From the Pastor |
Do You Follow the Instructions?
If you’ve ever ordered anything online, you might have seen the “additional instructions” box that is usually there at the checkout. This enables customers to provide any necessary instructions for the delivery person. You know… please place item on porch… behind the column… whatever. I’ve often wondered if the delivery personnel actually pays any attention to those instructions… Well… Back in June, an Amazon delivery driver became a viral sensation when a family’s doorbell camera footage revealed her following some rather strange instructions. During the time of lockdown and subsequent boredom for many kids… one young man decided to have some fun. Unbeknownst to the mother, her youngest son had gone on her computer and, under a box titled 'Do we need any additional instructions to find this address?', he had written: “No but knock on the door 3 times and scream ‘abracadabra’ as loud as you can and run super fast away.” Well… this woman not only read the ‘special’ instructions… but she even went along with it. She brought a little joy to the family… and to millions who later watched online… when they saw the video of her knocking 3 times… yelling ‘abracadabra’ and then running back to her truck. This was one Amazon driver who has proven she can follow instructions. How well do you follow instructions? Hmm… something to think about… But let’s get back to our exodus story. After being freed from slavery in Egypt, the People of Israel traveled a long way to the Mountain of God… what we refer to as Mt. Sinai. It was a long and slow journey and they found their supplies dwindled. Food became scarce and as the people grew hungry… Even after the plagues and the parting of the waters at the sea had demonstrated the awesome power of God… they began to grumble and complain. They blamed Moses again for bringing them out into the wilderness to die. They went so far as to say they would have been better off remaining slaves in Egypt… at least there they had something to eat. Well… once again… God heard their complaints and “The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” Each morning, Manna – Bread from Heaven, would be available for the people. BUT this wonderful provision of food came with very specific instructions and the Lord wanted to see whether the people would be able to follow them or not. Each day, the people were to gather up just enough manna to see them through the day. It may seem like a simple instruction, but think about it… only gather what you need for that day… only enough to feed each person… Oh yeah… and do not save any or try to hoard it… To put this in perspective… That would be like having absolutely no food in the house and going to the store and ONLY buying exactly what you and your family would eat for that ONE day. Nothing extra… nothing left over… But this was God’s command. You see… Rather than storing the surplus, the Israelites were to be dependent on God and aware that God was the one that provided for them every day. The only day that was different was, of course, the 6th day… that day only they were to gather up enough for 2 days because on the 7th day they were to rest. When we look at the verses that follow today’s reading we find that the people were not very good at following the instructions. Unfortunately, it seems like these former slaves were not a very trusting bunch. Some gathered too much… some not enough… yet oddly enough… they all had enough. Many tried to save some of the manna… to squirrel it away for another day, but it spoiled overnight. They struggled to follow these simple instructions. Yet for 40 years, God continued to provide food for them in the wilderness… bread from heaven that sustained their lives until they were finally able to enter the Promised Land… While the manna was intended to demonstrate God’s provision for God’s people. Jesus came to demonstrate God’s desire to bring all people in… to allow us all to claim the title of God’s people. Not only that, but Jesus declared that HE is the Bread of Life… Unlike manna… the Bread of Heaven… Jesus… the Bread of Life… is the heavenly food that is imperishable and is eternally life-sustaining. He said “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you… The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” [John 6:27, 33, 35] To partake of this life giving bread is to believe… to have faith… As Jesus said, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” [John 6:29] That is because faith is not some abstract idea… Faith is a positive commitment to follow and act with obedience. So I have to ask again… how well do we follow God’s commands? There is so much we can learn from the Book of Exodus about what God is like and what God requires… and all before we even get to the 10 commandments. Today, we can learn that we should only gather what we need… that we shouldn’t hoard our resources… that there is enough for all. Now, we do not have manna raining down from heaven that we must gather up each morning… but this world… this wonderful creation of God… provides enough food for every man, woman and child on the planet. God provides enough for all. Yet… When we look at the world through the lens of Exodus 16… we see that there are three kinds of people: Those who have enough; those who don’t have enough; and those who have more than enough. So many people in this world go hungry every day… so many in our nation… one of the richest in the world… are hungry… so many in our own community do not have enough food to eat. Why? Because of greed and selfishness… and the fear of what might happen tomorrow… we don’t want to be caught without enough for ourselves. But it is also because, like the people of Ancient Israel… we, as the people of God, seem unable to follow God’s instructions. We fail to trust that God will provide what we need and instead… we tend to collect far more than is necessary… we save the leftovers and throw away the excess. Manna was the bread God provided to sustain the lives of God’s people in the desert. Jesus is the Bread of NEW Life that God has provided to sustain eternal life… life that has us living in the unending presence of God. A life of Hope, peace, joy and love. However, like the manna… the bread of life comes with instructions that must be followed… And while faith alone is what saves… faith is the “work” God requires… If we have faith… we must then abide by God’s commands… commands that have us loving and caring for others no matter who they are… loving God, neighbor, one another and enemies. If we are going to claim the name… the People of God… We need to realize that happiness is not going to be found in the accumulation of more and more things… instead true happiness can be found in trusting in the goodness of God’s creation… Trusting in the goodness of God’s provision… In putting our whole and complete trust in a God who calls upon us to be faithful stewards of what we have been given… and who follow God’s commands to love and to share our resources so that everyone… everyone has enough. Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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