August 3, 2003
Prayer of the Day
Gracious Father, your blessed Son came down from heaven to
be the true bread which gives life to the world. Give us this bread,
that he may live in us and we in him, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
{2} The whole
congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in
the wilderness. {3} 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 fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out
into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger." {4}
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…. {9} Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the
whole congregation of the Israelites, 'Draw near to the LORD, for he
has heard your complaining.'" {10} 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. {11}
The LORD spoke to Moses and said, {12} "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.'" {13} In the evening
quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a
layer of dew around the camp. {14} 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. {15} 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.
The story of manna and quails also
appears in Numbers 11:4ff. While Numbers 11 is clearly J, in this
passage verses 4-5 and 13b-15 are J while the rest is P.
2. complained: See also verses 7, 8, 9, 12. The theme of
Israel’s complaining that Moses and/or Aaron have brought them out of
Egypt to die in the wilderness runs through the story of the Exodus
(Exodus 15:24; Numbers 14:36, 16:11, 17:5. 20:2). The complaint is not
just a reaction to difficult circumstances, it is tantamount to a
repudiation of Yahweh’s deliverance.
3. we sat by the fleshpots: "…the slave labour in Egypt would
hardly as a rule have eaten boiled ‘flesh’ by the ‘fleshpots’…." [1]
4: Yahweh tells Moses that he will "rain bread from heaven" as
a test of the people’s willingness to obey the instructions (which are
omitted in this reading) for collecting the manna.
[5-8: Yahweh gives instructions about how to gather the manna.
Moses and Aaron tell the Israelites that Yahweh will provide food for
them. This is repeated in verses 9-12.]
10. the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud: Although "no
one has ever seen God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12)," in the wilderness
Yahweh appeared in the cloud, a theophany.
12. you shall eat meat: The reference to meat is expanded in
verse 13 (P) to be quails. The provision of quails is repeated in
Numbers 11 (J).
13b-15. a layer of dew…a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost…the
bread that the Lord has give you: Verses 16-36 further describe
the "bread," how it was to be gathered, what it was like and what it
was called.
Psalm 78:23-29
{23} Yet he commanded
the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; {24} he rained
down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. {25}
Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in
abundance. {26} He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind; {27} he rained
flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
{28} he let them fall within their camp, all around their
dwellings. {29} And they ate and were well filled, for he gave
them what they craved.
This is one of several Psalms which
contain an extended recitation of the history of the people of Israel;
it covers that history from the exodus to Yahweh’s choice of David.
The selected verses celebrate Yahweh’s feeding of the Israelites in
the wilderness with manna and quails. According to the story in Exodus
16, they ate manna in the wilderness for forty years (16:35: Yahweh is
praised as the one who graciously mortals to eat from Yahweh’s own
table. I am reminded of the Syrophoenician woman who begged to be
allowed to eat the crumbs that fell from Jesus’ table (a metaphor for
a healing of her daughter).
23. doors of heaven: Genesis 28:17: Jacob says that the place
where he had a dream and saw a ladder set up between earth and heaven
is “none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven." Yahweh opens the “doors” of heaven in order to “rain
down” the manna. [2]
24. the grain of heaven: This is God’s gift as distinguished
from the grain of Egypt (Numbers 20:5).
25. the bread of angels: Literally, “the bread of the strong
ones,” i.e. the angels. In Psalm 105:40, another of the “historical”
Psalms, it is called “bread of heaven.”
food in abundance: As in Psalm 105:40 God gives food
abundantly.
29. what they craved: ). In Numbers 11 the “craving” which was
satisfied by the quails led to a “plague,” possibly over-indulgence or
food poisoning, and many people died. They called the place
Kibroth-hattaavah, “Graves of craving” (Numbers 11:34), for those who
had died and were buried there.
Ephesians 4:1-16
{1} I therefore, the
prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to
which you have been called, {2} with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, {3}
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. {4} There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to the one hope of your calling, {5} one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, {6} one God and Father of all, who is
above all and through all and in all. {7} But each of us was
given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. {8}
Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity
itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." {9} (When it
says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended
into the lower parts of the earth? {10} He who descended is the
same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill
all things.) {11} The gifts he gave were that some would be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
{12} to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up
the body of Christ, {13} until all of us come to the unity of
the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the
measure of the full stature of Christ. {14} We must no longer
be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of
doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful
scheming. {15} But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up
in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, {16} from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with
which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the
body's growth in building itself up in love.
