Monday 7 August 2023

Today is Monday the 7th of August, in the 18th week of Ordinary time.


Paul Zach sings, ‘When The Light Is Gone’.


The tender mercy of our God still holds us when the light is gone
His guiding hand and guarding rod are with us as we wait for dawn
O, though sorrow entered with the night
O, yet even now we know his light
His love is steady as the stars, whose ancient light is burning still
He walks beside us in the dark, the emptiness within us fills
O, though night is long he's with us now
O, in mercy's everlasting hour
As every night will have its end, we know the sun will have to rise
Our loving lord will take our hands and wipe the tears from every eye
O, for Christ has come, the day draws near
O, and even now he meets us here

Today’s reading is from the Book of Numbers.

Numbers 11:4-15

The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’

Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its colour was like the colour of gum resin. The people went around and gathered it, ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, then boiled it in pots and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna would fall with it.

Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the LORD became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the LORD, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’

Take a moment to step inside this scripture scene…place yourself there, perhaps as an Israelite, or even as Moses… What is the experience like for you, to be one of those to have made this journey of delivery from Egypt?

Notice what your senses draw you towards, and how you are feeling…

The Israelites seem to have mixed feelings about their rescue from Egypt at this point… “We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions…” Take a moment to imagine all this food being described from their time in Egypt… what does it look like? Smell like? Taste like? As good as the memories they’re describing? Or perhaps in reality, they are a little underwhelming…

Imagine now holding in your hand the manna. What is it like to touch? What is the texture like?

As you engage your senses with the manna, do you recognise this as a gift from the Lord? Or are you left feeling a little disappointed, like the Israelites?

As you listen again to Moses’ exasperated speech to God, pay attention to your own inner stirrings… perhaps you share Moses’ frustration…

What has resonated or is lingering with you from this time of prayer? Bring to God anything that has come up for you in this time… perhaps like Moses, you are frustrated or wearied by something in your own life and need to speak with God about it as one friend speaks to another… Take time to do that now…

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.