and they certainly couldn’t skip the dishes!  Survival was not something they could take for granted.  So when snakes moved in to their campground, no wonder they were upset.  They couldn’t contact Fish and Wildlife and rent a snake trap to deal with the infestation.

They did have a clear understanding that their choices had led to their misfortunes.  Their decision to be negative, to complain repeatedly about the food like a bunch of teenagers in the school cafeteria, was very human.  There are at least 14 instances in the books of Exodus and Numbers, of the people complaining about the food or the water, like a broken record that went on and on.  Despite everything Moses did, finding rocks with water in it, or manna on the ground, or quails in the air, the people still complained.  Slavery where they had no choices and they knew what would happen every day of their lives, was better than the unpredictable never-ending hiking trip that left them all tired and grumpy at the end of every day.  Freedom is not as wonderful as they thought it would be.  They were still part of the slavery mindset where it was always someone else’s fault.  They were addicted to seeing only the negative in every situation.  Surprisingly, snakes are supposed to be better protein than beef, and according to one website, rattlesnake meat is particularly delicious.  And since Moses hadn’t gotten time to write down what was clean and what was unclean yet in the book of Leviticus, snakes could have been a real boost to their diets.  At least, if you don’t eat the poison glands in the heads, and don’t get bitten as you try to catch them.  Maybe Moses or the writers of Leviticus knew something about those snakes we don’t.

Whatever the reason, God and Moses cooked up some art therapy for the Hebrews to get them looking up.  They cooked up a snake on a stick, to remind the folks that they had someone to trust in that was more powerful than snakes.  To remind the folks to go to prayer first, not negativity.  To break their slave thinking which assumed the worst in all situations.  To put God right in the centre of all their calamities and fears and frustrations.

Jesus continued that metaphor and built on it in a night-time conversation with Nicodemus.  Nicodemus, an educated believer, was an expert in the bible.  He wanted to figure out if Jesus was legitimate or just a con man, if Jesus was rooted and grounded in his scriptures or just inventing whatever he felt like.  This was a test of Jesus and his theology by a temple official.  This was not a casual chat about whether or not snakes might be edible, a conversation that was light and fluffy between two strangers wondering if they might be able to become friends.  This was the meeting of two great minds to talk about deep philosophical stuff.  Jesus could throw obscure quotes from the bible at Nicodemus because Jesus had studied it well.  Nicodemus would have been impressed that Jesus knew that odd story, and he would have taken it as a sign that Jesus had done his homework.  From the questions Nicodemus asked Jesus, he was honestly open and curious as to what Jesus was teaching, and was listening hard to understand.  That teaching was surprising on so many levels.  We tend to focus mostly on John 3:16 because that has become the most famous passage of the bible, seen at football games and on billboards.  It also has become interpreted in toxic ways.  One person described John 3:16 as a “believe it or else” warning sign used to divide and discriminate against people that don’t believe in Jesus in just the right way.  Which is ironic, because Nicodemus came with questions and an attitude of curiosity.  Jesus treated him with deep respect, engaging his questions, inspiring deeper questions, and having a rich, metaphorical conversation.  If Nicodemus were here today, would he read John 3:16 as an invitation to deeper conversations or as a condemnation of himself as not doing Christianity right?  Would the people he talked to today condemn him for not understanding, or encourage him to keep questioning?  It’s too bad that we stop at 3:16, because 3:17 is in my mind a much more invitational and hopeful verse.  Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world but that the whole world might be saved.  In some ways, that is the true scandal of this passage.  Our secret deeds will no longer be secret, our actions that we’re not proud of, these will be as evident and as prominent as if we had put them on a stick and marched them in a parade in the downtown on Canada Day.  But the whole world will be saved not only from our faults and mistakes and secrets, but from all that has us feeling scared or angry.  The whole world.  Not just the pretty ones, the famous ones, the straight ones, the rich ones, the powerful ones, but the whole world.

