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A few years ago, a young American man was lost in the Australian desert. Robert Bogucki, a 33-year-old volunteer fireman from Fairbanks, Alaska, was on vacation in Australia. Robert did some sightseeing and then headed off across the Australian desert "seeking spiritual enlightenment." The young man was missing something in his life, and he felt that in the wilderness of Australia he could discover something about himself and about God. After two weeks, his absence sparked an intensive search that ended with his discovery. He had spent some forty days in the wilderness. Robert kept himself alive eating plants and wildflowers and drinking dirty water. In forty days, he lost 44 pounds. A television crew flying in a helicopter just happened to spot him. On the hour-long flight back to civilization, Robert was asked why he had embarked on the journey. "I just wanted to spend a while on my own, just nobody else around, just make peace with God, I guess," he said. Robert said he felt alone in the desert but never believed he was going to die, even when his supplies ran out. "I had the feeling of confidence that God would take care of me," he said.1

This searching to find oneself in the desert, in a tough, austere environment, alone, away from the comforts of everyday life, is not uncommon in many cultures. In some Native American cultures there is a rite-of-passage ritual into adulthood called the Vision Quest in which a young man leaves home and undergoes a period of testing and denial in order to discover who he is and what his place is in the community. Many people today refer to the desert or wilderness as a spiritual place. I think of it as a place where distractions are left behind. It's a place to focus on things that often lie hidden below the surface of our lives waiting for some day when we will pay attention to them.

After God rescued the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, Moses led them into the wilderness, heading toward Mount Sinai. It was time to learn some important lessons about this God who had rescued them, and what better place than in the wilderness. But the Israelites didn't like the wilderness. They began to complain. "I'd rather die a slave in Egypt than die of hunger and thirst out here in this godforsaken wilderness. Life may not have been good in Egypt, but at least we had something to eat." It's interesting how the story continues. It doesn't say that God was angry at them or that God scolded them for their ingratitude. It just says that God decided to provide for them. Every morning, the people could go out and collect bread. It was a flaky substance they called manna. In Hebrew, the word manna literally translates, "What is it?" They looked at this strange food and said, "What is this stuff?"

You know, it seems like we eat a lot of manna at our house. Every time I make something different to eat, my kids look at it with suspicion and say, "Oo -- what is that?" I like to reply, "We're having manna tonight. It is the food your Lord is providing you." Why are children so reluctant to taste something new? They want the old and familiar. Maybe there's a reason why the Bible refers to the Israelites as the "children" of Israel.

So God provided the Israelites with manna bread, and with the manna came a test. They were to gather each morning only enough to meet their needs for that day. If they gathered more than they needed, if they tried to store it or hoard it, the manna spoiled -- it turned rotten and became worm-infested. The basic issue was whether there was going to be something to eat the next day or not. This was the lesson they were to learn in the wilderness -- to trust God to provide for each day. And when they trusted that God would provide, God was found to be faithful. Manna came each day. They didn't need to worry about whether or not they had food to eat.

It seems to me that we can learn a lot today from these ancient lessons in the wilderness. First: Trust God to provide for your future. As the Israelites gathered manna every day, and they experienced God's faithfulness, they began to trust that God would provide for the future. They didn't need to worry whether the manna would be there tomorrow or not. They didn't need to hoard it because they felt insecure about the future. What about us? Do we trust God to provide for our future needs? Or do we save and hoard what we have so that we can have a secure future? I'm not smart enough to figure out what this lesson might have to say about our savings accounts, our pension plans, our 401Ks, and IRAs. There is a lot of wisdom in setting aside now to be able to enjoy security in the future. The question is where we put our trust. Do we put more trust in our investments than we put in God? One of the ways the Bible encourages us to answer that question is by giving away a portion of our income. It's called the tithe. Instead of saving for our future, we give some money away now trusting that God will faithfully provide for our future as we faithfully give to him today. Now we could keep that money for ourselves. We could find lots of reasons why we can't afford to give, but the lesson of the wilderness is that if we trust only in our wealth and hoard it, we will find that in the end our wealth has spoiled and become worm-infested. God doesn't give us today what we will need for tomorrow because he wants us to trust him. And God wants us to be faithful with what he's given us today. That's the first lesson -- Trust God to provide for your future.

