Look What Happened in a Desert.
by Pastor Edwin Lehmann on August 7, 2021 in Exodus 16:2-15
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 8, 2021
Text: Exodus 16:2-15 CW 3 Year Series – B 21:2273
Theme: Look What Happened in a Desert.
Do you have anyone in your life who irritates you? A family member, a co-worker, a friend, an acquaintance? Maybe it’s someone you don’t even personally know. But whatever they do or say “gets your goat.” Can you remember the last time they annoyed you? How did you respond to them?
Much of the time we don’t respond very well to those who irritate and annoy us. We might contain ourselves and not lash out in anger, but we turn away because we don’t want to deal with them. So, how did you react the last time someone annoyed you?
If there is anyone who has a right to be irritated and annoyed by the words and actions of people, it would be God, don’t you think? We can treat Him in such thoughtless ways. Even though He has graciously created, redeemed, and provided for us, some people are never happy. Just look at what happened in a desert here.
I. God’s grace prevails.
It was about a month and a half since God delivered Israel from Egypt. For over 400 years their people had been reduced to slavery in a land foreign to them. The Egyptians took away their freedoms and oppressed them with forced labor, slave labor. They made Israel’s life bitter with hard work in brick and stone, building Egypt’s monuments, also with all kinds of hard work in the fields.
When the right time came, God rescued Israel and punished the Egyptians for their evil. He convinced Pharaoh to let them go. But Pharaoh had a change of heart and took off after Israel to bring them back. When he came upon Israel at the Red Sea, they were trapped. The sea prevented Israel’s going forward, and Pharaoh’s chariots hemmed them in from behind. They were about to be slaughtered. God stepped in and opened the sea for them to pass through on dry ground. After all Israelites were safely across and Pharaoh entered the seabed after them, God closed the sea on the Egyptians and drowned them. His grace prevailed and saved His people in the desert when they needed His help.
Onward they journeyed to the Promised Land of Canaan that God would give them. When they came upon some deadly water, God made it good to drink. Then He made them a promise. He committed Himself to helping them when He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you” (Ex.15:26). He made good on His part by bringing them to a nice oasis with plenty of water and shade. His grace prevailed for them in a desert. They camped for a time, then set out for the Promised Land.
That’s where our text comes in – barely a month and a half after their deliverance from Egypt. It begins, “The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. They said, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt when we sat around pots of meat and ate as much food as we wanted. But now you have brought us out into this wilderness to have this whole community die of hunger.”
Oh, how short are people’s memories! Slave aren’t given meat to eat. The Egyptians wanted to weaken them. These people were fantasizing. Forgotten was God’s miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea; forgotten was the miracle of sweet water God gave them at Marrah; forgotten was the good and restful oasis at Elim. Things got a little tough and instead of relying on the Lord whose grace always prevailed for them, they grumbled and complained. Look What Happened in the Desert?
“What haven’t you done for me lately?” Or “What have you done for me lately?” Discontented people say or at least imply that to others. They are never happy with what you do or give them. Everything must be on their terms. When it’s not and things get sticky, they grumble and complain even though they have received so much. It’s never enough. Like Paul pointed out in the Epistle Lesson today, the sinful self within us “is corrupted by its deceitful desires.” It wants “to indulge” itself, with “an ever-increasing desire” for more (Ep.4:19f). Even though God so richly provides, it grumbles and complains against Him.
That even happens within the church. This was the Church of the Old Testament, Israel. When things didn’t go their way, they grumbled against God and the leaders God had given them.
Moses and Aaron didn’t deliver and bless Israel. God did. They were only trying to do the job that God gave them. They were far from perfect, sinful human beings, too. So, Moses warned, “Who are we that you should grumble against us? You have grumbled against the Lord.” What Happened in the Desert?
