Exodus 16:1-18 Common
English Bible
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to
the Sin desert, which is located between Elim and Sinai. They set out on the
fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. The
whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The
Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the Lord had just put us to
death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we could sit by the pots
cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve brought us out into
this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to make bread rain down from the sky for you. The people will go out each day and gather just enough for that day. In this way, I’ll test them to see whether or not they follow my Instruction. On the sixth day, when they measure out what they have collected, it will be twice as much as they collected on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you will see the Lord’s glorious presence, because your complaints against the Lord have been heard. Who are we? Why blame us?” Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning because the Lord heard the complaints you made against him. Who are we? Your complaints aren’t against us but against the Lord.”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community, ‘Come near to the Lord, because he’s heard your complaints.’” As Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned to look toward the desert, and just then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
The Lord spoke to Moses, “I’ve heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat. And in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
In the evening a flock of quail flew down and covered the camp. And in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the desert surface were thin flakes, as thin as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” They didn’t know what it was.
Moses said to them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Collect as much of it as each of you can eat, one omer per person. You may collect for the number of people in your household.’” The Israelites did as Moses said, some collecting more, some less. But when they measured it out by the omer, the ones who had collected more had nothing left over, and the ones who had collected less had no shortage. Everyone collected just as much as they could eat.
Luke 22:1-23 Common English Bible
The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called
Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the legal experts were looking
for a way to kill Jesus, because they were afraid of the people. Then Satan
entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve. He went out and
discussed with the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard how he
could hand Jesus over to them. They were delighted and arranged payment for
him. He agreed and began looking for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to
them—a time when the crowds would be absent.
The Day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John with this task: “Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover meal.”
They said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”
Jesus replied, “When you go into the city, a man carrying a water jar will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters. Say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher says to you, “Where is the guestroom where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?” ’ He will show you a large upstairs room, already furnished. Make preparations there.” They went and found everything just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
When the time came, Jesus took his place at the table, and the apostles joined him. He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. I tell you, I won’t eat it until it is fulfilled in God’s kingdom.” After taking a cup and giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. I tell you that from now on I won’t drink from the fruit of the vine until God’s kingdom has come.” After taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup after the meal and said, “This cup is the new covenant by my blood, which is poured out for you.
“But look! My betrayer is with me; his hand is on this table. The Human One goes just as it has been determined. But how terrible it is for that person who betrays him.” They began to argue among themselves about which of them it could possibly be who would do this.
The last six months have been unlike any of my life.
As you know, since August, I have been working on getting my parents moved out of their home in Arizona, their condo in Illinois and moved to an apartment at the Holmstad in Batavia, IL.
While that process has been extremely challenging and taxing --- the part that has been the most difficult is one that is on-going.
I was made the keeper of the family history.
A
responsibility that I do not take lightly.
I have brought back to Indy about 20 boxes of picture albums and mementos from my parents’ life.
Nancy
uncovered their wedding album on Friday night
I found a picture of my
grandmother Marshall when she was a young woman that just exhilarates me.
What I have been doing is REMEMBERING --- and it has been a very spiritual experience
Somewhere I came across this quote --- I have no idea who it originated from, but it speaks to me.
Whenever you hear or read anything
of a spiritual nature that moves you or touches your soul, you are not learning
something, you are remembering what you have always known.
Remembering can be a powerful salve for the soul
For the next four weeks, Mary and I will be talking about Our Money Story.
My goal is to help us look at what our spoken and unspoken money stories are --- and how those stories have impacted our practice of generosity --- of stewardship.
I get that most of us don’t like talking about money --- and especially don’t like preachers talking about money.
But the topic of money, wealth or possessions is one of the most common topics in the Bible.
Jesus
talked about money more than he talked about faith and prayer.
Like it or not --- money --- our money story --- is spiritual.
As we wrestle --- thinking about God’s money story it is my hope that we will experience it as liberating, inviting and transforming.
I want to invite you to remember, to release, to reimagine, and to restore your money stories so that we can write the one that God is guiding us to live into.
I want to touch on two biblical stories briefly this morning. Stories that we are all familiar with --- as we seek to remember that God’s steadfast love endures forever.
The first story is found in Exodus chapter 16 --- it is one of the great stories found in the Hebrew Bible.
