Numbers 11:10-23 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | Even our grumbling is not an occasion for God to desert us. God has staked his claim in us, and God will be responsive to our needs. God knows that none of us can carry the burden alone, not even the most talented and dedicated among us. We are blessed by a rich diversity of gifts, enabled by God's own Spirit, that provide for the leadership, resources, and talents needed for the completion of the journey.

Numbers 11:1-9 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | Complaining, fear, and fatigue are ubiquitous in the wilderness. When all one sees is desert, it can be easy to feel deserted. The trouble is that our desire is so often out of line with God's desire, which leaves us disaffected and ungrateful for the mercies of God. What do we do with bitterness?

Numbers 11:1-9 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | Complaining, fear, and fatigue are ubiquitous in the wilderness. When all one sees is desert, it can be easy to feel deserted. The trouble is that our desire is so often out of line with God's desire, which leaves us disaffected and ungrateful for the mercies of God. What do we do with bitterness?

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | "Yet," a word that dissociates and disjoins what should be with what will be; a word that signals that the ending is pregnant with the beginning. This is the gospel conjunction, and it is with hope that we hear this word on Ash Wednesday: "Yet even now, return to me with all your heart." Our future is in God's hands.

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | "Yet," a word that dissociates and disjoins what should be with what will be; a word that signals that the ending is pregnant with the beginning. This is the gospel conjunction, and it is with hope that we hear this word on Ash Wednesday: "Yet even now, return to me with all your heart." Our future is in God's hands.

Numbers 9:15-23 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | Obedience in the wilderness can be difficult. We journey along unfamiliar paths to a future that is only a distant promise, but the journey of the Israelites underscores that God leads this journey. In fact, it is God's journey, not our own. When we are attentive to God's leading, and to the signs of God's presence before us, our journey is lightened and our future is sure.

Numbers 9:15-23 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | Obedience in the wilderness can be difficult. We journey along unfamiliar paths to a future that is only a distant promise, but the journey of the Israelites underscores that God leads this journey. In fact, it is God's journey, not our own. When we are attentive to God's leading, and to the signs of God's presence before us, our journey is lightened and our future is sure.

Numbers 9:1-14 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | The Israelites find themselves encamped in the Sinai wilderness. The comforts of Egypt are gone, but fresh enough in their memories to cause anxiety in their new, unfamiliar surroundings. When we find ourselves in such circumstances, God helps us to remember and to enact our purpose. The story of God's providence is the compass in the wilderness.

Numbers 9:1-14 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | The Israelites find themselves encamped in the Sinai wilderness. The comforts of Egypt are gone, but fresh enough in their memories to cause anxiety in their new, unfamiliar surroundings. When we find ourselves in such circumstances, God helps us to remember and to enact our purpose. The story of God's providence is the compass in the wilderness.

Rev. Dr. Paula C. Jones