"…each subdivision of this passage
deals with the church…. The first three verses (4:1-3) contain not
only urgent advice that the saints be humble, united, strong in mutual
love; but they also mention peace…. Vss. 4:4-6 combine distinctly
Christian creedal elements…. A oneness which exerts a unifying force
beyond the community of the saints…. In the next subsection, vss.
7-10, the distribution of various gifts by the exalted Christ is
mentioned as proof that ‘all things’ are being filled by Christ. The
special ministers…their charge is to train all the saints for their
ministry…to prepare them for meeting the Lord…and to protect them from
childish and deceitful behavior (vss. 12-14)…. The present church
cannot claim any glory for herself. ‘Perfection’ is a gift…it is not
yet possessed (v. 13). In vss. 14-15, finally, the accent is sent upon
the ‘growth’ of the church…. Continuous change and renewal…is the mark
of the living body of Christ." [3]
1. I therefore, the prisoner: Cf. 3:1, "I Paul am a prisoner
for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles."
in the Lord: "The words ‘in the Lord’ are used by Paul
preferably in ethical contexts and suggest, therefore, the
periphrastic version, ‘in the Lord’s service’." [4]
the calling to which you have been called: "The nature and
effect of calling may be compared with the bestowal of a title or a
patent of nobility. Those made God’s own people and servants are
equivalent knights of God. According to Paul they are bound to a
specific code of honor and conduct." [5]
2. bearing with one another in love: See Galatians 5:14; Romans
13:8-10. Love is the fundamental meaning of the law. It is the
essential consequence of God’s love of his people. It is not an
emotion, but rather action on behalf of a neighbor.
3. unity of the Spirit: Because each saint is called into
Christ by the Spirit, all saints are united by that call of the
Spirit.
4-6: This is a confessional statement in hymnic form. The
number "one" is used author intends to show that historic and social
unity on earth is totally dependent upon God’s eternal oneness and
unity…. By its very existence the church confesses God’s essence to
the universe.
8. "When he ascended on high…. Psalm 68:18, with change for 2nd
to 3rd person, and from receiving gifts or tribute to
giving gifts.
9. what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower
parts: "Certainly the ‘model’ of a descent followed by an ascent
is also represented in the lives of the OT righteous ones, e.g. of
Joseph, Moses, David, the Suffering Servant: through utter humiliation
all of them attained highest glory." [6] "The descent
of Christ mentioned in 4:9 denotes his incarnation and, most likely,
his crucifixion." [7]
11. apostles: "Christ’s delegates who went abroad as authorized
preachers." [8]
"prophets" "Their specific charisma appears not only to have been
making predictions of the immediate future…but above all in applying
the gospel to specific contemporary circumstances." [9]
evangelist:. "…‘evangelists’ were missionaries who brought the
gospel into new regions."[10]
pastors and teachers: "While sometimes in the NT ‘teachers’ and
‘shepherds’…are mentioned separately, and at other occasions the times
‘bishop’ and ‘elder’ occur, all these functions probably belong
together." [11]
10. He who descended is the same one who ascended: Jesus is the
one who ascended to heaven. The Jesus who ascended is the same one who
descended as Jesus to begin with. So, rejection, humiliation, even a
shameful death, are components of God’s purpose and express his glory.
14. We must no longer be children: In the New Testament
"children" are those who need care and protection. Sometimes, as here,
to be children is to be indecisive and easily beguiled by those who
would deceive us. There is the sense of "unfinished-ness,"
"incompleteness" which is recognized by people, who then seek to be
complete and finished by their own efforts. This was the situation in
the garden of Eden, which the subtle serpent exploited, leading Eve
first and then Adam to disobey God.
15-16. we must grow up…into him who is the head, into Christ…from
whom the whole body…each part: We are parts of the body, Christ is
the head. We become like Christ (grow into him) because we are "from"
him, that is, we have been baptized into him and reflect him in our
lives. See also 1 Corinthians 12. Since we are parts of the Body of
Christ, we are all knit together, and built ourselves up in love.
