Where is God?
Exodus 16:2-15 (King James Version)
2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather] a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5 And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
13 So it was that quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
Reflection
When the people of Israel were wandering in the desert they got well hungry- and they began to long for the good old days of slavery in Egypt when they had lots to eat - but here they were- stuck with Moses and Aaron in the desert. And what do they get to eat some kind of bread (in verse 31 we are told the Israelites called the bread manna) and quail. 40 years of manna and quail!
We have been living with COVID-19 for 7 months now and we are tired of it. Tired of not being able to see family and friends, attend community functions, and wearing a mask seems to have more than a few of us making all kinds of rude noises. We want our lives back, our old lives, when we knew all kinds of things we don’t know now. We knew what the future held – it was a continuation of our old life. Jobs, school, medical care, family visits, taking transportation, going to stores and restaurants and parks, get togethers, church and community functions, holidays and vacations. Now everything has changed and it is scary.
The old normal seems so close and yet with the increase of COVID-19 cases – even with all the precautions, turning the corner and getting back seems further and further away. What is God’s word for us in these frustrating and sometimes frightening times?
God provided manna in the morning and quail at night to those wanderers in the desert, what will God provide for us?
Well for one thing God didn’t serve it on a platter the people had to get up and gather it and pick up the quail and prepare it to eat. We, too, are going to have to find ways to gather in what God had provided for us, we have to search it out in these uncertain times. We live such a beautiful place, in such a technologically connected world and in generous and giving communities that I am certain we can find creative ways to ensure that we get through the coming months and come out stronger for it. We are going to have to put up with restrictions and face masks and respecting whatever rules we come across that make for a safer environment especially for those among us who are more vulnerable. We will get through this.
And there is one thing more about these stories in Exodus that intrigues me in these stories: the emphasis put on the idea that God listens. The people cry out, complain, get angry and afraid and God listens. Of course it’s not just in Exodus, God listened to Hagar back in Genesis, God listens when they are enslaved in Egypt, God hears them when they are hungry and when they are thirsty wandering in the desert, God hears Jesus cry out from the cross.
God listens. God hears us. God is with us in our suffering and in our struggles. Our Creed is a testimony and witness to the God who is with us.
We are not alone.
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
Amen
Exodus 16:2-15 (King James Version)
2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather] a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5 And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
13 So it was that quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.
Reflection
When the people of Israel were wandering in the desert they got well hungry- and they began to long for the good old days of slavery in Egypt when they had lots to eat - but here they were- stuck with Moses and Aaron in the desert. And what do they get to eat some kind of bread (in verse 31 we are told the Israelites called the bread manna) and quail. 40 years of manna and quail!
We have been living with COVID-19 for 7 months now and we are tired of it. Tired of not being able to see family and friends, attend community functions, and wearing a mask seems to have more than a few of us making all kinds of rude noises. We want our lives back, our old lives, when we knew all kinds of things we don’t know now. We knew what the future held – it was a continuation of our old life. Jobs, school, medical care, family visits, taking transportation, going to stores and restaurants and parks, get togethers, church and community functions, holidays and vacations. Now everything has changed and it is scary.
The old normal seems so close and yet with the increase of COVID-19 cases – even with all the precautions, turning the corner and getting back seems further and further away. What is God’s word for us in these frustrating and sometimes frightening times?
God provided manna in the morning and quail at night to those wanderers in the desert, what will God provide for us?
Well for one thing God didn’t serve it on a platter the people had to get up and gather it and pick up the quail and prepare it to eat. We, too, are going to have to find ways to gather in what God had provided for us, we have to search it out in these uncertain times. We live such a beautiful place, in such a technologically connected world and in generous and giving communities that I am certain we can find creative ways to ensure that we get through the coming months and come out stronger for it. We are going to have to put up with restrictions and face masks and respecting whatever rules we come across that make for a safer environment especially for those among us who are more vulnerable. We will get through this.
And there is one thing more about these stories in Exodus that intrigues me in these stories: the emphasis put on the idea that God listens. The people cry out, complain, get angry and afraid and God listens. Of course it’s not just in Exodus, God listened to Hagar back in Genesis, God listens when they are enslaved in Egypt, God hears them when they are hungry and when they are thirsty wandering in the desert, God hears Jesus cry out from the cross.
God listens. God hears us. God is with us in our suffering and in our struggles. Our Creed is a testimony and witness to the God who is with us.
We are not alone.
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
Amen
