All of us in One of us
September 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pastor's Message
7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” (Numbers 21:7-8)
Moses had a relationship with God. As we begin this month, let’s see ourselves as bridge builders. Let’s look for ways in which we can communicate and relate to one another better. Let’s look for the perfect UNION.
One day I was walking from room to room at Banner Estrella Hospital visiting patients and I saw this beautiful picture that had this wonderful writing about the meaning of Union: “Union is not magic or strength but understanding. All of us in one of us walking forward.”
As we said before, in order for us to have good communication we must listen, respect, be honest and have understanding. Moses came before God again requesting patience, forgiveness and understanding for his people. One more time he had to humble himself before God for the people of Israel. I wonder how many times we have done the same for a brother or a sister; or for our sons or daughters. How many times have we had to fix something that someone we love destroyed? How many times have we had to help that person get out of their own messes? For 40 years Moses was the connection from his people to God. Time after time he was the bridge in that relationship. Time after time he was the connection to the Promised Land. Time after time he was the channel of forgiveness. Time after time Moses had to remind God to understand them.
According to the dictionary, understanding means:
characterized by understanding; prompted by, based on, or demonstrating comprehension, intelligence, discernment, empathy, or the like. To perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend.
To be thoroughly familiar with; apprehend clearly the character, nature, or subtleties of. To grasp the significance, implications, or importance of. To regard as firmly communicated.
Moses understood the people of Israel, and through Moses’ relationship with the people, God related to Israel and understood them. At Larkspur that is our “union,” the understanding we have for each other when we fall short, the empathy we feel for one another when we go through problems and difficulties in our lives, the discernment we as congregation have to go though to fulfill God’s mission for our church. “All of us in One of us” connecting, grasping, finding what is important and communicating. Understanding is the wisdom that helps us to see the meaning of God in our midst and the meaning of our life together as a community of faith.