God Provides Manna

A ruling Elder at First Presbyterian Church, just up the street. And occasionally, I get to come and visit you when Seth is gone. And so Seth is, I think running a marathon or something? This in the mountains, why would you do that? But, you know, while he's being foolish and running marathons in mountains, we get to worship together and that's a gift. So, it's great to see you all. Look forward to worshipping with cute. And I believe if we have any announcements this morning then we'll get started.

Good morning, October 26th, which is a Sunday, we are the deacons, and the elders are hosting and all Church lunch and downstairs. We are having a potato bar. With lots of fixings and drinks, and dessert. And in the announcement, if you've noticed the singular desert, it's not just one piece but we are only. If we're bringing pumpkin pie, I do not like pumpkin pie so I will be bringing in additional dessert to share, you do not need to bring an additional dessert to share, but if you have a favorite dessert, you would like to show off, please bring it. I know that I will love it as long as it's not pumpkin, but just come downstairs. You don't need to do anything. You don't need to bring anything, you just need to show up on the 26th. So you don't even have to come to the service if you don't want to, but just come to lunch for sure. Of course you are. Welcome here to in the Pew. Attendance, pads are little sign up. Yes, we can get an average head count. If you didn't sign up for that come the 26th, you do not need to worry about it. Just come on down. We obviously, we'll make sure we have plenty of food, but just to make sure that we have an idea. If you could fill that out and put it either in the offering plate when it comes around or the wooden box, that's not back there, but will be soon or give it to me or any of the deacon pretty much anybody. Everybody's been a deacon or an elder so give it to somebody and they'll get it to the right place. All right, thank you.

Good night, good morning. My name is Faith Hill and I am an elder on the St. James session. One of the goals of our session this year is to make sure that all people as much as possible, understand the role of our eight session committees. And today, I'm going to be presenting information about the worship and music committee. But in future Sunday's, you will be hearing from other committees describing the scope of what their committees do. I am wondering if we're even aware of what the names of the session committees are, I'd like to be able to just run that off without looking at my notes. But I'll I will look at my nose so that I don't forget any of the Committees building and grounds Finance membership which is also known by loving welcome nominating Mission personnel. Christian faith formation, and then the worship and music commit e. I bet you didn't know that there were that many, and some of you serve on those committees. They usually have five or six people on them and they do a great deal of work and there's a large scope to the work that they do. So, I am the chair, as I said of the worship and music committee. There are about six members on our committee, and we meet about every two months, with the leadership of Pastor, Seth, and music, director, Leah Bruno, we review the worship and music plans that are in progress and will hopefully provide guidance and support for that program. There are many aspects of worship and I didn't really realize how many there were until I started putting this together. And this is what I thought of. Communion the Paramount's preaching, music flowers, lettering, ushering him, sing and our ministry to children in worship. And there probably are more that have not come to my mind this morning. We welcome you to our meetings are open to all. And if you have questions about what the worship committee is doing, please call me at anytime. Thank you.

Good morning. My name is Mary Thomas and I'll be leading you in a call to worship this morning. Please stand, if you were able and you will be reading the boldface. Print. True desolation and weeping through bitterness, and fear through anguish, and suffering, through destruction and violence. This will we, we will remember the steadfast love of the Lord, never ceases. God's mercies. Never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is God's faithfulness. So we will not despair. We will keep hope alive. The Lord is my portion says my, so therefore I will hope in God, trust in the Lord and do good. Take Delight in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord. Trust God, who will act

You may be seated.

Good morning, friends. Snap a Godly play story. So I'd like to invite any children or youth or anybody who would like to join our Circle to come up. You need a better view or you just want to be up here. I have to have everybody up here.

Okay, here we go. All right.

What do we have here? High Desert Fox desert. Really big can't keep all of it in here. So we just have this one little piece. What do we remember about the desert?

Very, very hot during the day. But what about at night? Night gets really, really cold.

