Beware of Short Cuts, Mountain View United, Aurora, by Rev Steven R Mitchell

Beware of Short Cuts
By Rev Steven R Mitchell
Mountain View United, Aurora, CO 3/18/2012
Based on Numbers 21:4-9 and John 3:14-21


As I read through this morning’s story concerning the outcry of the Israelites against Moses and God, of being lead out into the wilderness and about the wisdom in following Moses and God, I am reminded of a particular road trip that I and my three children were on as we traveled from their mothers home in Colorado to mine in Washington state.
It was customary in the early years of my children’s lives, to pick them up from their mother on Memorial Day weekend and take them back to Washington state for the summer months, allowing their mother a break from parenting and giving me the opportunity to have a longer period of time with my children, sharing in some of those experiences of being a single parent as opposed to just being the “week-end warrior” style of dad.
As a way of trying to make the long two day trek from Colorado to Washington, I would often try to take differing routes when possible. On this particular journey, I had mapped out our path along I-70 over to Georgetown, turning onto US HWY 40, up through Granby and Steamboat Springs in order to have a mountain scenic view, then on through Vernal, Utah. From Vernal, we traveled on toward Heber City, which would lead us onto I-80 taking us through Park City on into Salt Lake City to I-15, which would lead us to connect with I-84, taking us through the lower part of Idaho, through Boise and through the upper part of Oregon. As we neared the Columbia River, we would then take I-82, which would cross over the Columbia and take us up through the lower wine country of Washington State, through Yakima, Washington and finally home to Kittitas, Washington.
What I have just described was the route that most normal people would take, if using highway 40. Since the first day’s drive was going to be overly long by taking that route, I noted on the map, an alternate route near Heber City, that would take us directly up and over the mountains, dropping us almost directly into Salt Lake City. As a group, my children and I had consensus to take this shorter, alternate route. Not the best choice I’ve ever presented.
We started out on a great two lane black topped road, which after about twenty miles or so, became a two lane dirt county road. Another twenty miles or so, this two lane dirt road, narrowed down into a single lane road; still it was a good road, but our road speed however had been dramatically reduced. Not only were we now on a single lane road, but I began to realize that we had not encountered any oncoming traffic since we started on this unmarked road. As we continued our clime in altitude, the single lane road started to deteriorate into what is best described as a cow path!
By this time, my oldest daughter, Bobbie Jo, began questioning our decision of taking this route and asked if we shouldn’t turn around and go back down, which would mean doubling the time lost to that of almost three hours; remember the reason for this alternate route was to cut off travel time. I had already considered the option of turning back, but the truth of the situation was there was no place to safely turn around, so we had to stay on this course.
As we neared the summit of the mountain path, the road became very muddy, with pools of water standing in the potholes, and snow lining the edge of the path; our speed reduced to a roaring 20 mph at tops! I was really beginning to become worried that we might not make it beyond this point and that maybe the best course of action would be to start backing the car down the last twenty miles of road to a point where I could possibly turn around.
Let me say, that even with the anxiety building at this point, the scenery on this road was breath taking, with vistas beyond belief, and all sorts of wildlife alongside this questionable path. As we reached the top, we were starting to lose the sunlight, another concern for me. Then the miracle happened, we came face to face with another car! They were headed down the path we had just come from and at that point I regained hope that there truly was a road on the other side, as the map had indicated. After a few miles of descent, the snow receded from the edge of the pathway. A few more miles down the drive, the road began to widen, eventually we were back on a two lane dirt road, which lead us onto a blacktopped road, and eventually onto a city street. We had made it to one of the suburbs of Salt Lake City, about three hours later than had we stayed on the main highway.
Today’s lesson focuses on “trust” and “belief”. These are not two words with the same meaning. I believed the road map when it showed me that there was an alternative road to Salt Lake City. However, my trust in my discussion to take that route was greatly tested. This is what was going on with the Israelites in their relationship with Moses and with God. They believed in God, but at this point of their journey, their trust in Moses wisdom, and their trust in God was being greatly tested. So much so, that they were crying out against God.
How often are we as a faith community, guilty of this same situation? How often when as a group, embark on a specific program that we believe God has shown us, and then when we hit that first hick-up, that first obstacle on the road, begin to wonder whether we have made a right choice, often times becoming so panicked or disappointed because it isn’t going smoothly and turn back to the old ways, not following through, giving the needed time to experience the anticipated results that come at the end the chosen course? We believed in the project, but we failed to trust the journey that has to be taken to get the results that we are looking for.
Yesterday, I had a meeting with the “committee on ministry”, for the purpose of having my standing in the UCC approved and at the same time have my standing transferred from the Pacific Northwest to the Rocky Mountain Conference. When this happens it will be the end of a twelve year journey. The vote on this will not take place until next month.
This is just one of many obstructions that I have had along the path of becoming a fully accepted minister within the UCC. There was even a point back in 2002, when I had halted the process because of an unethical individual who held a lot of power in the Pacific Northwest Conference. I had the belief that God had lead me to the door of the UCC as the entry way back into the active role of a parish minister, but my trust in the process was wearing very thin. Yet through this long journey I have learned that “trust” is something that cannot be developed through short cuts.
Six weeks ago, we started taking our first steps in “our” journey together. As a group, we are eager to see where God will be leading us, but before we take out on our journey, we need to take the time to listen to what God would like us to move toward. We will need to enter into intentional discussions with one another and explore the questions of, “What type of ministry does God want us to enter into? Who and how are we going to serve in Aurora? What is God calling us to become?”
These are huge questions that need to be answered. Then after we gain a handle, a vision of what we believe God wishes for us, and of what the destination will be, we will then begin the journey, the real journey, our journey in “trust”. Moses, never asked the Israelites to move toward “belief” in God, for they already had that. What Moses asked of the Israelites was to continue toward the journey of “trusting” that God would keep the commitment that God made to them, of leading them to the ‘promised land.’
This is our task: to continue on that journey of learning “trust”, trust in God’s leading. This cannot be done through short cuts, but has to be done within it’s own time, however long that takes. The rub generally comes when God’s timing takes longer than what we are willing to give, and our unwillingness to grow with the obstacles that present themselves as part of the process.
In this season of Lent, let us become bold enough to examine our “trust” issues we have with God and allow the Spirit to help us deepen our relationship with the one whose wisdom far exceeds that of our own. Amen