Here in Joliet we have vultures . . . turkey vultures, in fact. The proper name for a group of vultures is “wake”. Which makes sense when you think about it . . . vultures wait around for things to die in order to eat. Imagine them mourning over something with their heads hung down. We have seen these opportunistic birds floating high in the sky and sitting around trees . . . patiently waiting we assume.
Do you remember that poster of the two vultures sitting on the limb of a tree out in the middle of nowhere? The one leans over to the other one and says . . . mind you this is edited for church this morning: “Patience my butt! I’m going to kill something!” Apparently, the time for being patient has expired for this vulture. The vulture is hungry. In its hunger it has had enough and lets its buddy know.
We know where this bird is coming from because the odds are, we have lost our patience at points in our lives and let it be known to whoever or whatever was around us. We have declared patience to be pretty worthless especially in those moments when we have not received what we expect. We know the vulture’s sentiment . . . patience does not always stack up when we are waiting and have expectations of what it is, we are waiting for. We get grumpy.
So did the exiles from Egypt. Having escaped their enslavers--the Egyptians, the exiles are wandering around out in what they perceive as the “middle of nowhere” trudging towards a land that has been promised to them to call home. They have great expectations, but what they are experiencing is a far cry from those expectations. The writer tells us: “But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
Can you hear them in their lament? “Patience my butt! I’m going to kill something!”
Sure, you can! Who wouldn’t be complaining . . . wandering directionless in a perceived wasteland . . . no bread . . . no water . . . and, lousy food to boot! As far as the exiles were concerned, they had had enough and they let God and Moses know. Poor Moses couldn’t do anything but listen to the complaints, but . . . God . . . well God could do something about it. God’s response was quick sending out venomous snakes among the people. These snakes bit people and people died . . . lots of people died. Apparently for God there are some consequences to those who are impatient and cannot wait. You could call this a form of behavior modification if you like . . . and, it worked. The people were quick in admitting their mistake and seeking a solution.
Some have said that “patience is a virtue” . . . others have said that patience can be a hindrance. As a virtue patience becomes a reflection of a person’s ability to wait for something. By calling patience a virtue, or a state of moral excellence, it leads people to believe an ability to wait without agitation is an admirable quality . . . mastering this virtue will make for a happier life. On the other hand, patience becomes a hindrance especially when it comes to getting started or something done. Here the stream of thought is that if a person doesn’t get up off his or her rear end nothing is ever going happen. So, if you are hungry . . . kill something! Action equates reward.
I suppose both views of patience have a place in life. Apparently for the Israelite exiles, they needed a little more of the virtuous patience when it came to their situation. Yet, at the same time a little action . . . like doing God’s will would have gone a long way in pleasing God and helping them endure the situation as they traveled towards the promised land. The snakes were a great prompt from God to get the people back on the right track. Things straighten up . . . at least for a while.
Are you a patient person or are you like that vulture sitting up on that tree limb?
Most of us are probably a combination of the two . . . it all depends upon the situation. Right now, I have seen a lot of people hovering on the vulture side of patience. Take for example the pandemic. Well over a year now we have been dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 virus on all the aspects of our lives . . . you name it and the virus has impacted it. Needless to say, I am pretty certain that most of us are sick and tired of waiting for solutions to get rid of this virus and its impacts upon our lives. But, hey, we need to remember that this is a brand new, never before seen, virus that had no known remedy. Not only did the medical and science fields have to understand the virus, they also had to come up with a remedy to get rid of it.
In the meantime, we were asked to be patient.
Though it has been longer than most of us wanted, things are improving. What we have seen in a span of a little over a year could certainly be called miraculous . . . a vaccine for millions and millions of people in a span of a year. Miraculous. And, what is even more miraculous—if we can pull it off, will be the inoculating the millions and millions of people across the world to reach that point when the pandemic can be knocked out.
As amazing as it is that we got to this point . . . patience has worn thin. There is a lot of lamenting taking place . . . lots of complaining . . . and, lots of people who are sick and tired of waiting. They are ready to kill something . . . anything . . . to get this said and done once and for all. They do not want to hear, “Be patient.” Yet, that is all we can do right now . . . is to be patient. It is going take some more time . . . maybe another year or two before there is a declaration that the pandemic is over.
And, as difficult as this virtuous patience is, we should not let it become a hindrance either. There are things that we can do as we patiently wait that can and will make a difference. Whether we believe it or not there are a few things that will help . . . wearing a mask does work . . . social distancing does work . . . good sanitizing and personal hygiene works. A little precaution goes a long way in making a difference as we patiently wait. I know that there are those who disagree with me on this . . . but, I do believe in doing whatever we can make a difference physically, mentally, and spiritually. Time will tell.
Now, what does any of this have to do with us . . . today . . . as we journey through this season of Lent? Well, it has a lot to do with us. The journey through the season of Lent is one of self and corporate examination of faith . . . our faith as individuals . . . our faith as the body of Christ—the “church”. It is a time often symbolized as wandering through the wilderness like our descendant relatives of the exile. We know what we have been promised and now we are patiently and dutifully working our way towards it. As the exiles moved toward the Promised Land, we move towards the gift of grace and love found in Jesus. We know the goal . . . we know the destination, but we are getting tired of the trip . . . tired of being told to be patient.
Yep, like the exiles before us . . . like the early followers expecting the kingdom’s arrival . . . and, that vulture up on the limb . . . we are tired of patiently waiting. We are ready to kill something . . . anything . . . to embrace the reward.
But . . . we are told to be patient.
With mumbling hearts, we turn back to being patient. Yet, at the same time we also turn back to what we have been asked to do as we journey towards the promise and gift of Easter . . . we pray, we discern, and we pray some more as we examine our lives in relationship to God and one another. We hold it up against the rubric of Jesus and see how close or far we are from being who God created us to be. We focus on the spiritual and practical side of faith . . . we work on those relationships that pull us closer to the Easter realization of grace and love. And, in doing this, the waiting is not so difficult . . . it is not so bad. It is all part of the journey.
Remember: patience.
Whenever I was feeling impatient or anxious growing up, my mother used to tell me, “Be patient . . . this, too, shall pass.” And, we need to believe that “this, too, shall pass.” We only have to look at Jesus to know this truth.
Do you remember the solution to the exiles’ problem with the snake? God instructed Moses to create a snake sculpture and place it upon a pole. When the people who were bitten looked upon that snake, they were healed and did not die. As the followers of Jesus we know that this is often referred to as a metaphor for Jesus upon the cross. It reminds us to look upon Jesus for our strength and resolve for the journey of faith . . . especially during this season of Lent.
Remember: patience . . . this, too, shall pass. Amen.
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