"Eph 4:1-16 describes a humble and loving church who is responsive
to her present task and eager to reach her goal. Such a church will
not consider herself an empire-builder. She will not pretend that she
possesses, masters and administers the Lord and his gifts. She will be
meek before the Lord and modest before unbelievers. She has a promise
to trust, a way in which to go, a commitment to fulfill, and an energy
given to her, which are not her own. The church is as much as, but no
more than, a happy migrating people moving forward to the day of
redemption. She is a hard-working community of servants who accept
their call into God’s witness stand for the sake of the whole
creation.
"Having her eyes directed upon the Lord and enduring the hardships
found on her way, this church can, as much as Israel according to Ps
123, endure the ‘contempt of the proud.’ But under no circumstances
will she glorify herself at the expense of God. The work in which she
is engaged is still unfinished. It is still to be proved anew that she
really is God’s people and does God’s will. According to the
constitution of the church her origin and purpose lie beyond herself.
She is neither he own master nor her own end. That which is beyond the
church establishes her existence. Beyond the church are God himself
and all the men, the ages, the creatures whom the church is to serve."
[12]
John 6:24-35
{24} So when the crowd
saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves
got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. {25}
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to
him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" {26} Jesus answered them,
"Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw
signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. {27} Do not
work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for
eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him
that God the Father has set his seal." {28} Then they said to
him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" {29} Jesus
answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom
he has sent." {30} So they said to him, "What sign are you
going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What
work are you performing? {31} Our ancestors ate the manna in
the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to
eat.'" {32} Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you,
it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my
Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. {33} For the
bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to
the world." {34} They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread
always." {35} Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me
will never be thirsty.
24. the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his
disciples were there: Jesus left to avoid the crowd’s intention to
make him a king (6:14-15), while the disciples had departed by boat
for Capernaum (6:16-17). Three or four miles from shore Jesus came to
them walking on the water (6:19-20).
they…got into the boats: Additional boats had been sent from
Tiberius to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, where the
multiplication of the loaves had taken place, to bring the crowds back
to Capernaum (6:23).
25. Rabbi: Jesus has already been identified as "the Prophet"
(6:14), and a potential king (6:15). Now "he is addressed with the
modest title of ‘Rabbi’." [13]
26. you are looking for me…because you ate your fill of the loaves:
The crowd has focused on the material effects of the signs, as we do
whenever we focus on the natural effect of God’s gifts, health,
prosperity, power or prestige, rather than the spiritual aspect.
27. food that endures for eternal life: This is the true nature
of God’s blessings.
28-29. What must we do: The crowd seeks to know how to be
worthy of God’s gifts.
This is the work of God: The work of God is that they believe.
30-31. What sign: Again the crowd challenges Jesus, asking what
sign he will give them, so that they can be convinced to trust him.
They mention the sign of the manna in the wilderness as the sign that
confirmed the authority of Moses.
32-33: Jesus says that it was God, not Moses, who give the true
bread from heaven. At this point he is anticipating verse 35, where he
identifies himself as the bread of life.
34. Sir, give us this bread always: The crowd does not yet know
how Jesus will identify himself with the true bread of life. Their
request is like that of the Samaritan woman, John 6, "Sir, give me
this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here
to draw water." They are still concerned with the material side of
God’s blessings.
35. I am the bread of life: This is the first of seven times
that Jesus speaks metaphorically of himself using a formula of
recognition, "I am;" in Greek, ego eimi; in Hebrew, ethyeh
(6:35, 51, bread of life; 8:12, (9:5), light of the world; 10:7,
9, gate; 10:11, 14, good shepherd; 11:25, resurrection, life; 14:6,
way, truth, life; 15:1, 5, true vine). The recognition formula is an
expression of the identity of Jesus with Yahweh, whose name is bound
up with the very nature of "being."
Jesus identifies himself as the bread of life, the true bread from
heaven, the manna which God gave the ancestors in the wilderness. In
making this identification Jesus makes a definitive comment on the
statement in Deuteronomy 8:3, that God feed them with manna "in order
to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." God has sent his
Word into the world in Jesus, so that the world might know God (see
also John 17:3).
