holding up others

It is one of the most striking word pictures in Judaism.

Our pastor at the English-speaking church in Villa Obregon, Al Stebing, shared it with us as the central text of his sermon on Sunday.

After the Israelites left slavery behind in Egypt, they encountered numerous travails on their exodus to the promised land -- including attacks from other tribes along the way. The first tribe to attack the Israelites were the Amalekites, a tribe closely related to the Israelites. They were descended from Israel's brother, Esau.

Moses climbed a hill above the battle site and was accompanied by his brother Aaron and their friend Hur. When Moses raised his staff in the air, the same staff that was the medium for God's miracles in Egypt, the Israelites would prevail. But, when he lowered his staff, the Amalekites would get the advantage.

Because battles last a bit longer in reality than they do in Hollywood movies, Moses had difficulty holding up his arms for the length of the battle. After all, he was 80 at the time. Some of us have trouble holding up our house keys at that age.

That was when Aaron and Hur offered their encouragement to Moses. They sat him on a rock and each one held up one of his arms. They did that until the sun set, and Israel was victorious over the Amalekites who had attacked them.

The theme of Al's sermon was why we should encourage one another -- just as Aaron and Hur encouraged Moses. Not merely with words, though they are important, but through actions -- physically lifting up Moses's arms.

His sermon was directed at his audience, of course -- those present under the palapa and those watching on YouTube. But that notion of encouragement that resonates through Judaism and Christianity is not just a message for believers.

Something has snapped in personal relationships. It is easy to blame the toxic mix of politics that has poisoned conversations for Americans for at least 30 years or to point out how the pandemic has been a contributing cause of an outbreak of what appears to mental illness. But, I suspect the problem predates either of those circumstances.

In theory, we all know that we feel better when we receive encouragement and we feel almost as good while encouraging others. We know it, but we do not do it. Or we tend not to do it.

Someone politely offers a mask when we forget to wear one in a public place with the courteous out: "I thought you must have dropped yours." Too often, the immediate response is to snap rather than thank the giver for helping you save face. LIterally.

Or you have a friend who lives in political fear. Rather than arguing with her that her fears (let alone her politics) are strangers to reality, you could encourage her by talking through the underlying fear rather than berating her.

Being an encourager is hard work. It is especially hard when we are going through the same travails as everyone else. But investing a bit of time to talk with people where they are experiencing life can be encouraging for both parties.

For some reason, I had pulled my copy of Lord of the Rings out of my library last week. Maybe it was because Frodo's quest has so many echoes in our current plights.

J.R.R. Tolkein's classic is one of the best examples of contemporary Christian fiction. The main characters are as recognizable as our family and neighbors.

Two quotations caught my attention as I read through the first few chapters. I did not know what Al's sermon was going to be on Sunday, but each of the quotations echoed his message.

When Frodo discovers that Gollum is still alive, he angrily states: "He deserves death!"

It is Gandalf's response that is so powerful:

Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.

The second is like the first. Frodo expresses a wish that the ring had never come to him -- that he would have preferred living his life in the Shire without the complications of a quest. Gandalf counsels:

So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

If we were to follow Aaron and Hur's example, and lift up those around us with encouragement, rather than tearing them down in anger, we might not change the world, but we will certainly have an impact on the part of the world where we live. Acting in the humility that we cannot see all ends and knowing that there is a purpose for everything that happens around us.

That, in itself, would be miracle enough for me.