Show Notes
In this eleventh week of “Ordinary” (or “Normal”) time, Case reflects on Exodus 16 and how the collective experience of the Israelites in the desert emphasizes the importance of community and solidarity as the church.
Nuance’s Formed for Formation is a weekly liturgy to encourage all of us to be faithful to Christ in the public square. Join Case Thorp as he follows the Church calendar through the reading of Scripture, prayer, and short reflections on faith in all facets of public life.
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Episode Transcript
We open today with the words of Cory Asbury’s, Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend. God, I’m wrestling with the waiting again and again. My impatience, a disease in this cage for mice and men. They say, boy, you better keep running. But this pace I can’t sustain. My head knows to trust you, but the heart of me is slain. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Faithful are the dealings of your hand, the troubles and the trials like the gold refined in fire. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. God, these questions, they just won’t leave me alone, alone, alone. Will this crushing ever end? Or is this ache now my home? Am I a prisoner of hope? Or just the warden of my pain? My head knows to trust you, but the heart of me is slain. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
And now a reading from the book of Exodus, chapter 16: 2-15.
The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
The 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 this 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. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.
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 toward 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 eat meat, 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 dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, 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.
Exodus 16 recounts the story of the Israelites in the wilderness, grumbling about their lack of food and God’s provision of manna. Just as the Israelites experienced hardship in the wilderness, minority groups often face significant challenges in society, including discrimination, limited resources, and systemic barriers.
Christians are more and more finding themselves as such a minority group in American society. As some would say, we are living in exile out of the mainstream culture. What could we learn from the Bible about being in exile? You have to step back to realize, but our covenant ancestors lived in exile more than they lived in the promised land. Surprising?
It was to me when I first noticed, yet it’s reassuring because in our situation today, we can see even more deeply into God’s word for them and His word for us today.
The grumbling of the Israelites reflects a natural human response to prolonged suffering and unmet needs. Similarly, minority groups may voice their struggles and dissatisfaction, seeking justice and equality. God’s response to the Israelites grumbling by providing manna and quail illustrates divine care and provision. We can trust He will take care of us. God will provide.
We see that God’s provision came with a test of obedience and faith, asking the Israelites to gather only enough manna for each day. This mirrors the ongoing challenges exiles face in trusting that their needs will be met, often amidst promises and policies that require time to take effect. Minority groups, whether they be racial, social, or religious, may be in a continuous state of seeking equity, testing their faith in societal systems and institutions to deliver on promises of fairness and justice. Exodus provides a metaphor for the struggles and resilience of people out in mainstream society. The collective experience of the Israelites in the desert emphasizes the importance of community and solidarity as the church. We are family. We need one another for encouragement, love, training, and resilience. We are the Body of Christ.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
God’s word in Psalm 51: 1-12.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Let me invite you wherever you are listening to this to pray aloud with me. I will offer a line to God and join me in saying, “Lord, hear our prayer.”
Let us pray. Heavenly father, we come before you with hearts full of compassion and concern for our brothers and sisters, both domestic and abroad, who find themselves in exile. Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who are displaced, far from their homes and loved ones, we lift them up to you. Lord, hear our prayer.
We ask for your divine protection and provision over them, just as you provided manna from heaven for the Israelites in the wilderness. Lord, hear our prayer.
Surround us with your loving grace, so that we may find comfort and hope even in the most trying times. Lord, hear our prayer.
Give us strength and resilience to face each new day and faith to trust in your plans for their future. Lord, hear our prayer.
Let us feel your presence guiding and sustaining us through every hardship. Lord, hear our prayer.
We ask for your mercy and justice to prevail in the situations that have taken us here. Lord, hear our prayer.
Soften the hearts of leaders and decision makers so that peace and reconciliation may be pursued. Lord, hear our prayer.
May we all encounter kindness and solidarity, experiencing the warmth of human connection and the assurance that we are not alone. Lord, hear our prayer.
In your infinite mercy and grace. Hear our prayer, O Lord. Amen.