There is a second lesson we can learn from the wilderness: God will meet your need, not your greed. God didn't give the Israelites what they wanted; he gave them what they needed. He didn't provide them with T-bone steak. He gave them something basic -- bread, manna. They may not have liked the manna. They may have complained about it, but at least God met their basic need for food. God met their need, not their greed.

Have you ever been to a "parade of homes"? The homes on display are usually expensive. It's fun to look through them and imagine yourself living there. But it's dangerous, too. I find myself leaving with a feeling of dissatisfaction. I look at my car, my house, and my tired and worn possessions. Wouldn't it be nice to have a newer model car, a bigger house, a faster computer, more clothes, more whatever? You fill in the blank. We all have those things in our life that we desire, and the lie is that owning these things will make us happier. The reality is that if we follow our desires we will never have enough; we will always end up wanting more.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread. He, too, had learned the lessons of the wilderness. But Jesus added a lesson of his own. Our prayer for daily bread is always prayed in community. We don't ask for my daily bread. Bread is not mine alone. Bread is given by God for the community. Daily bread is meant to be shared. In the Lord's Prayer, we pray that the whole world may be fed. This idea is expressed well in a poem that someone sent me.

You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "I."
You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and even once say "My."
Nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer and not pray for one another,
And when you ask for daily bread, you must include your brother.
For others are included in each and every plea,
From the beginning to the end of it, it does not once say "Me."2

The lesson of the wilderness is that God promises to meet our needs. Jesus knows that our most basic need in life is for a relationship with him, a relationship where we find forgiveness for our sins and an unconditional love and grace. Jesus offers you that today. Thanks be to God.

____________

1. Associated Press, World: Asia-Pacific American Found After Outback Odyssey, BBC News, August 23, 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/428505.stm (accessed June 24, 2007).

2. From the Omaha Home for Boys, 4343 N. 52nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68104.


Lent 3

Children's Sermon

Daily Bread
(Favorite White Bread)

Welcome, children. I'm glad you're here this evening because I have another kind of bread to share with you. This is a basic white bread, the kind of bread you might have for breakfast or lunch. (pass out pieces for the children to taste) It tastes good, doesn't it? But it might taste even better if we put something on it. Do any of you eat toast for breakfast? What do you like to put on your toast? What about lunch -- do you eat sandwiches? What's your favorite thing to put on a sandwich? It's hard to beat peanut butter and jelly, isn't it?

Many people eat bread every day. I imagine some of you eat bread every day. Do you ever run out of bread at your house? What do you do? It's easy to go to the grocery store and buy a loaf of bread. Maybe some of you make bread at your house.

I want to tell you a story from the Bible about how God provided God's people with bread. It was a special kind of bread called manna. It wasn't anything fancy -- just basic bread. And God gave it to God's people every day. It was daily bread. They became hungry and God fed them because God loved them.

Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread. He said when we pray we should say, "Give us this day our daily bread." God wants us to trust every day that God will provide for our needs. And God does that for us because God loves us. God loves you. That's why when we eat a meal, we usually say a prayer to thank God for our food.

Can you help me share this bread with the congregation again? When you give each person a piece of bread, I want you to say the words, "God gives you daily bread." Please say that with me. (let them repeat it a few times)

Let us pray together. Thank you, God, for daily bread. Thank you that you love us so much that you provide for our daily needs. Help us to be aware of those who are hungry and to share our bread with them. We love you, Jesus. Amen.

White Bread

Ingredients
4 teaspoons of active yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
4 cups white flour
1 Tablespoon milk power
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted margarine

Directions

Put first two ingredients into bread pan. Mix around and let stand in a warm place until yeast starts to work, then add the remainder of the ingredients.

Put the pan into the machine. Bake on French bake, with a light crust or as per manual.

Makes a high rise loaf.

Sweet White Bread

Ingredients
1 cup water (80 degrees F/27 degrees C)
2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons (1 pkg.) active dry yeast

Directions

Add ingredients to the bread machine in the above order. Use the regular setting, with medium crust.

This recipe yields 1 1/2-pound loaf. It is a very sweet white bread -- delicious!