Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you were, I set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5)

Monday, March 2, 2020

Lent in Plain Sight: Bread

“Lent in Plain Sight: Bread” was preached at the two English traditional worship services at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on March 1, 2020. This sermon was inspired by Scripture, commentaries, the start of First Presbyterian’s sermon and small group series during the season of Lent, and Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion through Ten Objects by Jill J. Duffield

You can listen to this sermon at here.

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Exodus 16:2-15

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. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.”

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.”

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John 6:30-35

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.”

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Think of the Israelites, the ones who were freed from Egypt and then wandered in the wilderness before being delivered into the promised land. Think of the God – our God - God who was trying to build a relationship with them.

A month or two prior, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, treated poorly and unfairly and harshly under the rule of Pharaoh. It’s a pretty well-known story in the Bible. Moses, an Israelite himself, was adopted as an infant into the Pharaoh’s family, after being hidden in an ark, also known as a basket, along the river. Moses, as he grew older, discovers his true identity, as one of God’s chosen people, and is given the command to free his community, God’s chosen people, from their slavery in Egypt and lead and deliver these people into the promised land.

So Moses, after some initial resistance, does exactly that. Moses follows the call from God and he, with the divine help of God, frees the Israelites from their slavery.

But immediately following their freedom from slavery, a certain pattern emerged with the Israelites in which they would complain to and against Moses and Moses’ brother and second-in-charge, Aaron.

This pattern happens in the Exodus text that we heard today. It also happened two times before with the Israelites before it happened in our text today. 

As I said, the Israelites would complain against Moses and Aaron, repeatedly, and each time their complaints followed a certain narrative.

First the pattern would begin because of a potentially devastating threat to their well-being. It started with the pursuit of pharaoh and his chariots; then it was deadly dehydration, and this time, as we heard in our passage today, it was starvation.

Second, they would complain about this threat. Their complaints would carry a similar message each time: basically each time the Israelites would say to Moses, “We’re going to die. God hates us. This is your fault. We should have just stayed in Egypt.”

Third, Moses and Aaron would take the peoples’ complaint to God.

And fourth, God would respond to the complaint by saving God’s people. You know. Things like the miraculous crossing of the sea, providing drinkable water, and now, in our passage from today, raining bread down from heaven.

God, through some divine miracle, would save the Israelites and yet, the Israelites seemed to forget what God had provided because in no time, they had something else to complain about, wishing they were back in the harsh servitude they endured in Egypt.

And that’s what I want to help us understand: is why so quickly the Israelites forgot the providence of God each time God saved them through some miraculous gift.

Less than two months from their freedom from Egypt, after a near-death experience with the pharaoh and his chariots and after moments of dehydration (both of which God responded to and saved them from), the Israelites are now starving in the wilderness. They complain to Moses and Aaron, wishing they would have just died by the hand of the Lord in Egypt because at least there their stomachs were full. God, through Moses and Aaron, hears the complaint of starvation from the Israelites and responds by saying “Draw near to the Lord, for the Lord has heard your complaints.”

God then promises the Israelites food. Every evening they will eat meat… and every morning they shall eat bread.

That evening, a flock of quails stumbles across the Israelites camp, and of course, the Israelites get their fill of meat.

But in the morning, something even more seemingly miraculous happens, something more odd than a flock of quails appearing out of the bushes… When the Israelites woke up the next morning, their camp was surrounded by a layer of dew… and in the dew was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost. They didn’t know what it was, they asked “What is it?,” which is the translation of manna, “What is it?” and Moses replied, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

Think about that. I mean, it’s pretty special when an animal appears out of the bushes. How many times have any of you seen a deer or a fox or a hawk in your yard or a field? And then thought to yourself with excitement, “what great timing is that!” Or “what luck is that!”

But how many of you have seen bread rain down from heaven, covering the ground with sweet and filling sustenance? Because the quails appearing and covering the camp is one thing, especially when you’re starving, but bread raining down from heaven is a miracle no one else had experienced.

And then it happened again the next day. And the next day. And the next. As the Lord promised, every evening the Israelites would get their fill of meat and every morning, they would have their fill of bread.

