Numbers 11:4-17
September 27, 2009
Patrick Preheim
Iceberg Ministry
The image of the iceberg came to me while I listened to Scott Feick’s faith
story. Scott talked about his parents, Camp Shekinah, faculty and classmates at
Rosthern Junior College reflecting God’s goodness and care. The people from each
of these arena’s shaped his faith. When he referenced his home I looked at the
piano side bench filled with Feicks. When he mentioned Camp Shekinah I found
myself looking for Menno Nickel, Carl and Lydia Wiens, and others who have given
much over the years to the camp. When he spoke of RJC my attention was drawn to
the dozen or so RJC classmates who had come to support Scott that day. In the
presence of so many people who had given so much to form Scott I felt
overwhelmed that I should have the privilege of presiding (along with other
pastoral staff) at his baptism. I the image returned when Jamie spoke mentioning
his family and friends. The visible 10% of the iceberg rests upon the unseen
90%. A vibrant pastor (or pastors) is important, but they are no replacement for
a community of caring. That has been the testimony of new members as well as our
Old Testament lesson for today.
Numbers 11 takes up two differing understandings of community leadership.
The problem of leadership...is the conflicting expectations of Moses by God and
the Israelites. Food is the central metaphor for addressing the problem. Moses’
complaint juxtaposes God’s (v. 12b) and the Israelite’s (v.13) views of
appropriate food for the wilderness journey, each indicating different
leadership models. Moses first states God’s expectations for leadership. He
raises a rhetorical question, meant as a complaint: “Did I conceive all this
people? Did I give birth to them?” The implied answer to his question is that
Moses did not give birth to Israel but God has, which provides the force for the
quotation about food in v. 12b: “Then why are you telling me, ‘Carry them in
your bosom as a nurse carries a sucking child?’” The imagery is feminine,
involving conception and breast feeding. The expectation of God is that Moses
will nurture Israel to maturity in the wilderness, eventually bringing them to
the promised land. Manna in the wilderness symbolizes this stage in the
Israelite’s religious development. The view of the Israelite’s is contrasted to
God’s in v. 13. They do not want to mature through the wilderness journey. They
want meat now. Moses quotes their demand in his complaint to God, “Give us meat
to eat!” The impossibility of providing the two diets at the same time
illustrates the burden of leadership. Two views of leadership collide in these
quotations. God advocates breast feeding as a natural outgrowth of conception
and birth over against the people, who want meat, and Moses is caught in the
middle. (Thomas B. Dozeman, “The Book of Numbers” in The New Interpreter’s
Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes; volume 2, p.106).
Much could be said about the voracious appetite in our society and our
resistance to the long obedience implicit in manna, but I don’t know that
enumerating the meats, melons, and garlic of our dreams helps us. To a great
extent we know the nostalgia and cravings that haunt us. I am more drawn to the
think about leadership, which can serve as a suppressant to our hunger.
A biblical understanding of charismatic leadership is crucial for the
contemporary church. [Our] culture is fixated on individual personalities.
Celebrities attract our attention on television and in newsprint. They determine
many trends in our society through advertising. Our tendency to worship fame has
infiltrated the church, where we all too often are attracted by the superficial
personality of individual preachers...Charismatic power is the quality of an
individual’s personality...Too often charisma is used for self-promotion in our
individualistic society...Yet charismatic leadership [from a biblical
perspective] is never about self-promotion. It is aimed at building community.
The role of Moses in Numbers 11-12 provides illustration...He complains to God
that his leading the people alone is inadequate. Thus it is Moses the
charismatic leader who forces God to devise a way to pass on Moses’ spirit to
the seventy elders. His goal is not fame, but the distribution of his spirit to
all members of the community, even when it threatens other elders, like Joshua.
(Ibid.,.106)
In this respect Nutana Park Mennonite Church needs professional leadership which
intentionally empowers the people of the congregation. Mission and ministry in
the church can address the longing for melons, onions, garlic and fish. Serving
others has the effect of filling us with the Spirit and tempering the cravings.
We don’t need professional people who will try to do everything for us: a) it
isn’t good for us spiritually and b) no person can meet the conflicting
expectations of God and the arm chair managers. The only way forward for we
wilderness rabble is collaborative ministry in which the passion of the leaders
comes to rest on others. I have four examples how this biblical story might
relate to NPMC.
