At times of disruption and struggle, people easily get cranky toward leaders, testy with one another, and suspicious about others. Such reactions are never helpful. We will find another way, one that’s more open, curious, and inclusive. A sermon on Numbers 11.4-6, 10-16, 24-29 and Mark 9.38-40. Davis Community Church, Davis, California. September 26, 2021.

1.

Cranky, grouchy, grumpy.

Words that describe an inner state of displeasure with our circumstances. They describe the dissonance between what we want and what is. They point to a discrepancy between our expectations or desires and the experience of life we’re now living.

It’s quite normal to feel these things—to feel cranky, grouchy, and grumpy—from time to time. There’s no way life can deliver to us exactly what we want. There’s no way we can always have the power, the knowledge, the skill or money to achieve what we want. . . .