Loving God, you continue to provide all that is needed, even in the midst of the wilderness.  Teach us to trust in your provision, and empower us by your Spirit for all that lays ahead, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            It is interesting, on this Thanksgiving weekend, to hear the story of the Israelites, out in the wilderness, hungry and cranky.  They look around them and don’t see any sources of food, and they panic.  They may have been slaves in Egypt, but at least they knew where their next meal was coming from.  This being out in the wilderness is new, and scary, and even though they are free, they are not liking it very much.  They have also not yet learned how to rely on God for all that is needed.

         And so, God announces, through Moses, that they will receive bread from heaven.  “Each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day” (Ex. 16:4) – no more, and no less.  They will learn that God is the source of their daily bread.  The only exception is the sixth day, where they can gather enough for that day and also for the Sabbath – for they still need their sabbath rest, even in the midst of the wilderness.

         This bread from heaven comes with some very clear instructions.  They will gather it each morning (except on the Sabbath).  They are allowed an omer per person (which is about 2.2 liters).  They are not to keep any of it overnight for the next day, and once again, the only exception is the night before the Sabbath.  As long as they follow these instructions, they will have enough for each day – bread in the morning and quails in the evening.

         However, human nature being what it is, you probably know what happened.  Some went out on the Sabbath to gather, and found nothing.  Some tried to hoard the bread, keeping it until the next day, just in case – “and it bred worms and became foul” (Ex. 16:20).  But when they actually listened, and kept it overnight for the Sabbath, the bread was good to eat.  And they called it manna, which sounds like “what is it?” and some just called it “Was is das?”.

         The contrast between the manna in the wilderness and most Thanksgiving dinners could not be more striking.  In fact, later on the people once again start thinking back to their time in Egypt, and they lament and complain.  

We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at (Num. 11:5-6).

In spite of the fact that God was providing as much as they actually needed for each day, they were still struggling with this new life in the wilderness.  And – oddly enough – their life of hard labour as slaves in Egypt now became the “good old days.”

         Some of you may have had similar feelings as we have been navigating this pandemic wilderness.  Some just wish that we could worship the way we did before.  Some might lament the way that we are celebrating Holy Communion today.  Some are lamenting that their family cannot be together this weekend, because some are vaccinated, and some are not.  And some are just tired of the constantly changing regulations.

         However, in the midst of whatever it is that each of us might be going through, are we able to see that God still provides?  Are we able to see that God provides enough for today – no more and no less?  Are we able to see that God provides all that we need – which is not the same thing as all that we want?  For, where God guides, God provides!

         This is an important sentence to keep in mind, for God’s provision throughout the Scriptures is for those who are striving to follow where God leads.  At the same time, however, God has also provided for all people.  The gospel of Matthew reminds us that God sends both rain and sunshine to all people, whether righteous or unrighteous (Mt. 5:45). And, as a wise pastor once said, the problem is not with God’s providing, but with human dividing (Harry Wendt, Crossways International).  Seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness above all else, and all that is needed will be provided (Mt. 6:33).

         Today, we actually get to receive bread from heaven – our Lord Jesus Christ – who comes to us in the Eucharist – the Great Thanksgiving.  It will not be as we are used to receiving it, but that does not prevent Christ from being fully present in this meal of bread and wine.  It also surpasses any manna in the wilderness, for “whoever eats of this bread will live forever” (Jn. 6:51).  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Thanksgiving (NL 4)                        Exodus 16:1-18

October 10, 2021                             John 6:51

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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