Reflection
Both the Israelites who came out of Egypt in
the Exodus and were fed by Yahweh in the wilderness, and those who
witnessed the multiplication of the loaves missed the essential point.
It is not the material, physical, or natural aspects of God’s actions
that reveal who he is, but rather the supernatural, spiritual and
eternal aspects that are ultimately important. The food that was given
is only a sign that points beyond physical hunger and satisfaction to
the gift of eternal life.
We pray that we may be given Christ, the true bread from heaven, so
that he may give us life. We do not live as individual Christians, but
as the "Body of Christ." Christ is our head, we are the members of his
body. We are united in Christ. Individuals have been given gifts, not
for their benefit, but to contribute to the ongoing growth of the
church. In the church we are to be humble and love one another; we are
to avoid self-glorification, childish waywardness, and stagnation.
Hymns [14]
With One Voice (e.g. 762v), Hymnal Supplement
1991 (e.g. 725s) and LBW (e.g. 32).
E=Entrance; D=Hymn of the Day; I=First Lesson, P=Psalm;
II=Second Lesson; G=Gospel
222 --E--O Bread of
209 --D--Come, Risen Lord
511 --P--Renew Me, O
732v --P--Create in Me
414 --II--O God of Love,
745v --II--Awake, O Sleeper (813s)
755v --II--We All Are One
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748v --II--Bind Us Together
756v --II--Lord, You Give (748s)
197 --G--O Living Bread
224 --G--Soul, Adorn Yourself
--G--709v/772s, 702v/762s,
--G--700v/761s, 701v
343, 408, 765s, 392
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Prayers of
the People [15]
Like a grieving parent, O God, you seek out
all people. You have given us bread from heaven, even Jesus himself.
You call us to put away the old ways and start fresh with the new, the
ways you give. They are so clearly spoken of in Scripture but so hard
to follow. Equip us by your Holy Spirit to know and confess our
shortcomings and sins. We trust in you alone to raise us up and make
us followers. God of David and our Ephesian sisters and brothers in
Christ hear our prayer.
Bless those who gather this next week in Worship conference at
Augustana College in Camrose. Be with them that they may learn the new
song and sing each day of life with heart, soul and service a song of
praise to you. God of David and our Ephesian sisters and brothers in
Christ hear our prayer.
Or
[16]
Presider or
deacon
Gathered as the body of Christ, rich in the gifts of God, let us offer
prayers for all who hunger and thirst.
Deacon or other leader
For N our bishop and N our presbyter, for this holy
gathering, and for all who share the bread of life.
For the leaders of the nations, and for mercy, justice, and peace in
the world.
For farmers and a good harvest, for travelers and those on vacation,
and for safety from violent storms.
For all those in danger and need: the sick and the suffering,
prisoners, captives, and their families, the hungry, homeless, and
oppressed.
For the dying and the dead.
For ourselves, our families and companions, and all those we love.
Lifting our voices with all creation, let us offer ourselves and one
another to the living God through Christ.
To you, O Lord.
Presider
God and Father of all, hear our prayers for all in need and fill your
hungry people with bread from heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Notes
[1]
Martin Noth, Exodus: A Commentary. Philadelphia: The
Westeminster Press, 1962, p. 133/
[2]
A. Baumann, [deleth], Theological Dictionary of the Old
Testament, (ed. by G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren). Vol.
III. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company,
19 78, p. 232
[3]
Markus Barth, Ephesians: Translation and Commentary on Chapters 4-6.
Garden City, New York, 1960. pp. 496-497.
[4]
Ibid., p. 426.
[5]
Ibid., p. 454.
[6]
Ibid., p. 432.
[7]
Ibid., p. 434.
[8]
Ibid. p. 437.
[9]
Loc. cit.
[10]
Ibid., p. 438.
[11]
Loc. cit.
[12]
Ibid., p. 497.
[13]
Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (i-xii), Garden
City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., p. 263.”
[14]
http://www.worship.on.ca/text/rclb9900.txt
[15]
http://www.worship.on.ca/text/pray_b2.txt
[16]
http://members.home.com/oplater/prayer.htm
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