Fresno water, so nothing can grow. When the winds blow, it moves the sand, so it's really easy to get lost.

When can blow the sand around so it was staying with your skin in the desert. Dangerous place. But don't usually go into the desert. Unless they have to.

The people of God. Where they were?

The rains weren't coming.

so, their crops wouldn't grow.

Until there is no food. People were hungry. The children were so hungry that sometimes they would cry in the night cuz their bellies are empty.

today, I decided

that they needed to leave. I needed to go to a new land where there was you food and water? even if that meant, that they had to cross the desert,

Their Journey began.

They cross the desert.

Find the new land.

Call Egypt.

Acai berry. Very long. And a hard journey.

Now, in the land. David ripped. The king. Was called a pharaoh.

after the people of God,

made it to the land of Egypt.

They found work, they found food. But the Pharaoh there.

Trap them.

They were trapped in Egypt and they had to listen to everything. The Pharaoh said they had to eat when the Pharos it eat and work on the Pharos at work, had to get up when the Pharaoh said get up there to go to bed when the Pharaoh said go to bed. They were trapped, they were slaves.

Then Moses that we learned about last week, went to the Pharaoh and said, let my people go. And I'm very upset.

Moses went back several times and each time the Pharaoh said, no.

But strange things happened. After Moses, went to the pharaoh

And then something terrible happened.

The first born son, very Egyptian family. Even the Pharaohs died.

But none of the first-borns of the people of God died because they marked their doors. Angel of Death passed over them. This time when Moses went to the Pharaoh and said let my people go. The Pharaoh said, Yes. The people of God, hurry to get ready packed all of their things and they baked bread but they were in such a rush to leave that they didn't have time to add 11 and wait for it to rise and get your fluffy butt was flat. You can still taste the story today, and he's matzo crackers. We will try downstairs.

Are the people of God.

Flat Egypt. They were so scared. At the fair, I would change his mind and come after them.

Suddenly. They heard. Great sound behind them, thundering of horses. And the Chariots Pharaoh's Army was coming.

A army pushed them right up to the edge of the waters.

They were so scared. They did not know what to do.

Thank God came so close to Moses. And Moses came so close to God that Moses knew how to lead the people through the water.

This one is very pregnant. Something's very confused.

Found some kind of happy to be escaping. Watermelon. Do you want to move one?

Adam. Do you want to come move? One item? Do you want to come move on?

And when they were all through,

The waters closed.

So that Pharaohs Army could not get through and they were safe on the other side. The people of God. Give, thanks to God. And then Miriam led the dancing.

I wonder. What part of this story? What's your favorite? Adam.

may you walk through a big ocean when I walked through a big ocean,

ABC band. Have fun party. I wonder what part of this story is most important.

Thought.

God, parting the waters.

I also think that the most important part would probably be escaping from escaping and celebrating giving, thanks to God.

They're letting the people go.

I wonder if you can see yourself in any part of the story or if any part of the story was just for you. Adam. And

God, parting the water. Think I want to make sure you saw yourself doing that, I'm right.

You think you would see yourself rolling?

And I wonder if we could leave out any part of this story and still have everything that we need.

Thank you for coming to Kathy play today. Can go ahead and meet Emily in the back.

He could stand for our hymn of praise, from the glory to God. Hymnal number 461,

high school cheerleader.

Jesus, love you, send. Word.

Vine Street.

Morning, when we walk in love.

Send.

Jesus, Lord, when you send you a Christian. Grayson.

Jesus song.

We are on our way.

Spirit of Joy emoji.

He said, you're so wrong with you.

Pine straw.

We are free.

Maybe see that.

Don't ask me why I like doing this part up here.

