July 9, 2006: TAKING A TRIP: Whatcha Got Packed?
Numbers 22:15-35, 1 Timothy 6:6-11, Psalm 121

Eileen Parfrey, Springwater Presbyterian Church

Everyone's gotta pack sometime. Kathy Scott and I were at the presbytery meeting in McMinnville this week. I felt I'd packed light, having merely the equivalent of a shopping bag of stuff for my 30 hours away from home. This was a far cry from previous trips to Medford or Klamath Falls, when just the snacks for the trip exceeded that! Recently I read an article in the Oregonian about a couple who practices traveling light-only carry on luggage, even it they're going around the world. They claim this practice makes travel simpler and therefore easier. Rick would be shocked if that's how I traveled. Having once been the mother of small children, the mere notion of going to the grocery store without diapers, a complete change of clothing for both kids, a light snack, and a hand-held toy was inconceivable. In the Midwest, weather can fluctuate 50 degrees at any time of year, so clothing possibilities alone take a suitcase. But one weekend packing event stands out in my mind. Rick came into the bedroom as I was putting the electric kettle in my suitcase. "What are you doing?" he asked. "I'm bringing this so I can have a cup of tea in the morning," I said. He helped me re-think that.

This summer, the preaching image uses Christian life as pilgrimage. Like all 21st century Christians, we at Springwater are aware that "this land is not my home," that our journey is to God, making our present conditions merely temporary. As Christians, we are people on the move, not people of The Great Sit. The life of faith was never intended to be too settled, so luggage, and what to pack, becomes an issue. Spiritually speaking, faith means we don't exactly have to plan for every possibility. We should pack more like that couple who only uses carry-on, rather than like myself, adding the electric kettle to extra clothes, toys, and books. More like the donkey than like Balaam.

Poor old Balaam. The king of Moab, Balak, perceives a threat to his national security, so he attempts to hire the most effective blesser and curser of the time. The fact that Balaam worshipped the very God this band of nomads worshipped is a non-issue in the world of mercenary prophets, and Balaam's blessings and curses were more powerful than Trident missiles. At first God says, "Don't go" and Balaam doesn't. Balak begs and whines, offering more reward, and God says, "Go."

And then, scripture says, God's anger is roused. At whom? About what? At Balaam for taking him at his word and going? At Balak for wanting to curse Israel? At Israel for being vulnerable to mercenary curses? Maybe this was about making sure Balaam wasn't hoping for a reward, that he wasn't using the Mideastern bargaining ploy, "I wouldn't sell that car for a camel and two goats," thus establishing the price at a camel and three goats. Perhaps God's anger was a matter of knowing the end results would be the same, but wanting to be sure the motives were pure and godly. How often do we harbor secret hopes of reward or gratitude or fame when God has given us a mission? Perhaps Balaam was thinking, "What's a couple words? Words are nothing. A few neutral words, Balak none the wiser, a nice retirement place at the beach." The donkey, bless her little heart, is more perceptive than Balaam. I'm told that the dogs and birds knew Mount St Helen was going to blow hours before the humans did.

The story just makes me wonder who the church is supposed to be in it. I always assumed we were supposed to take Balaam as a warning. Straighten up, fly right, tune in, don't mess up on God's errands. But what if this is a call to be like the donkey? The donkey got it. More perceptive than her owner, she did her level best to get the message through to him. There are days when it global warming and nuclear proliferation and pollution make me think the world is hell bent on self-destruction. Maybe the role of the church is to be fools for the sake of God's message. Live carbon-neutral lifestyles and ride bikes or walk, eat local, turn off the television, don't spend more than you earn.

Christians need priorities. We need to be good packers, to know what's important to take along and what isn't. This was in my mentor's newsletter column this month. You might have seen it circulating on the internet. It's one way of prioritizing what to pack for pilgrimage:

We think we need more material things, when what we really need is more meaningful living

We think we need bigger houses, when what we really need are bigger hearts.

We think we need a different spouse, when what we really need is a better way of communicating and of forgiving.

We think we need different friends, when what we really need is to be a better friend ourselves.

We think we need the latest diet, when what we really need is a healthier lifestyle.

We think we need a fatter paycheck, when what we really need is leaner living.

We think we need bigger closets, when what we really need is to have less stuff.

We think we need more caffeine, when what we really need is more sleep.

We think we need more recognition, when what we really need is a greater willingness to be anonymous and to serve without acclaim.

We think we need more hours in the day, when what we really need is more focus on what counts.

The apostle Paul gives Timothy a concise list of what he needs to be equipped to lead God's people: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. If your luggage space is limited, wouldn't you want to bring only the most useful stuff, the things you'll really need on your trip? Maybe you could forgo the electric teakettle in order to fit in the rain jacket. Take a moment of silence to think about something essential, more along the lines of Paul's recommendations to Timothy-righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Share with one or two other persons in concrete, ordinary, everyday words what that means in your life. Endurance: listening to your spouse's same old story without complaining. Righteousness: giving up that blended mocha crème and instead buying something for the Estacada Food Bank. Godliness or gentleness: treating those kids downtown-the scary-looking ones with tattoos and chains-treating them kindly, as if they are God's particularly beloved. Love: driving as if you respect the other drivers. [meditation, conversation]

The problem is the essentials are so ordinary. Abstract words are easy to say-righteousness, godliness, love-but the rubber meets the road in the ordinary living of our daily lives. The truth of the matter is we know the essentials for our faith journey. It's the daily-ness of living that's so hard. That's why God has given us companions for the journey-to hold us accountable, to encourage us, to remind us of where we're going. Thanks be to God.