Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 6: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 78:1 to 39; Evening, Psalm 78:40 to 72;
Numbers 11:1 to 23; Romans 1:16 to 25; Matthew 17:22 to 27:
“And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing of the Lord, saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.’ Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’” (Numbers 11:18 – 20)
All of the prescribed readings for today are very good. But the presence of God in the manna in our Numbers reading was particularly interesting to me. They are told that they “rejected the Lord who is among you.” This manna was the food of faith and freedom. They were living in the wilderness without taskmasters. All they had to do was breathe and eat the simple meal that was provided for them.
It doesn’t take us long to become bored and complain does it? Meat is nice but bread is our staple. I see the communal nature of what’s going on with the manna, the Emanuel of it, the God with us in it. Today, again in our Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, we are back to full Holy Communion. Never have I been so glad to receive it as now. Lest we forget that Covid was a real lesson about the importance of coming together and having Holy Communion. While I keep up with our Daily Office as shared in this, my daily blog, there is no way to receive the manna, the bread and wine via streaming electronic services. We must be together for that. Thank You Lord Jesus.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray:
“Be present, be present, O Jesus, our great High Priest, as you were present with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread; who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. (BCP 834)
onewhoponders 