Set this point in our worship, we get to bring to God, our confession and receive his Assurance of Grace. And it's just, I like to take this opportunity to remember that. We approach God and confession because our God is one who looks upon his people first with mercy and with Grace. So this is not an exercise or a practice of Shame. It's an exercise and a practice of remembering that our God is a God who frees all from the bondage of Shame confession. Also does not bring about our salvation but remembers it and it proclaims it because God is a loving, saving God, we can bring our full sells to his presents. So let's pray together our prayer of confession to the Lord. God of Grace, we confess that the seed of Faith within us is small. Hope is often absent. Love is frequently inconvenience. Our sin keeps us from responding to you 10 to us in Mercy. So that we may grow in the ways of faith, hope and love after the example of Jesus Christ,

My friends, for those of us who know that these words of this prayer are all too reflective and true of our own Hearts. I hope that you would hear these words from Ephesians chapter 2, verses 4 and 5, but God, who is rich in Mercy out of the great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead through our trespasses made us alive together, with Christ by Grace, you have been saved so good alive, loved people of Bellingham and possibly the surrounding area of Bellingham. Receive this assurance that God in his mercy and love has made you alive together with Christ by his grace, you have been saved on then. Because of this because of how God's saving work. Has United us with Christ. And with each other we can all receive that Grace and share his peace with one another through the practice of passing. The peace amongst us. So the Peace of our Lord. Jesus Christ be with you all. What's past a piece?

Did we miss getting this and Mia? Let's bow our heads as we prepared to listen to the first scripture reading, John 6, verse 51 page 98 in your pupil Bible. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flash. Thanks be to God.

The word of the Lord.

I know you didn't see that in our bulletin. So bonus. Bonus this morning. I like to start this part of our worship by asking you. A question that I'm confident, you've never been asked before, unless you've seen a certain kind of doctor

Ready.

What is your relationship with bread?

What is your household's relationship to bread? You member bread, right? Everyone has a relationship with bread. So what's yours? Is it? A staple, let's just in your house all the time. You don't even know where it comes from, but it's just there, it's just always there. There's always half of a loaf going bad on the counter to use. Is it something that you just see it? And it's on sale and you throw it in the car. And you don't even think about it, it's like breathing. You don't even have to look for it. Some of you maybe you're very intentional about the bread that's in your house and you say I only buy Artisan sourdough made at a cottage Bakery from the guy down the street. Maybe it's Dave's Killer Bread, right? That's that's the that's the one in my house. Okay.

Yeah, everyone's got a relationship to read some of you don't even need bread. There was about twenty years ago. There was the famous Atkins diet that made us all think that bread was going to bring about all kinds of Affliction to your bodies and so our relationship to bread change. The kitchen stir out our lives with various iterations of our health and what we need in our diet. And for me, you know, I asked you this question but I'm going to share my my answer cuz well I'm the only one up front. My relationship to bread was was really tricky when I was younger. It still kind of busy but it was really tricky because I was born in 1985 and a few years later after I was adopted and came to, the US has diagnosed diagnosed with Celiac. So ladies before it was a trend, I had it first. But it meant that I, I had a very, very difficult relationship with Brad. I couldn't just buy bread for myself in the stores. If I wanted a sandwich, my mom would get out this humongous countertop, bread maker, and try recipe. After recipe of the recipe, to try to make something that's, like halfway edible and fail ninety-nine percent of the time. And I didn't bite into it in there. Crumbs would just explode everywhere. And, you know, you'd go to the little kid, pizza parties and little league jamborees, and all the kids would be feasting on this beautiful pizza and 20 minutes later. They would come out from the back with my mom who had given them rice cakes to make pizza on, and would put it in front of me. And all the kids would look at me, like, what is going on? And I would say, you know, how do I explain it when I'm a kid? And it's it. I feel better for kids growing up now because there's so much more gluten free bread available now and some of it isn't even terrible.

