RCL: Exodus 16:2-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16 Exodus 16:2-15 At first glance, we might sympathize with the murmuring Israelites. After all, we need food to survive, and we have likely all been “hangry” once or twice. Yet the murmuring of the Israelites is not simply about their lack of food; it is…

Jonah 3:10-4:11 Jonah has technically done what he was commanded – go to Nineveh and preach repentance. Even though the people listened and God relented, Jonah is livid. He leaves the town, builds a booth, and pouts. God directs a bush to come up to protect Jonah from the heat and Jonah takes that as…

Exodus 16:2-15 Have you ever felt true physical hunger? The kind that creates a dull, aching delirium in which nothing matters other than finding nourishment? In the West, we are largely removed from this experience, and so it is difficult to fully inhabit the desperation of the hungry Israelites, wandering and woeful. And so we…

Exodus 16: 2-15 Often people are quick to mis-characterize the God of the Older Testament as a “wrathful God.” In today’s passage from Exodus we see again the seemingly tireless patience God continues to bestow on his “chosen” flock who so quickly return to fear and accusation even though they have experienced God’s salvation and…

Jonah 3:10-4:11 When Jonah prayed to God from the belly of the great fish he said, “Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” But now Jonah has forgotten that lesson. Jonah thinks it is his right to judge the people of Ninevah, and to demand their punishment. Then when God changes his mind about destroying the city,…