Rev’d Dr Elizabeth Mc Whae

Season of Creation 2, Pentecost 16 – Exodus 14 19-31, Psalm 114, Romans 14 1-14, Matthew 18 21-35

Introduction: This morning in this season of creation I am going to focus on WATER. In part because of the reading from Exodus, but also because the topics of water and creation seem to be very inter-related. All created beings are dependent upon and made up of water. The food we eat requires water to grow. Manufacturing industries require water. We travel on water. In fact, it is fair to say that our world can not survive without water.

So let’s see what we can learn about water, creation and faith.

Point 1:The reading we have just heard from Exodus 14, is the foundational story of Jewish faith. As Christians we forget just how foundational it is for the Jewish people. It is a story about God, good and evil, faith and fear, and pilgrimage. And it involves water, a lot of water.

So let me refresh your memory of the events that have led us to this reading. We have reached the point in the Exodus narrative where the final act of saving the Israelites from the Egyptians is revealed. Gone are the happy days of Joseph, who was second in the kingdom after Pharaoh. Other Pharaohs have come and gone and the Israelites  are now regarded as unwanted refugees to be used and abused by the Egyptians. The current Pharaoh decides to treat them as forced labourers and oppresses them bitterly. But somehow God hears the cries of the Israelites and a leader is plucked out of the bullrushes called Moses. His task is to lead his people to their Promised Land, but it is not going to be easy.

After 10 horrific plagues in the land of Egypt, sent by God, Pharaoh finally relents and tells the Israelites to leave. So they do just that. But Pharaoh changes his mind again and sends his very superior army after his enemies. This is where our reading starts today. The Israelites are trapped at the Red Sea with the Egyptians advancing. There is no way out. We are told the angel of God and the pillar of cloud separated the Israelites and the Egyptians. Moses stretched out his hand and the Lord drove the sea back on either side, so the Israelites could cross on dry land. The Egyptian army followed and chaos ensued, because God caused the Egyptians to panic and their chariots became clogged. They interpreted this as “the Lord fighting for them against Egypt.” The end result was the death of the entire Egyptian army. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians,  ….. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Point 2: Now this is a great story if you are part of the people of Israel and part of the Christian tradition. But it is a terrible story if you are part of the Egyptian army. The method of destruction here is water and presumably drowning. It is not pretty. God and the creation have used water to terminate life. My point being that water both sustains life but can also end it. We have seen this most recently to devastating effect on the Tibet/Nepal border. And we have seen it to a less devastating extent in our own country at times.

In the case of the exodus tradition God is clearly identified as causing the creation to act in a way that is both sustaining and destructive. And this is not a one off event. Think back to the great flood narrative and the story of Noah, another example of how water was both sustaining and destructive in the world.  Now I would never suggest that all floods and drownings are an act of God.

I would suggest, however, that God is active in the created world. The recent events in Nepal raise many questions for me. Why did this happen? Who lives and who dies? And how as people of faith do we respond to an event like this? Who would ever have imagined that water and the creation could be so destructive?

Point 3: But getting back to this idea that God acts through creation and uses creation as a means of revelation. This I think is extraordinary. Because it tells us that God is not separated from the creation, but fully engaged with it. The best example we have of God’s link with the creation is the birth of a baby in Bethlehem, who grew up and revealed God to the world, who was crucified, and yet still lives.

In one way or another we have encountered God in Jesus who has shown us that God is engaged in our world. That God wants us to live peaceful and good lives and treat this world with love and respect. God took the time to enter into the world we live in, to show us that the creation we live in, our world, and each one of us, whether human or animal, are loved and precious in God’s sight.

Our dependence upon water to survive and our vulnerability to extreme amounts of water I find quite fascinating. We live in a country that is surrounded by water. We have fabulous beaches, which can also be treacherous. We need water to fight bushfires. And yet parts of this country flood regularly and these floods are sometimes deadly. Other parts of this country suffer drought, from lack of water. What does this teach us about faith and God?

Conclusion: I do know that God wants us to care for our water resources, to beware of its power, to be aware of our dependence upon it.

When we think about the Season of Creation it is really the season of God’s creation. We are part of God’s creation. A creation that God chose to enter in the form of the Son of God. And isn’t it interesting that the symbol we use to signify our new birth into Christ is water, the water of baptism.