But gluten, free bread at had actually been in process for a long time. Celiac, if you don't know that in the end, the umbrella of things that are related was actually discovered by by our modern Western scientist and nutritionist in the mid-40s, but it didn't really get a lot of attention in the medical research Community till about the 1970s. And when you know it in 1978 just down the freeway from us in Seattle, there was a research dietitian at the University of Washington. She was approached by a company called energy foods out of Olympia to develop a wheat-free bread. And this was for special to use to build upon the experimentation of gluten-free diets. Among chronically ill patients that were being treated at the University of Washington, This research. Dietitian had been on the staffs of doctor building Scribner. If, you know his name as a Pioneer in kidney, dialysis, And inventor of the kidney machine. This dietitian was also the staff dietitian with Dr. Cyrus. Ruben inventor of the Reuben biopsy tube if you know what that is. I'm very sorry. She was also a gastroenterology researcher published, many many, many times over the way and along the way in her work, she realize that everyone has some kind of relationship to bread. But people with Celiac have a very, very difficult one. And she recognized that people with Celiac deserve to have some bread of their own. So, she worked with energy foods in developed. The first gluten-free consumer bread in Seattle in 1978. And you might be thinking yourself why on Earth does. This person knows so much about that random University of Washington research? Dietitian. That's my mom, my mom.

Yeah.

My mom was very accomplished in her feel then when do you know it in 1986 when she adopted me and I could not get healthy, she was like one of the five people in the world who knew the most about the particular thing that I was suffering from. So I thought a lot about bread over the years and I think about bread every time I go in the grocery store and I see that I'll use it. Now like 15% of skus in the grocery store, so gluten-free on them, which is a dream. My mom never would have even dared to have. And so it's fun to stand in the bread aisle and thank God, you know, she passed away years ago. And so, I think, what would she think if she was here? I bet she'd be so proud. I should be so happy that so many of us who couldn't have a relationship with bread, now, get to have a relationship with bread. So what's your relationship with bread? I told you mine. Now, you got to think about yours. We heard our first scripture reading, and we're going to hear another one out of the book of Exodus where we get to see how God uses bread and his relationship with his people. So as we prepared to do that and we consider our relationship with bread, let me to pray and we'll open the scriptures to Exodus 16. Lorde. Thank you for the gift of the witness of your scripture. Would you now in this time, open our hearts and our minds by the power of your holy spirit, that has the scriptures are read in your word is proclaims that we met here with joy. What you intend to say to us today on on Alright Exodus 16 1 through 18. We got a little bit of a clue in our first scripture reading about what we're going to be looking at today. This is for some, a bit of a long passage to digest all at once, but we could do it. It says, the whole Congregation of the Israelites set out from a game and came to the Wilderness of sin, which is between the ileum and Sinai on the 15th day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. The whole Congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness Israelites said to them. If only we had died by the hand of the Lord, in the land of Egypt, when we sat, by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread for you, have brought us out into the Wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then the Lord said to Moses, I am going to rain bread from heaven for you and each day, the people shall go out and gather enough for that day and that way, I will test them whether they will follow my instruction or not on the sixth day. When they prepare, would they bring in? It, will be twice as much as they gather on other days. So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites in the evening, you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning, you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord for what are we that you complain against us? And Moses said, when the Lord gives you meet to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning because the Lord has heard the complaining that you order against him? What are we? You're complaining is not against us, but against the Lord, Then Moses said to Aaron say to the whole Congregation of the Israelites draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining. And as Aaron spoke to the whole Congregation of the Israelites, they looked for the Wilderness. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud, the Lord spoke to Moses. I have heard the complaining of the Israelites, say to them at Twilight, you shall meet. And in the morning you shall have your fill of bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God. In the evening, quails came up and covered the camp. And in the morning, there was a layer of do around the camp when the layer of do lifted there, on the surface of the Wilderness, was a fine flaky substance as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites thought they said to one another, what is it for? They did not know what it was. Moses said to them, it is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded gather as much of it as each of you needs and O'Mara per person. According to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents Israelites did. So so I'm gathering more some less, but when they measured it with a gnome, are those who gathered much had nothing over. And those who gathered little had no shortage, they gathered, as much as each of them needed help, this is the word of the Lord.

