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August 20, 2006 Do You See the Glory of the Lord?
Have you ever wished that you could see a little bit more of God's hand in your life? Maybe there has been something you've been praying for lately, and you're thinking, "God, I wish that you would just make this happen!" Or maybe you look at everything going on in the world and you think, "God, can't you just put an end to all the violence, the wars, the terrorist plots? Please God, show us that you're in control. Show me that you've got what it takes to make a difference in my life, and in my world. C'mon God, show me your glory!" My friends, if you've ever had thoughts like these go through your head, you aren't alone. Four thousand years ago, there was a group of people expressed some of these same sentiments toward God. They wanted to see some action from God. And in response to their requests, God's prophet, Moses, promised that they would in fact see God in action. They would see the glory of God revealed. And yet, are the Children of Israel the only ones to whom God has revealed his glory? Or could it be that God's true glory is still visible to you and me today? That's the question we'd like to consider for a moment today, namely: Do You See the Glory of the Lord?
Here in our text, we meet up with the Children of Israel approximately 45 days after they had fled the land of Egypt. Under God's protecting hand, the people had crossed through the Red Sea on dry ground; they had been provided fresh water to drink by means of a miracle at Marah. But now they had run into another problem. The supply of food that they had brought with them out of Egypt was now gone. They were hungry. And do what do they do? They begin to complain-first against Moses, but ultimately against God. They said, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Isn't it something how human nature can distort reality to suit its own self-centered goals? I mean, is that really what life in Egypt was like? A life of leisure, lounging around fondue pots filled with succulent tenderloins? No. While they were in Egypt, the Israelites were slaves! The Egyptians were deliberately trying to work them to death. And if that weren't bad enough, the Egyptians were systematically killing all their baby boys. The fact is, life in Egypt wasn't as good as they described it. Nor was their current situation as bad as they described. They were not being led out to die in the desert. The Lord had already provided for them in a number of ways. But isn't that the way it so often works? Our sinful nature leads us to focus on the negative, to put the worst construction on the situation and ultimately, look for someone to blame. Well, how does the Lord address their complaint? Well, as he had done so many times in the past, God promises to provide for their needs, in this case, by feeding them with "bread from heaven." You heard what happened. For six days of every week, when the morning dew evaporated, there were these little flakes, like dew on the ground. The people were able to gather all they needed for that particular day. And on Friday, they were instructed to gather enough for two days, since God had commanded that they not work on the Sabbath Day. For 40 years, without fail, God miraculously provided bread from heaven to meet the needs of his children. But not only did he provide them with their carbohydrates. He also provided them with protein. Every evening, God sent into the Israelite camp, flocks of quail, little game birds that the people could knock down with a stick or even pick up with their hand. You might say that God provided his people with meat and potatoes, until that day when they entered the Promised Land, and ate their very first meal from the Land of Canaan. And why did God do all this for his people? He tells them, "(so) you will know that I am the Lord your God." Wow! Who could miss the hand of the Lord in their lives, right? Talk about a daily reminder that God was the one who was providing for their needs and preserving their lives in a hostile land. For the Israelites, God revealed his glory in a very tangible way. And yet, is God's glory any less evident in our lives? Now, maybe you're thinking, "Actually, I've never had my bread magically appear out on my front lawn. And when I go quail hunting, I can't hit a single bird. I'm not so sure I've seen the glory of God in my life." Wait a minute. Let's look at this from a little different angle. If God showed his glory by providing the Israelites one kind of bread and one kind of meat, where does that put you and me in terms of the wide variety of foods God has provided for us? If I were to look into your fridge, would I find only one kind of meat? If I were to look into your cupboard would I find only one kind of canned goods or dry goods? Do you have just enough food for today? Or could you live for a week or more on the groceries you already have in the house? Even if you're living hand to mouth, from what you receive from the WELS Food Pantry, I know you have more than one variety of food. What Martin Luther said many years ago, still applies for you and me today. "God still preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home… and all that I need to keep my body and life." Are you looking for God's hand in your life? Looking for God to step into your world? Well, at the risk of sounding a little foolish, I'll say you can start by looking for God in the refrigerator, in the cupboard and in the bedroom closet. That's where you will find a portion of God's glory. God reveals his glory by providing for your earthly needs and mine. And we in turn give glory to God by acknowledging that all we have comes from God and then by thanking him for it. But you know something? God's greatest glory is not found in the fact
that he provides for our earthly needs, but rather that he provides for
us in spite of the fact that we don't deserve it. God greatest glory is
revealed in the fact that he does all that he does for a world of sinners.
