WATCHWORD:
1 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. Exodus 16:1-4
There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God the Father is the source / the well, God the Son is the course or the river, and God the Spirit is the flowing of the river of water of life… this river gladdens the entire city of God, as the people of God drink of the flowing Triune God! Psalms 46:4
A Memorial Day Prayer:
As our nation pauses today to remember those in the military who have given their lives for freedoms we enjoy, we pray you would have us all look to you for strength, comfort and guidance.
Be with all who serve in our Armed Forces. Bless them and their families.
Grant your loving protection. Let peace prevail among all the nations, O God. Especially let your mercy rest upon our land, even as we acknowledge with thanksgiving your past goodness on this country.
If it is your will, preserve the lives of the men and women in uniform as they defend our citizenry.
Most of all, we pray that you would turn the hearts of all – military and civilian – to your holy Word where we find the true peace for our sinful souls that surpasses all understanding. Keep us repentant of sin. Move us to know, take hold and treasure your saving grace. In this peace and hope for eternity, we pray. Amen.
Meditation:
Bread from Heaven
Lisa Samara has a meditation in Our Daily Bread entitled Food from Heaven, where she tells about an unusual happening in August 2020. “Residents of Olten, Switzerland, were startled to find that it was snowing chocolate! A malfunction in the ventilation system of the local chocolate factory had caused chocolate particles to be diffused into the air. As a result, a dusting of edible chocolate flakes covered cars and streets and made the whole town smell like a candy store!”
Chocolate snow! Oh, yummy, that would certainly make shoveling your walk much more interesting and delicious, maybe a little sticky, I’d suppose. That event may cause you to think of God providing manna to the Israelites. Somehow, I think I would prefer the chocolate to the manna, although I have no way of knowing what the taste of manna that would be like.
I call your attention to another bread event, this time with Jesus on the hillside, outside of Bethsaida Syria. You know the story, a crowd had gathered for a number of days and now they were hungry, and they were out of options. Jesus miraculously provided real bread for the large crowd. I can only imagine that he used the food as kind of a visual aid for a lesson where he taught that he himself was the bread of life, sent to bring not just temporary nourishment but eternal life. I wonder if the crowd paid attention to the lesson in the face of the miracle that happened before they’re very eyes?
I think about the woman at the well where Jesus spoke about living water. Symbolism again about eternal life, the same living water from the River of Life that flows through the City of God, noted in Psalms. We know about the “Word made flesh and dwelt among us” and how the Word is Living Water that brings peace and salvation to those who believe.
Had we been there on that hillside, how would we have been impacted by what we heard and saw and tasted? It’s hard to answer that question. We sit here on the “faith side” of the Resurrection. But, had we been there, we would have thought we were listening to an interesting rabbi and marveled at the “trick” of feeding the crowd. I would also imagine, as we walked away, his words would grow on us, would begin to change us and our way of thinking. We might even re-visit “trick” and realize that it was a miracle and this man, that we followed and listen to, was a Man of God. Such is the nature of Living Water. Amen.
Two Word Prayers to Grant Us Peace:
Hear Our Prayer This Day of Memorials:
In the quiet sanctuaries of our own hearts,
let each of us name and call on the One whose power over us
is great and gentle, firm and forgiving, holy and healing …
You who created us,
who sustain us,
who call us to live in peace,
hear our prayer this day.
Hear our prayer for all who have died,
whose hearts and hopes are known to you alone …
Hear our prayer for those who put the welfare of others
ahead of their own
and give us hearts as generous as theirs …
Hear our prayer for those who gave their lives
in the service of others,
and accept the gift of their sacrifice …
Help us to shape and make a world
where we will lay down the arms of war
and turn our swords into ploughshares
for a harvest of justice and peace …
Comfort those who grieve the loss of their loved ones
and let your healing be the hope in our hearts…
Hear our prayer this day
and in your mercy answer us
in the name of all that is holy.
The peace of God be with you. Amen.
