The And-Yet God: A Sermon for Our First Sunday Under Stay-At-Home (03/22/2020)

The bible is written by a lot of authors. 

And these authors all have their own opinions and understandings 
about who God is and how God acts in the world. 

But my favorite authors of the bible are the ones who seem to believe

that, in general (at least), 

God is a God who wants people, 

and who wants all of creation 

to be happy. 

And because God is a God who wants people and creation to be happy, 

every once in a while,

when things seem to get bad… enough... 

these authors (of the Bible) tell stories of a God who intervenes. 

Of a God who breaks into our realities, into our routines, 

into our vicious cycles and downward spirals, 

and even into our pandemics,

and who comes to make stuff, 

and life, 

and circumstances, 

maybe just a little bit better. 

Or maybe even Brand New. 

One of my favorite authors calls this God of the Bible

the God of “The And Yet.” 

Or the God who is “The And Yet.” 

I’ll explain what he means by that in just a second. 

But first I think it’s important to note that: 

The people of Israel, 

Those we read about today in the book of Exodus... 

These people were no stranger to this And-Yet-God. 

Whether you’ve read the story or seen the movies, 

you may know that

the people we find in the wilderness today

have felt pain (almost perpetually) in the depths of their bones. 

Just one month and 15 days before today’s reading (says our reading), 

All of these people, gathered in the wilderness, were enslaved. 

They were captured and shackled and dehumanized--
and put in service to Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt who (by the way) 
understood himself to be a god. 

And Yet despite their situation, these Israelites, 

on (maybe) their brighter days, remembered: 
that they did not worship this god called Pharoah 
or any gods that would have them be enslaved. 

On the contrary. These were a people who worshipped a God 
who called them good and beloved and God’s-children, 
and who would lead them out of slavery

and into the promise of a better and a brighter and a freer 
and more beautiful future. 

God would deliver them from the bitter tears of slavery 
into the sweet milk and honey of life and freedom. 

And (in today’s reading from the book of Exodus) 
this is exactly what God had begun to do. 

This is what Miriam and the women were singing about and dancing about 
with their tambourines. 

“God has heard our cry! God has throne 
those who were trying to kill us into the sea!” 

In other words: “God has led us from slavery into salvation.” 

This is Miriam’s celebration-song. 

But after all of the dancing and rejoicing, the singers became thirsty.

And after all of the walking through the wilderness 

(all of the marching toward freedom), 

the people became hungry. 

And suddenly the joy of deliverance 

had been replaced 

by the misery and uncertainty 

of the hot desert wilderness. 

And like anyone who has been stuck in the wilderness 

(or perhaps stuck in their homes!) 

long enough, 

the Israelites began to grumble and complain.

+++

The Israelites had been in the desert for one month and 15 days, 
and they started to complain. 

I don’t about you all, but we’ve been home a couple of days now,

and we’re already there. 

Grumbling… Complaining… Sometimes even getting on each other’s nerves. 

It’s not fun to be stuck inside.

Even though we know it’s the right choice for the sake of everybody. 

It’s not enjoyable to feel like we’re in a wilderness, 

even if there’s a promise 

of better health 

and a safer world on the other side. 

+++

Some theologians and pastors have come to call experiences 
like the one we are all in a “wilderness experience.”

And it’s exactly when we are stuck in the wilderness 

or stuck in our homes (as the case may be), 

when we are afraid of how long this will be 

or of what might yet happen

that it is important that we

remember. 

That we look back. 

And that we sing. 

That we turn to the memory of a God-of-the-And-Yet,

a God who has been 

and is 

the And-Yet in our lives. 

In the bible, And-Yet stories are stories like these: 

The Hebrew people were held in captivity, 

Pharaoh’s army was closing in; 

Abram and Sarai were without a child, 

Daniel was in the lion’s den; 

Lazarus was dead and gone for a few days and there was a stink; 

Paul and Silas were locked in jail… 

Bondage, oppression, persecution, fear of extinction, 
the captivity of the tomb: 
every bit of reality screamed that 
this is how the world is and this is how it will end. 

Each of these moments proclaimed that there was no hope 

to be had. 

There is no hope… The tomb is sealed… And Yet! 

And Yet, God delivered the Hebrew people

And Yet, Pharoah’s tribes were stopped by the sea

And Yet, Abraham and Sarah became the parents of the nations

And Yet, Daniel was delivered from the Lion’s Den

And Yet, Lazarus came out of the Tomb. 

And Yet, Christ is Risen. 

+++

The people grumbled in the Wilderness, And Yet God gave them bread

The people of the world 

are held captive 

by a virus that continues to spread

And Yet God will not have death and disease have the final word. 

God will not let us be secluded forever. 

The God of the And-Yet is acting 

and soon we will see the fruits of God’s action. 

In the meantime, 

We pray. 

We sing. 

We come close in spirit, even as we are distant in body.

And we remember 
that the God who delivered God’s people out of slavery 
will not leave us in the wilderness for long. 

Amen.