Parakalein

Last weeks lectionary couple two messages that seem to polarize the reader.   In Numbers 21 the text presents the story of the people of Israel grumbling about the food and water they so God sent judgment on them and people died which seemed to represent a God of wrath.  In the Gospel (John 3:14-19) God is represented as a God who sent his son "not to condemn the world but to nurture people to true wholeness.

The children's sermons theme was "God loves you no matter what".  The adult sermon presented the theme, that God is angry when we act like the problem is what he is providing or not. God is angry with our feeling entitled a real problem in our world but in Numbers as well.  A youth summarized the conflict to his mother, after church in this way: "So Mom, here is what I learned in church today:  God loves us no matter what but if I whine, or grumble he gets mad and kills me".

Really!  What a polarity.  I heard the polarity and attempted to address it in my children's sermon that day.  I said that my son would sometimes tell me when he was younger that God loves me no matter what after doing something clearly bad.  It was his "entitlement part".  I would say to him that while I love him no matter what we need to have a serious talk with that part.  God loving me no matter what does not entitle me to do whatever I want but rather entitles me to be responsible for the "what that I do".

God loves me no matter what and when I do something that acts like I am entitled he wants me to look up and see his Love and be healed of the burden of entitlement and embrace the blessing of God's love.