What is it?

"What is It?"
a condensed version of the sermon delivered by Rev. Kirk Moore on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at Union Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Somonauk, Illinois.

PODCAST of "What is It?"

This Morning's Scripture reading is:
Exodus 16:2-15

Blah Blah Blah

That’s usually the sound I hear when folks who have so much to be thankful for go into extended complaining mode. At first I hear what the person or group is saying and I try to respond in a gracious and appropriate way. But when the complaining becomes extended – or I think the complaining is unjustified, I struggle to remain gracious and kind in my responses. I have the attitude that extended complaining only serves to irritate others.

I wonder if Moses felt that way when the Israelites, recently delivered from slavery in Egypt, went into extended complaining mode. Of course food was necessary for the congregation, but couldn’t they have whined less?

This week’s Bible reading from Exodus 16:2-15 doesn’t paint a rosy picture of the Israelites as they traveled towards the promised land. Even the question that becomes the name of the flaky substance the Israelites collected each morning has a sound of complaint in it. "What is it?" or "Manna?" reminds me of a picky child looking at some goo on a plate and saying "What is this?" while giving a look that says "Yuck."

Moses' response to the question I experience as more complaining is one that sounds like a parent’s response to the picky child.

"Eat it."

"Eat it – it’s good for you."

Keith Green, a singer who was killed in a plane crash more than 25 years ago, had some fun with this passage in a song called "So you Wanna Go Back to Egypt?" The song, helps us get a little bit of the mood of the times as the Israelites wandered in the desert on their way to the promised land. Listen to this short segment:

(Play edit – with these lyrics)

So you wanna go back to Egypt, where it's warm and secure.
Are you sorry you bought the one-way ticket when you thought you were sure?
You wanted to live in the Land of Promise, but now it's getting so hard.
Are you sorry you're out here in the desert, instead of your own backyard?

Eating leeks and onions by the Nile.
Ooh what breath, but dining out in style.
Ooh, my life's on the skids.
Give me the pyramids.

Well there's nothing to do but travel, and we sure travel a lot.
'Cause it's hard to keep your feet from moving when the sand gets so hot.
And in the morning it's manna hotcakes. We snack on manna all day.
And they sure had a winner last night for dinner, flaming manna soufflé.

I don’t think there really was flaming Manna soufflé, by the way. But the Israelites ate a lot of Manna.

Manna – what is it?
- Yup – just like I said before – ‘Manna’ means "What is it?
  But . . . what is it? Manna! What is it? Manna? What is it? I don’t know! Third Base!
What? He’s on second. Who – first . . .
- (Pause for a breath)
Manna – what is it – really?

Bread from heaven?

That was the thought of the singing group my father was in back in the 70’s. They were called, "Manna" and when they found out their name meant "What is it? they kept the name. They even had some fun with it at concerts. ("We thought our name was something like "bread from heaven" but we later found out it means "What is it?" we hope you’re not confused tonight.

What is it really? It’s a flaky substance that was left over when the dew lifted in the morning. What was it made of? To understand that we get to go back to Moses. Do you remember that Moses’ name can be understood in two different ways? There’s
"Mosheh" meaning "drawn out" as in "I drew him out of the water" and then there’s Moses – meaning ‘Son of" that is similar to "Rameses" which means "Son of Ra". In a similar way of deciphering language, Manna – which is an Aramaic work – means what is it. Man hu – the Hebrew word that corresponds with Manna also means "What is it." But in Arabic – kind of like the Moses thing, Man hu means "This is plant lice." (The singing group name gets worse and worse!) Manna – Man hu was likely the dried up secretions of scale insects – wax covered bugs that infest the Tamarisk trees of the area the Israelites wandered. The insects look kind of like plant growths.

Bug goo -- Now I’m thinking again of that picky child looking at some goo on a plate and saying "What is this?" while giving a look that says "Yuck."

"Eat it"

Here’s the real point, though. God provided nourishment to the Israelites. No matter what exactly it was – it kept them sustained on their long journey in the desert. God responded to the complaints of starvation with exactly what the people needed.

Do you remember this as a translation of God’s name?

"I will be what the future requires."

Just as accurate is "I am what now requires."

What is it? Manna – today? The Israelites learned to trust in God’s providence because their needs were met. Because we have full refrigerators and cupboards do we trust God more? Or do we fill our fridges and cupboards because we trust God less? Do we hold onto our stuff because we think God can’t provide? Do we ever hold back from giving because we don’t think there’s enough?

There is enough – God does provide. Sometimes we have hardships and we can see as we get past those hardships that God provides. It’s not always easy to see or to do – but trusting in God’s providence is part of what we do a followers of God. And we need reach out to folks who really don’t have enough so that all will have enough.

When the Israelites had made it through the desert – had come into the promised land and had lived there a long time, they still remembered. Listen to these words from Deuteronomy 24

When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt;

Maybe today God is tugging at your heart because God wants you to trust that God can provide what you need.

Maybe today God is tugging at your hear because God wants you to let go of your stuff and know that God will provide even as you let go

Maybe today God is tugging at your heart because God wants you to give time, money, self and to trust that God provides enough.

I don’t know exactly how God is tugging at each of our hearts today, but I believe God is tugging at our hearts and calling us to respond.

There’s something God is calling you to do. What is it?

Close with prayer.