Today’s Scripture Reading (October 2,
2015): Number 21
The problem
with the three current Republican front runners – Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina
and Ben Carson – seems to be linked with the fact that they are political
outsiders, which is also their undeniable strength. But being an outsider comes
with its own drawbacks. For Donald Trump, it seems that every time he is asked
a question, the answer seems to be “we know that a lot of people feeling that
way, and we are drawing up a plan.” It is almost like he is daring the American
people to elect him before he reveals exactly what he is going to do, not
wanting to let any of the other candidates in on his secret plans. Trump seems
to live in the land of the generalization – if you don’t say anything specific,
it is really hard to be called a liar. For Carly Fiorina, the problem is almost
the reverse. She has studied the problem, and she has come up with a solution.
But she has never had to do the hard work of getting the plan through the
political process, and the frustrations of having to water down the perfect
plan just to get it to pass through Congress. To move a plan through its
various political stages is something that requires considerable people skills
– something that Carly Fiorina seems to lack, but Donald Trump has in
abundance. Ben Carson seems to be a
naïve combination of the other two leading candidates. Maybe what we really
need is a Donald Fiorina, or a Carly Trump. But the bottom line is that we need
a plan to solve any of the world’s problems – and then we need the political
will to carry out that plan.
There was a
reason why Pope Francis spoke about environmental concerns and immigration
reform while he was in the United States last week. If there is going to be
real change anywhere in the world, it will be because the political leaders of
the United States are willing to get behind the problem and start pushing. So
it is no surprise that his address in front of Congress featured specific
talking points. Pope Francis was stating the world’s problems to the American
leaders, and then he basically begged them to take action. And only time will
tell whether the Pontiff’s visit made any lasting difference.
Israel once
again was out of water. In the past, the problem had been solved by a
miraculous move of God. But God seemed to want to start weaning his children
off of his miraculous moves. The solution to a lack of water then is the same
as a solution to a lack of water now. And the solution is very specific (Carly
Fiorina would have been so proud.) You have to dig a well.
The passage
almost seems to give us an image of the princes of Israel using their scepters
as a digging tools to get the job done, but I am not sure that that is the
message behind the words. But what they did do was give their considerable
political clout to the solution of the problem. They worked actively at both
the plan and its implementation in order to solve the current crisis. And
without them there would be no water unless God decided to make a rock gush
like a geyser one more time. But that age seemed to be ending, and a new one
beginning.
We still
live in that new age, an age where God expects us to work at solving the
problems of the world. It is not that he never moves, but often his movement is
contained within our efforts to change and to solve. But often the Christian
Church reminds me of Carly Fiorina’s current campaign status – we have a plan,
but we lack the interpersonal abilities to implement the plan. And I am not
sure we can blame that on God. He has given us the skills, we just have never
developed them, and we refuse to implement them.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers
22
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