On the sixth day they would get double their fill, that way they could rest on the seventh day, the sabbath. 

And this would continue for years, perhaps decades. Every evening they would get their fill of meat as animals covered their camp. Every morning they would get their fill of bread as bread rained down from heaven. And every sixth day they would get double so they could rest on the seventh day.

So why do you think the Israelites forgot God’s providence as God filled their stomachs with meat and bread every evening and morning?

They forgot God’s providence because God gave it to them every day.

They forgot God’s providence because every day they began to expect exactly what they received.

They forgot God’s providence because one day bread repetitively raining down from heaven didn’t seem so miraculous. 

They forgot God’s providence because having food and full stomachs as they wandered in the wilderness wasn’t a special gift; it was a normalcy of life. 

The Israelites became complacent and comfortable and forgot that the gift of bread from heaven truly was a gift worth rejoicing over every single day.

Thank you to Rev. Jill Duffield, author of Lent in Plain Sight, for this revelation.

In small groups and in our sermon series during the season of Lent, we are using this book and Scripture to explore ten ordinary objects; objects that Jesus would have encountered on his way to Jerusalem and objects that each of us still encounter today. We’re using these ordinary objects that we see every day as reminders of God’s presence around us. We started with Dust on Ash Wednesday, and this Sunday we are looking at, if you haven’t already figured it out yet, we are looking at Bread. It’s an object found at tables across the world; it’s an object that is currently found before us on the Lord’s Table. Bread is obviously an ordinary object. Even for the Israelites, even though it rained down from heaven, bread became an ordinary object.

The Israelites forgot God’s providence because the thing God provided for them became ordinary to them. The bread from heaven seemed much too common for it to be considered a gift.

And this is true for us. Perhaps we encounter bread too much, in nearly every meal, that we forget what it symbolizes to us as disciples of Christ. Yes, it’s a gift to be able to feed ourselves and our families. It’s a gift that we never starve or even go hungry for more than a brief moment. It’s a gift from God every time we take a bite of food or share in a meal.

But bread also represents more than that. This ordinary object we see before us represents more than that.

When the Israelites were starving in the wilderness, God rained bread down from heaven not only to fill their stomachs but also to remind them that God was there providing for them in the way that they needed it most. And God did this for them for years; God provided for them in the way they needed it most; even if it soon became normal and expected for God to do so. And then after years, God delivered the Israelites into the promised land, a land flowing of milk and honey, and when the Israelites were no longer starving in the wilderness, actual and physical bread from heaven was no longer the thing they needed most.
Of course, the Israelites still needed food and other basic necessities of life. And God still provided for them in that way. It just didn’t come in the shape of fine flaky manna that covered the ground. But the bread of heaven never stopped for the Israelites. It didn’t stop for us either.

Because God looked at God’s people and promised to give us what we needed most.

God gave us Jesus. The true bread of heaven. Jesus is the bread of life. Whoever comes to Jesus will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Jesus will never be thirsty. What we needed the most was Jesus; what we still need the most is Jesus.

And that blessing that God gave us Jesus and still gives us Jesus should never become normal for us. This is a gift that should be rejoiced over every single day.

So therefore, during this season of Lent and onward, that every time we see bread, whether it be white or wheat, sourdough or rye, pitas or tortillas, bagels or doughnuts, banana bread or French bread, chapati or naan, that we give thanks that God still provides.

In bread, a meal that is so ordinary, so simple, so standard, so common, so normal; we are called to remember the blessings given by God; the greatest of which is the grace of Christ, our bread from heaven and our bread of life. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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Thursday, January 23, 2020

One Anothering: Care for One Another

“One Anothering: Care for One Another” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on January 19, 2020. This sermon was inspired by Scripture, commentaries, intentional listening, a letter written by a pastor (see below), and One Anothering by Richard C. Meyer.  You can watch this sermon at FPCA’s alternative sermon here, starting at 19:00. You can listen to this sermon FCPA’s traditional service here

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1 Corinthians 12:24b-25

24b But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.

