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Can God Spread a Table in the Desert?


The Gospel reading this coming Sunday continues to look at the fallout from the Feeding of the 5000 in John 6, so you could use the "Baps" skit this week if you so desired, but the Old Testament reading from Exodus 12 and set Psalm, which is a postion of Psalm 78 both point to the miracle of the Manna in the desert, which Jesus alludes to in his teaching. Here's my take on a responsive version of Psalm 78:

O my people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in stories of old,
what we have heard and shared.
what our fathers and mothers have told us,
we will not hide them from our children;
we will tell the next generation what the LORD has done,
Praise his power and his wonderous deeds.
We'll tell children yet to be born,
so they in turn can tell their children.

Then they will put their trust in God
and will not forget his deeds
They will not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious people.

God did miracles in their sight
in the land of Egypt, in the time of captivity.
He divided the sea and led them through;
He guided them as a cloud by day and fire by night.
He split the rocks in the desert
and made water flow freely to refresh them.

But they continued to sin against him.
They willfully put God to the test.
They spoke against God, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the desert?"

And he opened the doors of heaven;
and rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
Men ate the bread of angels.
He unleashed the winds
and sent a flock of birds like a sandstorm on their camp;
Meat lay in drifts and dunes around their tents.
He sent them all the food they could eat
They ate till they had more than enough.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
How often they rebelled against him in the desert
and grieved him in the wilderness!

from Psalm 78


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