"The Curse and the Cure" *a sermon for 4 Lent, 10 March 2024*
“Snakes! Why does it always have to be snakes?” These words, of course, come from that daring adventurer, Dr. Indiana Jones. Going through a booby-trapped cavern– no problem! Taking a leap of faith across a giant chasm- piece of cake! Nothing can stop Indy . . . except for snakes! Indy speaks for many of us. An estimated 36% of Americans are afraid of snakes. I know I am! Noah could have left them off the Ark. So it is no wonder that a plague of poisonous snakes causes panic in the wilderness. A pit of snakes causes sheer terror in the Israelites’ camp. To put this scene in context a little bit, Israel is on their way to the Promised Land. Moses has led them out of Egypt to freedom. Then the whining begins: are we there yet? No, that is not really what they say. God’s people start to complain. Where is the food? What about water, we need water? With miles and miles of wilderness ahead, things take on a differ