marymajor's Boxing Day message

English aristocrats have a custom, called "Boxing Day," the day after Christmas of remembering their servants with gifts in boxes.


From the desert of Sin the whole Israelite community journeyed by stages, as the Lord directed, and encamped at Raphidim.

Here there was no water for the people to drink. They quarreled, therefore, with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?"

Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?" So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!"

The Lord answered Moses, "Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink."

This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel. The place was called Massa and Meriba, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord in our midst or not?"


Exodus 17:1-7