Replacing Wendy
Yes, yes I know, Wendy is irreplaceable, and yet someone will need to come after
her. The deacon board has begun conversations on the process of filling the
position currently held by Wendy. He or she will not do the job like Wendy, but
they will bring their own charisma—their own gifts-- to the role. Based upon
Numbers 11 we will seek someone who can help us, who can inspire us, in our
congregational ministry to these groups. According to Numbers 11 we don’t need
someone who will do our mentoring for us, or someone who will teach Sunday
School, or someone who will single handed run a program. Hiring someone to do
the work for us would not be good for us, the new person, or the youth. Wendy
has done important work developing ways for people of the church to engage the
group she has been assigned to lead. The mentorship program and youth ministry
team are two concrete examples of structures that get people involved. I am
hopeful we will find someone with this similar philosophy even as they will have
different gifts. The board gave generous conversation to the transition last
Monday and will return to it in October.
Community at NPMC
Marlene Froese has graciously consented to help coordinate the community life at
NPMC. She will not create new groups. She will not tell groups to stop meeting.
She will not be wonder woman who reigns in chaos with her invisible lariat. She
will execute her duties in the spirit of Numbers 11. When people express a
desire for deeper community relationships (a book study, a bible study, a supper
club, whatever) Marlene will help them think through the details of their idea
and help them test its feasibility. Marlene will help keep before us, and
especially the new comers to NPMC, the avenues for more personal connections.
Bridge builders
Last Sunday Allan mentioned a group called Bridge Builders. The focus of the
group is to get a little closer to the edge, as Allan put it. Personally, I want
to address some of the economic and racial prejudice that clings too closely to
me and our city, and I feel the only way to do this is through acting on my
hopes. While I could do this on my own I deeply desire to take this journey with
others from my faith community. This initiative emerges from an afternoon tour
of 20th street non-profits which are doing really important work in the core
neighbourhoods of Saskatoon. Anita and I both felt Nutana Park Mennonite has
something to learn as well as something to contribute to these people labouring
for the common good. We are not sure what a “missions and services” group from
NPMC would do, what kind of bridges we would build, how long we would continue
to meet, or a lot of other details. We simply think that now may be a good time
to get a group going from our faith community who can talk about these questions
and plan for action as the Spirit leads. As the bulletin indicates this Tuesday
will be our second meeting. We are excited by the possibilities and hope some of
this spirit rubs off. If not, it means the time isn’t right. If things don’t
work out with Bridge Builders I may be disappointed, but I won’t take my toys
and return to the States. I am on this journey for the long hall. And so is God.
One item that needs to be highlighted from the Numbers saga is the grace present
in the text. God wishes the people would be satisfied with manna, but God
relents and provides them meat. Moses wishes the people would stop complaining,
but he continues with them. The people wish God and Moses would provide better
provisions, but they continue to worship God and follow Moses. This covenant
which they have made with each other does not eliminate disappointment and
feelings of betrayal. The covenant provides a foundation to which return is
possible when expectations are not met. Our marriages, families and
congregational life might all benefit from a deeper covenantal theology.
Fall programming at NPMC
A fourth and final example of collaborative ministry at NPMC is the fall
programming. Fall programming has begun in earnest and the stuff of new faith
stories is being experienced. Our faith story is a composite of gracious acts
spoken and done by the people God places in our lives. Every time a Sunday
School teacher prays or shares a story with a student, every time a venture club
leader affirms a youngster, every time we thank a Jr. Choir member for singing,
every time we welcome a newcomer who walks through our doors, every time we
combine word and deed in our neighbourhood we are contributing to a faith story
that is in formation. These are the illustrations which future generations of
baptismal and membership candidates will cite. The sharing of Scott, Jamie and
most others who have recounted their stories in membership transfers remind me
and all of us that it is our joint task to transmit the faith.
I am truly grateful for the many who volunteer their time so that others might
come to draw strength from God in Christ. Pastoral staff will continue to invite
people into deeper relationship with God and into membership at NPMC. We will
continue to share the passion and joy of our faith believing that the joy of the
Spirit can be caught. May God grant us joy as we labour together in the tasks of
being church.
Amen