Lord, have mercy when we grumble against Him and those He places as leaders over us, whether in the church, home, or state. Are they perfect? No! Neither were Moses and Aaron. But as they carry out their God-given tasks, it’s not they who are at work, but God. In a similar way Jesus told those He sent, “Whoever hears you, hears me. Whoever despises you, despises me. Whoever despises me, despises Him who sent me” (Lk.10:16).
Who would have blamed the Lord if He turned on these grumblers and complainers in the desert? But He didn’t. As the psalmist tells us, “Yet He was compassionate. He atoned for their guilt and did not destroy them” (Ps. 78:38).
I must admit that my compassion for complainers does not come close to God’s compassion. I get irritated and annoyed by them. Then I end up grumbling and complaining. It’s a viscous cycle of sin that works within us.
But what’s that in the desert of our sin? God’s grace prevails. He does not treat us as our sins deserve but comes to help us.
II. God’s glory is revealed.
The next day when Israel awoke, the ground was covered with dew. When it evaporated, thin flakes like frost remained on the ground. The people had never seen such a thing before and asked “Man-na?” That is the Hebrew word for “What is it?” And so that wonder bread from heaven that the Lord gave them to eat is called “manna” because they didn’t know what it was.
It was miracle bread that appeared 6 days a week with the dew. For 40 years, until Israel entered the Promised Land, it was there in the mornings. They said it tasted like wafers made with honey (v.31) and could be eaten as it was, baked, or boiled. I used to wonder what boiled bread was like. But then I’ve had steamed bread in China. Not too bad. This was heavenly food that God in His grace gave to keep them alive. Together with the quail He provided such good things to those who grumbled against Him.
But the height of all God gave was not the wonder bread nor the quail. It was found in something they saw. “As Aaron spoke to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.”
This is the first time this expression is used in the Bible, “the glory of the Lord.” But it is not the last. Wherever it occurs it is accompanied with words or acts by which the Lord of grace and mercy makes His presence known to His people in special ways. Usually, He came in a cloud of flame and smoke reaching high into the sky. What a sight that must have been! But it was not the sight that impressed as much as what it stood for. God’s glory was revealed to demonstrate His concern for His people’s needs. That’s What Happened in the Desert. God met His people’s needs. He would go with them and above them to help and protect.
In mercy God still sends help to us grumblers. His grace prevails and His glory is revealed even though we have sinned against Him. Not in manna, quail, or a fiery cloud, but in Christ who is the Bread of Life. As Jesus said, “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry” (Jn.6:32f).
He gives life by giving His life in the desert of our sin. And those who believe in Him have forgiveness and eternal life. Thank God for such grace and glory. Look What Happens in a Desert. God goes with us all the way until we reach His Promised Land above. God grant us to trust in Him always, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Zion Lutheran Church of Springfield
(A member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
4717 S Farm Rd 135 (Golden Avenue)
Church phone: 417.887.0886 Pastor’s cell phone: 417.693.3244
www.zionluthchurch.com email: revelehmann@gmail.com
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 8, 2021
“Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to
eternal life….This is the work of God: that you believe in the One He sent.” John 6:27,29
F o r O u r V i s i t o r s
The family of Zion welcomes you as we worship the Lord today. We encourage children to worship with us. However, if you need to leave with your child, there is a nursery room to the right as you exit the sanctuary. The rest rooms are located in the hallway between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Visitors, please sign our guest book to the right, just outside the sanctuary. We’re glad that you are here and pray that through our worship the Lord grants you peace.
U p o n E n t e r i n g G o d’ s H o u s e
“Listen to the words of my mouth. We will not hide them from our children. We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD. Then they will put their trust in God” (Psalm 78).
W h a t T h i s S u n d a y i s A b o u t
“I Am the Bread of Life.” God is concerned for our bodies, but most of all for our souls. Man, however, tends to see the needs and desires of the body as critical. All that the sinful nature thinks about is satisfying the body’s urges and indulging in a continual lust for more. If we follow its urgings and focus on the body, forgetting the soul and its relationship to God, we miss the point of life to which God wants to take us.
