| Here's more of Walter Brueggemann writing about anxiety as alternative to sabbath. Exodus 16 is just after the departure from Egypt in chapter 15. In chapter 16, the Israelites cross the water, landing in the wilderness in a place without a viable infrastructure where the assurances of an abundant creation manifestly did not pertain. You know how the story goes. First the desperate people of the wilderness, sensing their scarcity, yearned to return to Egypt (Exodus 16:3a). They could not remember that the alleged abundance of Egypt had come at a very high price. Second they accused Moses of lethal leadership (Ex.16:3b). The good news is that the complaint evokes the abundance of the creator God. The abundance of God overrides the scarcity of the wilderness. And we are told, in anticipation of a later Eucharist, bread was given in abundance (Ex. 16:12-15). Even though the people complained and did not trust what was happening to them as they were led along the way of liberation from the oppressive power of Pharaoh, their God was present and listening and ready to care and sustain. This was to be the beginning of the shaping of a whole new people. These would be the people who would learn to set aside a day for rest because God told them that they need not be anxious about stepping back from a world of goals and production that make us think we control our lives. Sometimes leadership that continues to press on within the call of our God can be seen as being quite lethal. "How can we go that?" "What will become of us if we do that?" And yet, God continues to work to carry us along - even when it is beyond anything we can comprehend. Connection: It is not always easy to recognize how abundance can come in the middle of scarcity. Scarcity bring worry and it is so easy to then turn-in-on-ourselves and try to overcome all things by more and more work. Sustaining God, in and through all times, you are present to set us free from all the anxieties of the world that love to play with us. Keep us empowered by your promises for life. Amen. |
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