[Editors' note: During the season of Lent we will be posting excerpts from the Rediscovering Values Lenten Study Guide. We invite you to study God's word with us through these posts.]
Lectionary reading: Exodus 17:1-7
The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?
Excerpt from Rediscovering Values:
"The logic of a consumer society is fundamentally at odds with the teachings of Jesus. The relentless pressure of advertising tells us that "there is never enough" and that you should "worry" constantly about what to eat and drink, what you wear, whether your future is secure, and more. But Jesus said exactly the opposite. They say, "Please worry-all the time!" He says, "Don't worry!" The simplification is not a commitment to abject poverty but a change in priorities, a change in attitude. It is, I would argue, a choice to live more fully. Simplicity in our living is not about having less of life; it is about having more of it. It is about clearing out the barriers that stop us from having it."
-Jim Wallis (p. 109, 113)
Discussion Question:
Moses bears the complaints of the "people" and receives the support of the elders who travel with him to the rock. How do our communities (e.g. family, friends, church, and neighborhood) support or hinder our reliance on God for our financial provision? Do you ever experience a tension between generosity and fiscal responsibility?
[This post is excerpted from A Lenten Study Guide for use with Rediscovering Values.]
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