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In the fall of 2014, I started my first field placement as part of Master of Divinity degree through Princeton Theological Seminary. Master of Divinity students were required to complete two field placements, also known as internships, to graduate; one of which must be in a church. I was hired by Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, which is directly in between Princeton and Trenton. There, I served under the supervision of their pastor: The Reverend Doctor Nina Reeder. Every Wednesday, before a community meal and Wednesday evening activities, I would have my one-on-one “supervision time” with Nina. We would sit in her office and discuss any and everything that were on our minds that week. And by that, I mean, I would talk for an hour and Nina would listen, interjecting occasionally here and there with questions and helpful points of clarification.



I’m now a few years into ministry, but I’ll never forget how valuable it was to sit with someone in ministry and to just be heard. To just sit with someone as you named all the cares and concerns on your mind while they just listened.


I had the opportunity to experience this valuable time for two years, because by the grace of God, Lawrence Road hired me back for a second year. For one hour each week, I sat with Pastor Nina from Fall 2014 to Spring 2016, as we just listened to one another.

You see, seminary and is an odd and wonderful and complicated time for Divinity students. You’d start nearly every morning with classes, then chapel, then lunch, then more classes, then dinner, and then homework. And you would so, from morning until night, with your classmates. All day, nearly every day with the same people… and because we were all experiencing the same thing, there was usually one thing on our mind that we had to chat about any chance we could: our faith.

And you can do all the research and learning in the world, but so much of religious and theological conversations, are based on one’s own experiences, beliefs, and of course, opinions. And when our opinions of our faith were being shared, there was always bound to be some disagreement. And that disagreement wasn’t always so friendly.

You don’t have to be a seminary student to know this: to know that conversations about religion, our beliefs, and our faith can so often lead to disagreements. Think about that. Think about a moment where you were talking about your beliefs, your faith, your relationship with God, or how this relationship influences your approach to social issues, politics, familial life, education, etc. And when you’re thinking about that moment, think of a time when that conversation led to a disagreement, whether it be a family member, friend, colleague, fellow church member, or stranger.

How many you have had a disagreement over your faith at a dinner table? 
Or over social media? 
How about during a bible study?
How many of you have had a disagreement with someone else over your beliefs here, at First Presbyterian?

It’s more common than we think. I think we have all experienced it at some point. There’s a reason religion is one of those taboo topics we are told to avoid talking about at family gatherings and social events with friends. It’s because this "taboo topic" so often it leads to disagreement, and for some reason we think disagreement is an end-all negative moment in our relationships with one another.

And honestly, sometimes it is, because in those disagreements, we race to conclusions and we argue with each other and we overpower each other and we dismiss each other because we want to make sure our voice is the one voice that is heard.

So often when we disagree, we do one of two things.

First, we do everything we can to have that other person – the person we are disagreeing with – to leave their side and join ours. We talk over them, we raise our voice, we interrupt theirs because we want them to leave their experience, their faith journey, their beliefs, their opinions, their story, their life behind and have theirs – all of that – exactly like ours. We want to fix their “wrong” opinion.

Or we do the opposite. We dismiss their voice and then we ignore their voice. We say, “Let’s not have this conversation.” I don’t want to hear about your experience, your faith journey, your beliefs, your opinions, your story, your life because it’s not the same as mine. And because I don’t want to hear yours, I’m also not going to share any of my faith with you because you just won’t get it and you just aren’t worth it. We want to silence their “wrong” opinion.

Do either of those reactions sound familiar to you? Whether any of us want to admit it or not… 
Sometimes it’s easier to admit our wrongdoings knowing we aren’t the only one. It’s easier to admit we handled a disagreement poorly knowing we’re not the only one in the room who has. Maybe even there’s someone in this room that you when in a moment of disagreement, you tried to fix or to silence their side of the conversation. 

Because even in the church there is disagreement. 

Look at the church in Corinth.

The apostle Paul writes the first letter to the Corinthians because they are ultimately the divided church. The Corinthians time and time again through their conversations about faith further divided their church. And they thought because they were having these conversations of faith, they were living out the good news of Jesus Christ. But they failed to see that although they were talking about Christ, they weren’t modeling his actions through their own actions. Because they were talking about Christ, they believed it must be okay if they pushed those who disagreed out of their church rather than giving them a place to be heard in the church. 