To that end Jesus came into the world to give us Himself. He is the “Bread of Heaven” sent from God to nourish our souls forever. When one “eats” of Him in faith and takes Him in, that person has eternal life. So, Jesus invites us to come to Him today in faith for only He can feed us with that which we need for life in God.
To that end we pray: O God, You reveal Your mighty power chiefly in showing mercy and kindness. Grant us the full measure of Your grace that we obtain Your promises and become partakers of life in Christ. Amen.
– T h e W o r d o f G o d f o r T o d a y –
Today’s Old Testament Lesson: Exodus 16:2-15
Hardly were the children of Israel freed from their time of slavery in Egypt, when they began to complain. They claimed that they didn’t have as much food to eat as in Egypt. The Lord heard their cry and provided them with manna and quail to eat.
The Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 4:17-24
The continuing desire of the old sinful self is to live only for the body’s sake, to indulge in sinful desires, and to satisfy ungodly lusts. But when the believer comes to know Christ, things change, and desires change. Now we wish to live in and for Him who is our life.
Today’s Gospel Lesson: John 6:24-35
After Jesus fed the 5,000, the people wanted to make Him their “Bread King.” But Jesus did not come to nourish the body; He came to save the soul. So, He urged the people not to work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life. He is that “food.”
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The Organist: Jane Rips
The Preacher: Pastor Edwin Lehmann
Points to Ponder: “The Lord says, ‘He who comes to me will not hunger nor thirst, that is, he will not die.’ These words we should write in our hearts with letters of gold, aye, with living letters (that would be better) that everybody may know where he will leave his soul, where he will go when he departs this world. Then he would know the precious truth: My soul stays with Christ; this Man will not lie to me. These are very precious, valuable, and worthwhile words, which we must not only know but also turn to our use and say: ‘With these words I shall go to bed in the evening and arise in the morning; on them I shall rely, sleep, wake, work, and cross the bridge (into the beyond).”
“The first and highest, the noblest and best good work is faith in Christ. In this work all works must be done, and from it they must receive the inflow of their goodness as a loan.” — Martin Luther on Faith Eats the Bread of Life and on Faith is the Greatest of All Works
Outline of Our Worship
Lord, Hear Us
Opening Thoughts on the Service
Entrance Hymn: #185
Order of Worship: Hymnal page 38, “Service of the Word”
Lord, Feed Us
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm of the Day: #78 Hymnal page 95
Ephesians 4:17-24
Hymn Response: #458
John 6:24-35
Sermon Hymn: #401
Sermon Text: Exodus 16:2-15 Look What Happens in a Desert.
Lord, Accept Our Response
Apostles’ Creed: Hymnal page 41
The Offering
Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer. pg.43
Hymn: #331
Lord, Bless Us
Closing Prayer & Blessing: Hymnal pages 43-44
Silent Prayer
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – Series B
Old Testament: Exodus 16:2-15 – Manna and Quail Provided 2The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat around pots of meat and ate as much food as we wanted, but now you have brought us out into this wilderness to have this whole community die of hunger.” 4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Watch what I will do. I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether they will follow my instructions or not. 5On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “At evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7and in the morning you will see the Glory of the Lord, because he has heard your constant grumbling against the Lord. Who are we that you should grumble against us?” 8Moses said, “Now the Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because the Lord has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” 9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling.’” 10As Aaron spoke to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and suddenly the Glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses: 12“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Say to them, ‘At evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” 13So in the evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew surrounded the camp. 14When the layer of dew was gone, there were thin flakes on the surface of the wilderness, thin as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given to you as food to eat.”
Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 4:17-24 – Living the New Life 17So I tell you this and testify to it in the Lord: Do not walk any longer as the Gentiles walk, in their futile way of thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of their hearts. 19Because they have no sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality, with an ever-increasing desire to practice every kind of impurity. 20You did not learn Christ in that way, 21if indeed you have heard of him and were taught in him (since the truth is in Jesus). 22As far as your former way of life is concerned, you were taught to take off the old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires, 23and to be renewed continually in the spirit of your mind, 24and to put on the new self, which has been created to be like God in righteousness and true holiness.
