Episode Transcript
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Exodus 16:6–12
So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
CONSIDER THIS
Something about us does not want to deal with God. Truth be told, we don’t really want to deal directly with one another either. This may well be our greatest foible as a species—we do not want to deal directly with God or neighbor. Translation: We would rather talk about people than to them. We would rather withdraw from God and grumble rather than groan with his Spirit. Something deep within us all would prefer to triangulate our relationships rather than deal directly with others, and especially God.
Look carefully at how Moses and Aaron deal with this.
"Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
Moses and Aaron are doing priestly work here. They are collapsing the triangle.
Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
The role and work of a priest is to bring God and people together. We tend to think of a priest as someone who stands up at the front of a church and leads people in religious ceremonies. Priestly work is not ceremonial in nature. Beginning to end, priestly work is relational in nature. Priests represent people to God, God to people, and people to people. God has always imagined his people as a kingdom of priests—people who help each other stay in direct, right relationship with God and with one another.
When we live in direct, right relationship with God, the way is made to live in direct, right relationship with ourselves and in direct, right relationship with one another. It is why the greatest commandment is so comprehensively simple and inseparably integrated.
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37–40)
Back to our Achilles’ heel and greatest foible—our reluctance to deal directly with God and others. Something about us prefers to deal with God and one another indirectly. We are so prone to triangulate our relationships, especially in challenging and conflictual situations.
We must learn to deal directly and primarily with God, and through our relationship with God, we must learn to deal directly and primarily with others—family, friends, colleagues, enemies, and otherwise. As priests to one another, we have a sacred responsibility to collapse triangles, helping people relate rightly and directly with God and each other.
People tend to go in one of two broken directions in the face of conflict. They will under-own their fault and withdraw or they will over-own their fault and pursue. (It's for another post, but it is uncanny how these two types of people tend to marry each other!) I wonder what is your broken tendency with respect to interpersonal conflict?
Okay, I'll go first. I tend to under-own and withdraw. It is an aggressive way of being passive. So I ask myself the bigger question: What is it about me that makes me withdraw instead of trying to heal the broken relationship? I don't know. So I ask God, "Why do I do this?" And he whispers through the inner voice, "You are afraid of being rejected." And just like that, the deep fear of being alone and isolated is exposed and the core longing of deep belonging is unveiled.
It makes sense, doesn't it? In the face of potential rejection, I withdraw, which is just another way of rejecting them first. Next I will discreetly and confidentially share this situation with a sympathizing friend who will support me in my position (a.k.a. triangulation). And this is how cancer gets into a relationship or a family or a company. There is so much more to say here, but it's your turn.
The health and wellness of an organization—be it a family, a church, or a multinational corporation—will be the level with which people deal directly with God and with one another and not triangulate our relationships. It’s why grace and forgiveness and making amends are so critical. Truth be told, our capacity to live in right, direct relationships with one another comes from living in a right, direct relationship with God, which is only possible through the author of grace and pioneer and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ. It's why one of my mantras in life, in family, with church and work is, "Our relationships are the mission."
THE PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
Lord Jesus, you are my Deliverer.
Would you reveal to me the deeper wisdom of your will and ways in the wilderness. Show me how I sin in my relationships and then unveil to me the deeper reason behind my sin. Expose my fear and unveil my longings. I am tired of the lazy truces I settle for in life when what I need is healing. I look for sympathizers when what I need is a priest. Lead me to priestly friends and make me such a friend to others. And would you reveal to me the brokenness in my relationship with you and show me how all of this is bound up together. Finally, would you deliver me from this mess and into real peace and love in all my relationships.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end, amen! Amen!