They disagreed on five major infractions. See if any sound familiar to disagreements we might have today.

The church in Corinth disagreed and divided themselves by who their favorite ministry leader is.
The church in Corinth disagreed and divided themselves on sexual morality. 
The church in Corinth disagreed and divided themselves on what food they could eat. 
The church in Corinth disagreed and divided themselves by stating which gift in ministry is the best. 
And the church in Corinth disagreed and divided themselves on their belief whether or not the resurrection of Christ actually happened.

In chapter twelve, in which we find our short verse and a half, Paul is addressing the disagreement over which gifts in ministry are the best.

Paul wrote to them, which you heard earlier, “But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.”

This disagreement and division still happens today, over the topic of gifts in ministry, and it’s in the moments when we fix or silence each other when our beliefs on certain issues are the same. Because we believe that our beliefs must be superior to another… and we don’t listen to the inferior. 

Following a heated congregational meeting at a small Lutheran church in Des Moines, Washington; after divided conversations on topics such as same-sex relationships, nuclear weapons, abortion, the inerrancy of the Bible, and evangelism verse mission. Okay, first of all, woof, talk about a congregational meeting, ours in on February 23rd. But second of all, that church left that meeting so divided that they sent a letter to their favorite ministry leader (another thing Paul warns which divides the church). But anyway, they send this letter to their founding pastor and the founding pastor wrote back a modern translation of 1 Corinthians 12. Listen to an excerpt of his letter:

There is one Spirit, but a variety of gifts.
There is one Lord, but a variety of ways that people serve.
There is one God and Father, but a variety of ways that people work for the kingdom.

God gives different gifts to different people.
Some, a passion for peace;
Others, a passion for political freedom.
Some, a passion for life and its sacredness,
Others, a passion for forgiveness and mercy.
Some, a passion for a more closed interpretation of the Bible,
Others, a passion for a more open interpretation of the Bible.
Some, a passion for evangelism,
Others, a passion for justice.

All of these people who spoke to you this morning [at the congregational meeting] are working for the common good.

Each and every one of these people this morning are inspired by the one and same Spirit, the Spirit who gives to each person their unique and different perspective.

The pastor continues later in his letter:

If you have these gifts, if you have these passions in your heart, these workings, these ways of serving God’s kingdom; but if you don’t have love inside of you for your brothers and sisters who think and feel differently than you, you are nothing. The greatest gift that God has for you is love. Love for people who don’t think like you. Love for people who do not share your point of view on specific issues. You are to make love, your goal, your aim, your greatest purpose for life.

That’s how the pastor ended his letter. On the topic of loving one another, especially when we disagree. 

The truth is: we will always have disagreements in the church. 

It’s not unique to First Presbyterian Church of Allentown. 
It’s not unique to the Presbytery Church (USA).
It’s not unique to mainline protestants. 
It’s not even unique to this century.

And time and time again, we are given the reminder that in our disagreements with each other, we must not divide from each other. But rather, we must listen . We need to talk about our disagreements but not to fix or silence each other, but because it provides opportunities to care for one another.  Because each person has a gift that is a special, a home in the Church, and a place as a member of Christ’s body.

Friends, you must care for one another; we must care for each other. Because the arm is just as valued as the leg, the ear as the eye. The republican is just as valued as the democrat, the old is just as valued as the young. The alternative worshipper is just as valued as the traditional worshiper. The Pentecostal and the Catholic are just as valued as the Presbyterian. The Muslim the Jew and the atheist are just as valued as the Christian… And vice versa.

I’ll never forget what that intentional time of listening with Pastor Nina meant to me and how it helped shape me into the pastor that is before you today. I grew more in my identity, authority, and faith in that one intentional hour of the week than I did anywhere else. I was heard, and I was valued. I was lifted up as an equal member as the body of Christ. And now I am given the opportunity to do the same; to listen and to lift up. And so are you.

What a gift it is to listen; to hear stories and experiences, because that’s what draws us together as the body of Christ. And we are called to care for this body, every member of this body. Thanks be to God. Amen. 

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Picture of Rev. Dr. Nina Reeder and I at my Service of Installation as Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown; January 19, 2020. Photo Credit: Julie Klebe