The whole world includes people of all ages, races, ethnicity, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, and family structure.  It also includes creation, snakes and all.  Jesus didn’t condemn Nicodemus, who helped care for his body on Good Friday.  Jesus came for all of us, in all our glorious diversity.  Whether we are campers who like our microwaves, or survivalists who want to know how to cook the snakes that are edible, we are part of the world that Jesus came to be lifted up for.  May we find courage and strength no matter where we find ourselves or what we are struggling with, by keeping our eyes on Jesus.  Amen.

A Prayer for Robin

So, there's a story within this story.  I stumbled upon this old prayer I wrote back in 2018 for my friend Robin when I was doing grief support last week.  Grief is hard, especially for one's first Christmas, and finding ways to support people at this time of year is a passion of mine.  I had forgotten all about Robin's prayer but gave it to the grieving person, then thought about Mary's prayer of exultation when she found out she was pregnant with Jesus.  She was living in similar times, , political tumult and poverty. So I read this for my Advent 4 service last Sunday.  There is a footnote to this:  Robin, who asked for a prayer then let me know she took it with her to Mount Everest.  It was left there with other prayers from around the world.  When I read it last Sunday, one of the visitors in church was a mountain climber and told us that the belief is that prayers left on Mount Everest are shared around the world by Mount Everest's winds which take them around the world.  That coincidence gave me serious goosebumps! The photo here is Robin's group on Mount Everest in 2018.  Not one word has been changed, and yet so much of what is mentioned is still the same even now.

A Prayer for Robin 

Oh Holy Mystery, Great Creator, be with me and my family as we live through these troubled times.  The world seems bent on self-destruction with greed and politics causing war and violence.  Diseases and viruses cause us fear of the unknown.  Tensions arise between Ukrainians and Russians, Jews and Muslims and Christians, terrorists and civilians.  Children and innocents are victims of conflicts that date back centuries, and even famous and beloved movie stars find life too tragic to endure.

Here in Canada there are no bombs dropping or epidemics of Ebola but we still deal with the pressures of daily living, the underlying assumptions that we are not good enough or that we are not doing enough or famous enough or helping others enough or safe enough or smart enough or brave enough.  There are times when we feel that we must be in control of the whole universe and times when we feel that the whole universe is out of control.  Cancers, car accidents, racist acts, conflicts with family or neighbors all add stress and fear to our lives.

Help us remember to search for your loving presence in our days.  Help us to look for signs of hope.  Help us to remember the times when we have seen a rainbow or butterfly, had that phone call from a friend or cuddled a kitten at just the right time.

Help us to remember the inspiring moments when others have touched our hearts with their sensitive art or stirring words.  Help us to remember the thin places we have experienced through nature, music, architecture, art, poetry or drama that have helped us see humanity in all its glorious potential.  Help us to remember that we are not alone in times of trial.  Help us to have the courage to ask for the help that we need when dealing with the demons and dragons of our lives.  Help us to see hope for the human race when we hear of ice bucket challenges that raise money to heal others they don’t even know.  Help us remember the acts of courage of people who want to show us what is happening around our world.  Help us remember the bravery of volunteers who deliver aid in the midst of tragedy. 

Help us too to remember to act with compassion and forgiveness.  Help us remember that time is the greatest gift we can give another, and the most precious tools we can use to help are our own ears.  Help us to be inspired by the one who braved oppression, spoke out against religious intolerance, challenged racist and sexist stereotypes, and did not let cruelty and torture stop his message of your compassionate and sympathetic love.  May he continue to inspire and encourage us as we live each day as a gift you give us.  May we remember Him as we break bread with our family and friends, and may we remember that we truly are never alone in this world of your creating.  In life, in death, in life beyond death, you are with us, thanks be to you.  Amen. 

P.S. the song we picked weeks ago to follow the sermon, which I forgot all about? "Go Tell it on the Mountain" - more goosebumps! May these words bless you and keep you and give you hope wherever you are this holiday season and bless you for 2024.