The Israelites have fled from Egypt --- having experienced the miracle of the parting of the sea --- they are now in the desert of Sinai and the “Back to Egypt” committee has formed and has started doing what they seem so good at --- complaining.
The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the Lord had just put us to death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we could sit by the pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.”
Do you REMEMBER how God responded to the “Back to Egypt”
committee?
Maybe the question we really
need to ask is how would we respond to a group of people that we have just
rescued from slavery and now are complaining so bitterly that they want to go
back?
I think I might give them a map and say: GO.
But that isn’t what God does ---
“I’ve heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat. And in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
In the evening a flock of quail flew down and covered the camp. And in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the desert surface were thin flakes, as thin as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” They didn’t know what it was.
Moses said to them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
Every day, God provided food for the Israelites.
Quail and manna
It is one of the meta stories of the Hebrew Bible --- God’s steadfast --- God’s enduring love that will last . . . forever.
But there is more to this story.
On the Sabbath the Israelites are told:
“Collect as much of it as each
of you can eat, one omer per person. You may collect for the number of people
in your household.’” The Israelites did as Moses said, some collecting more,
some less. But when they measured it out by the omer, the ones who had
collected more had nothing left over, and the ones who had collected less had
no shortage. Everyone collected just as much as they could eat.
. . .
On the sixth day the people collected twice as much food as usual, two omers per person. All the chiefs of the community came and told Moses. He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. But you can set aside and keep all the leftovers until the next morning.’” So they set the leftovers aside until morning, as Moses had commanded. They didn’t stink or become infested with worms. The next day Moses said, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find it out in the field. Six days you will gather it. But on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be nothing to gather.”
God provides a concept for what “enough” looks like
But not just that --- God also teaches the faith community about Sabbath, a practice that simultaneously provides rest and guards against hoarding.
God provides if we are willing to work with God.
The story that Clarke read continues this theme of remembering how we use our money and resources.
The familiar Gospel story opens up on the day of preparation
for the Passover --- remembering God’s saving act in bring the people out of
slavery in Egypt to the promised land.
Remembering that God’s love is enduring and steadfast.
Yet we find a group of pious religious believers plotting to get rid of this troublemaker Jesus who they perceived was threatening their lifestyles and pocketbooks.
They have cooked up an interesting plot.
They have found the one of the 12 who seemed weak and willing they plied him with a large sum of money to betray Jesus.
Money is used in a destructive act, here at the beginning
of this story.
30 pieces
of silver for one little kiss
Far too often we can relate to this.
But this is a story that has both a beginning and an ending, and both are important as we try to understand our money story.
The money story begins with a story of fear and corruption in which money is a key component.
But how does this story end?
Do you remember?
At a table --- a banquet --- a meal that even Judas is invited too.
A table in which a meal is shared
Jesus offers
wine and bread
He
offers his life and his love
And there is enough for all.
Rachel Held Evans in Searching for Sunday writes
about the table:
“The elements and the meal are identified in different ways: the body of Christ, broken; the blood of Christ, shed; the Bread of heaven, the cup of salvation, the mystery of faith, the supper of the Lamb. But in every tradition I know, someone, at some point, says, 'Remember.' Remember how God became one of us? Remember how God ate with us and drank with us, laughed with us and cried with us? Remember how God suffered for us, and died for us, and gave his life for the life of the world? Remember? Remember?”
Jesus’ act in sharing at this table sets him apart --- as
he remembers the kin-dom of God that is yet to come. A kin-dom in which there is enough for all.
A gift
beyond all other gifts --- the gift of his very self.
And reminds us that God’s love endures forever.
What parts of our own money story needs to be dusted off
and brought to the light.
What do we need to remember?
I need to remember the generosity of the wonderful folks
at the Richfield and New Mt Tabor Churches --- who would put money into my
pockets (when I had none) and tell me to go home to be with my dying brother.
Their generosity --- in my memory --- endures forever
What do you need to remember?
Today we have had the opportunity to remember our baptism
To
remember that God chose us
Not
because we are special
No
--- God chose us --- because that is what God does
God
chooses all of us!
So
Remember your baptism --- your being chosen
By a God who will love you forever
What do you need to remember?
How have we treated the resources we have been gifted
with?
Can we remember the lessons from the Bible?
God
provides
There is
enough
Do not
hoard
Use your
resources for good
Share (because there is enough)
Remember
Remember --- you are loved eternally
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