This is a continuation of it from our Godly play story that we heard. Because this is happening just like 2 months after the events of the story that we heard in the second month. Was it 14th day or 15th day of the second month after being freed from captivity? This is occurring and they are you would think that they would be still overjoyed and celebrating in God's power and goodness and freedom. But what are they doing? They're complaining. They're all complaining. The whole Congregation of Israelites was complaining. Can you imagine those of us who've been in church for a long time? We know in any congregation, somebody is always complaining about something. But very rarely is the whole congregation complaining about the same thing. But this is what's happening here in our story and imagine this, here they are and I don't want to trivialize their hunger but here they are and they're only 2 months in to what would turn out to be 40 years? So, we're off to a rough start here.

There's a there's a moment in this story where I read this and I think of God as a parent and I think I've got having his parental moments and hearing the whole congregation complaining to Moses and Aaron and saying, how short is your memory? Did I not just for you miraculously From Slavery? Did I not just part a sea so that you could walk through it? Did I not just bring water out of stones for you to drink and now you're complaining again. Come on. Those of you who are parents. I have a, I'm a parent of young children right now. You know, this moment that it's like one you need a snack for. I just gave you lunch. I picture God having this moment of what is with these guys. The guy doesn't get impatient with his people does he. He has this maybe this parental Instinct than maybe is relatable to some of us. But he uses this moment. He uses this moment not to teach them a lesson but to invite them into a relationship. He uses this moment to establish a new relationship with his people. The one he desires to have and he uses bread to do so. After hearing their complaining. He says I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. Wow, when's the last time you prayed for something and God said, I'm going to rain it from heaven for you. That's amazing. And each day the people should go out and gather enough for that day. God hears their complaint and he promises to bring bread but in doing so And make sure that it's not just about the bread itself but it's how the use of the bread will create the relationship that he desires to have with his people. We can see that in the terms of his provision, not just the provision itself. There are few terms of this provision one everyday. I will provide the bread that you need. Number to, there will be enough for everyone. Number 3, if you take more than you need, it will spoil. You will still need to get bread tomorrow. There's a dynamic to the relationship that is built in to this design of how God provides God saw. And heard the people complaining. He chose to provide for the people. Not too little not too much just enough. The Goldilocks amount The people must depend on God every single day. If you continue reading an exodus 16, you have had a couple of cups of coffee and you're ready for that. You will see the explanation that if you take too much, if you try to hold the bread so you don't have to come back tomorrow, it will go bad. Why would God do it this way? Why would God set up the relationship this way? Why would God choose to provide for his people? This way, what is this about? There's any number of ways that God could have responded to the complaints of his people. We are hungry. Okay. This unlimited bread party. I'm going to rain bread from heaven for you, in a literal sense. You are going to be buried under blankets of bread. All of you, you will have full bellies always, there's going to be go to the Tabernacle, there's a magical bread Fountain. They're spilling bread, every where everyone can come all the time. It's loaded with preservatives, you can store it in your closet and not have to come back for a month. Just like we do.

But what kind of a relationship between God and his people with those kinds of choices bring about thanks for the bread. God by See you, when I need you again. That's not the relationship that God wanted. It's actually sounds more convenient. Again, as a parent of young children, have a 6 year old and a two-and-a-half-year-old. It sounds pretty convenient. Listen, listen, boys. I'm going to give you a week's worth of food today.