Gospel Lesson: John 6:24-35 – Bread of Life from Heaven 24When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You are not looking for me because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28So they said to him, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?” 29Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.” 30Then they asked him, “So what miraculous sign are you going to do, that we may see it and believe you? What miraculous sign are you going to perform? 31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34“Sir,” they said to him, “give us this bread all the time!”
35“I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.” The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2019 The Wartburg Project.
C a l e n d a r & A n n o u n c e m e n t s f o r Z i o n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h
| Today
Aug. 8 |
Mon
Aug. 9 |
Tues.
Aug. 10 |
Wed.
Aug. 11 |
Thurs.
Aug. 12 |
Fri.
Aug. 13 |
Sat.
Aug. 14 |
Next Sun.
Aug. 15 |
| 9:00 am
Divine Worship Service on line – Facebook 10:15 am Fellowship & Brief Bible Study
Pentecost 11 |
6:30 pm
Monthly Church Council Meeting
|
11 pm
Midweek Bible Class, Confirmation is recessed this month Choir |
9:00 am
Divine Worship Service with Holy Communion on line – Facebook 10:15 am Fellowship & Brief Bible Study
Pentecost 12 |
A Brief Bible Study on God’s Word for Today
In our world today, there are many Christian churches that are very involved in social work: feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, offering assistance to those in need. These are important tasks for Christians; acts of mercy are commanded by God. Sadly, however, many churches offer physical bread only, bread that does not last. Although bread is necessary for this life, Jesus wants His Church to concentrate primarily on offering the Bread of Life, Jesus Himself, the Word of God. This Bread nourishes our souls, not just now, but for all eternity.
The Gospel Lesson: John 6:24-35 (answers are found on the back side)
- What kind of bread were the people interested in having from Jesus? What kind of bread did Jesus offer? How did the people misunderstand?
- What did Jesus mean when He said: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”?
Those We Remember In Our Prayers: Dea Windsor; Clyde Johnson; Dave Ballou; Greg Miller; Lou Schulz; Norine Richardson; Barbara Long; Jodi Milam; William & Laurie Moon; Patsy Mickelson; Lance & Jodi Milam; Pauline Jaeger, Randy’s mother, diagnosed with cancer; the family of Ken Burns in IA, former member at Zion, and Bob Daisher, member at Peace, Marshfield; Laurie Moon’s father, following a stroke.
No Face Mask Regulations Facemasks are no longer required in a church setting, although with the current rise of the Covid variants, many places are offering them. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, especially with the upswing in Covid cases in our community, you may do so. Masks, disposable gloves, and sanitizer are in the narthex and the fellowship hall for your use. We are again passing the offering plate in our worship service.
Forward in Christ’s latest edition for August has arrived. You will find copies in the narthex. Copies of the Daily Devotions written by Pastor this past week on portions of Psalm 78 will also be found in the narthex.
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, August 10 at 6:30 pm – Monthly Church Council Meeting (we will view some of the synod convention’s proceedings)
The Week in Review
Last Sunday’s Worship Attendance: 22; Bible Class: 12; Midweek Bible Class: 5; Offering: $1,771
Next Sunday’s Lessons:
Pentecost 12: 1 Kings 19:3-8; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51 (CW 3 Year Series B)
Answers to Today’s Gospel Lesson Brief Study:
- The people were interested in having physical bread. Jesus offered “food that endures to eternal life.” The people still thought that Jesus was offering physical bread that would last forever.
- Jesus is talking about faith in Him as the Savior from sin. While Jesus also promises to provide for our daily, earthly needs, here He is focusing on the eternal needs of our souls. Through faith in Jesus, the Bread of Life, we can be assured that we will never go spiritually hungry or thirsty.
This week I am praying for……
