The Old Man and the River of Complaints September 21

Parson Tom’s Tomes

This edition of October's Tomes is using the lesson from the Sunday that I was gone in September in the Moses Cycle where the Hebrew children are complaining about not having meat and bread to eat when they have left Egypt (Exodus 16:2-15). This is a stewardship story which I call; “The Old Man and the River of Complaints”

The Old Man whose name was “Moses” which meant “Pulled from the Water” came to the meeting place with Aaron, his brother and Senior Warden: “That did it! Find yourself a new boy! I am fed up with these people flooding me with their whining, their moans, their “poor me”! Do you know what they are complaining about now?”

Arron answered: 'Well, Yes I do; remember I get left with the people while you go gallivanting up on top of mountain tops talking with God. The people want everything to be like it was in Egypt, but without the outward chains. They don't think they have enough of what they want. They think that freedom is when you have more of what you want in your hand rather than the ability to work on becoming who you were created to be.

The Old Man complained; “Right now I don't really care about whom they were created to be; I’ll tell God to just give them what they want and get them off my back!”

Aaron said: “It won't change the situation. The only way it changes is for them to give up seeing the world as all about their own desires. It is not all about them. These are the chains that bind them into slavery for appetites.

Moses interrupted; “Yeah, yeah, I know but while that’s nice in the abstract but I want is some peace and quiet. Tell you what I’m going to do –I’ll ask God to rain down meat from the heaven and make more than enough bread to grow on the ground and then they will calm down, because if they have more than they need those things will be less important.”

Aaron smiled and said; “For us humans there is never enough of what we desire. Our task is to desire what we have and instead of grasping for more we open our hands to give thanksgiving from a grateful heart.

The Old Man said; “Yeah like that is going to happen.”

Aaron said, “Maybe we can pray not for meat but for changed hearts beginning with ours.”

Moses replied; “Sure, you do that in your spare time and I will put the order in upstairs for manna and quail. Maybe I’ll try to cage some lottery tickets so I won’t need God as much when I try to do my job.

Aaron said:  “We did not leave Egypt to switch from being slaves for Pharaoh to being slaves for God but have been made children of God. We do not work for God we work with God and doing the work which God calls us to do with God does not end but begins but with seeing things differently and changing hearts.”

The Old Man and the River of Complaints

On the river of complaints
Flooding me with whining
Even without the outward chains
Not thinking they have enough

Flooding me with whining
About what their hands wanting
Not thinking they have enough
Bound into slavery for appetites

About what their hands wanting
Praying for changing hearts
Bound into slavery for appetites
Does not end but begins

Does not end but begins
Praying for changing hearts
Even without the outward chains
On the river of complaints.