And that brings us to the second question to consider today, namely, "Do
you see the glory of the Lord… I don't know about you, but what I find remarkable in this account of manna from heaven is not that God had food miraculously appear on the ground, but rather that he did all this for a people that were totally undeserving of it. I mean, when the entire nation basically starts blaming God for the situation they're in…when they say that they'd rather be slaves back in Egypt, well God would have had every right to say, "To hell with you ungrateful people." But he doesn't do that, does he? Instead he says, in effect, "Even though you have not been faithful to me, I will be faithful to you. I will keep you well fed and clothed until the day I bring you into the Promised Land." Isn't that exactly the same attitude that God has shown to you and me as well? I mean, you think about how many times we have allowed something to push God out of the #1 position in our hearts, be it a job, or our leisure, or our money or our ego. How many times we've been guilty of grumbling against God. "God, why did you let this happen? God, why don't you do this for me?" When you think of the number of times that we've squandered our time and abilities on this that have absolutely no value, when you consider how unfaithful we've been toward God and yet, what has he done? He's continued to provide for us with more than enough to eat. He's given us a place to live, a place to sleep, and more clothes than we know what to do with-all because of his grace. Or as Dr. Luther put it, "All this God does only because he is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserved it." And yet, even more important than the ways God's provided for my body, is the way he's provided for my soul. You realize that God's greatest gift of grace is not the bread on your table. Rather, it's the blood on Calvary's cross. You want to talk about grace-there it is! How does St. Paul put it? "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). My friends, please don't miss that as God's greatest act of grace. For it is also God's greatest display of his glory, as well. Think about it. In all the other religions of the world, you'll find gods who provided food for human beings. They showed their glory by doing this miracle or that. Only the God of the Bible, however, showed his glory by the giving his Son to die for a world of sinners. Gods' greatest glory is in his grace. You realize that the same thing is still true in our lives today. So often we're tempted to say, "God, show me your glory by doing this or doing that. Make this happen. Fix that problem." But God's greatest glory is not in his power. It's in his grace. That means that our number one prayer should not be, "God, do this or provide me with that." But rather simply, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Tell me again that your love me for me is not limited by my sins. Assure me once again that I am still your child, a precious member of your family. Comfort me with the fact that you have gifted me in a very unique way and that you have a plan for my life. Assure me that though I stumble, you will pick me up and will walk with me through life and death, and ultimately take me to yourself in heaven. My friends, this is the spiritual food that God gives to feed our souls. It's what Jesus was talking about when he said, "I am the Bread of life, he who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." It is God's undeserved love for us in Christ that reveals his true glory. Every week, God invites you to feast on his unconditional love for you. Whether that love is offered to you through your personal reading of the Bible, including the one our 3rd graders will receive today, or through a study of scriptures in a sermon or group Bible classes we'll begin in a few weeks, or through the Sacrament of Jesus body and blood-the fact is, God has prepared a feast for your soul. Manna from heaven was a great miracle that met the physical needs of Israel and revealed God's glory. But Jesus, the True Bread from heaven is the greater miracle, for he meets our spiritual needs and shows us that God's greatest glory is not in his power, but rather in his unconditional love for sinners like you and me. God grant that our lives will forever give glory to God for his grace in Jesus Christ. Amen. |
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