And then I don't want to hear it until next weekend. Cook for yourself. Make your own dang snacks, I'll teach you how to use the oven.

but, you know, in the moment when I am being bombarded for snacks and for food, I think, wouldn't that be nice? It doesn't take very long after the think, you know what though, I sure would miss sitting at the table with you while you eat. Gosh, I don't want to give that up. If you have older kids, you may not miss having to make a snack or a lunch, every 15 minutes. It seems But I bet you miss having them at your table every day. And I think we get to see something relatable in the heart of God and how he designs his relationship with his people through the providing of bread. I want to see you everyday. and so, I'm going to make it so When you make it. So if you could with your own kids, The one he chooses the way he chooses to get them to the table with him every morning. Remembering his Mercy receiving from his love and seeking his presence. Each day they get to have bread, but they'll also get to have him. They also get to have his Mercy. They also get to have his love. They also get to have his presence. This is what the man, that provides not a full belly, but a full spirit, and a full heart, and a full life, just enough, Not too little not too much enough to get you through the day. Isn't an interesting way for God to choose to design a relationship with his people. Israelites kept this relationship with God, and the manner through their years in the wilderness. Can you imagine eating the same thing every morning? Maybe some of you do. I don't But eventually this provision wasn't needed anymore. And for Generations afterward, the story of it was what was kept alive. Passed through and down the generations. And eventually those people of that, lineage know that story than that, a man named Jesus. He knew this part of the Israelites story, of course. He must have right? And he said to them, these words, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. But it is my father who gives you the true bread from heaven, for the bread of God, is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry. Jesus does In This Moment, the thing that I Marvel at the most, when I read the gospels, he does the thing he does so beautifully through all of the accounts of his life that we have in our Bible, he takes something old and he embodies making it new He Harkens back to the bread that is in the ancestral, memory of the people and he makes it alive in a new and beautiful way. And by bringing that memory into the present, he reminds us of the design of the relationship that God created through the use of that bread and he puts himself newly into the story. The Bread on the ground in the wilderness was designed to keep the Israelites in Daily relationship and trust with God. And now the bread of life that Jesus gives is designed to invite everyone to receive daily provisions, of Grace, and life. Jesus is doing this on purpose. I'm not just making this up. God provided that Manna in the wilderness to keep the Israelites close to him and Jesus provides himself as a source of nourishment and Life to bring any and all people close to God as well. It's beyond just being a heartwarming memory of a loving God feeding his people when they were lost. It's a beautiful picture of how God has designed his relationship with his people through giving something, as simple as bread. So, what's your relationship with the bread of life? How are you nourished? On a daily basis. Buy the bread that God provides through way of his son, Jesus, who brings grace, mercy, and life into our world. How do you receive that nourishment? Do you walk out your tent and look around the front yard and pick bread out of the ground? Like the Israelites that be weird if you did that but what is the version of that? That's true for you. How do you seek and find God daily provision of bread of life for you? How do you Orient your life in relationship with God that fits into the design that he has created that you don't get to horde God's grace and mercy much as we would love to do that and then just be able to say, see you when I need more God.

But how do we Orient our life to be in Daily relationship with him? Where we seek out his mercy and Grace to bring us nourishment for the day. How do we help our neighbors in our world see and receive this provision as well? Are we hoarding it from them? Are we keeping it from them? How do we see the provision that God is offering to those around us and called her attention to it as they're walking through the field and not noticing that there's bread on the ground.

God has provided his man in the wilderness for the Israelites. And he now provides the bread of life in the spirit of Christ, and whatever Wilderness, we are making our way through today. So the question that arises out of this scripture, I believe for us, this morning, how will you receive? And how will you share that bread? Let us pray.

Lord Jesus. Thank you for how you

Embody, all that has been true in the past between your people and you and bring new life into the present and into our hope for the future. God, I pray that today and that you would surprise us and Delight us with how you reveal yourself, how you provide life to us. Maybe we know the ways in which we can see can receive from you and maybe there are ones that you're still waiting to show it. Lord. Would you make our hearts our minds and our Spirits open to see how you are following through on the design that you have made for relationship with us and God? Will you help make us aware? Of those around us who are hungry for your grace, for your mercy and for your life, will you help us call it out? Share it, and celebrated Lord, Jesus. We thank you and we love you in Jesus name on it.