Fairhaven UMC

United Methodist Church

2415 Saw Mill Run Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
Sunday 9:30am Worship

    • Fairhaven Sermon 10-4-2026

      Summary

      In this week’s service, Cindy Seifert explores the foundational laws provided in Exodus, emphasizing the Ten Commandments as the spiritual and moral absolutes required to live in covenant with God. Through the lens of Jesus’ parable of the vineyard owner, the message warns against the dangers of rejecting divine guidance and calls for a self-examination of how we respond to God’s messengers in our own lives.

      The service further examines the example of the Apostle Paul, whose focus shifted from his own credentials to the mission of sharing the gospel through his personal witness. Cindy explains that the “heavenly prize” is not an escapist pursuit of a distant afterlife, but rather a call to embody righteousness through service, justice, and community. Ultimately, the sermon invites believers

      Now, I must admit to most of you that I get most of my news from this little device right here. I don’t know if any of you are in that same boat anymore, but to sit and watch network news is just intolerable to me. The negativity shown, the scenes of war, destruction, political unrest, and cruelty are difficult to understand. Yet the nature of humans in despair is often to lash out at each other and forget, or yeah, and forget, or some may never have known the laws provided in Exodus.

      Our first reading this morning are the laws which God gave to Moses to take to the Hebrew people. These laws are a result of God wanting to be in covenant with the people. He wanted the Israelites to know Him, to know Him as Yahweh. I am who I am. This name affirms the power, authority, and eternal nature of God. The law of God within the Ten Commandments, as we read, and these are God’s absolutes for spiritual and moral living. The first four commandments focus on loyalty to the Lord. Have no other gods before me. Do not make an idol. Do not bow and worship, and do not serve them. I’m a jealous God, punishing the children of the father’s inity to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. But showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. No work is to be done by any man, servants, or animals. Now the next five focus on dealings between humans to make our society stable. Honor your mother and father so that you may have a long life in the land I have given you. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not commit adultery. Do not give false witness against your neighbor. And the final commandment addresses the inner life, the source of wrong actions, including murder, adultery, and stealing. Coveting reflects greed, which is idolatry, meaning worshiping physical objects or images as if they were divine. So, do not cover, covet your neighbor’s house, wife, servant, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Now these are the laws that all of us are to strive for to allow us to live in complete covenant with God.

      Hearing these laws reiterated many times does not make them any easier to follow. How many of these laws do we struggle with? Do we always put God first, or do we put ourselves first? Do we strive for wealth of material goods, or wealth of spirit? Do we keep the Sabbath day holy? Do we even keep a Sabbath anymore? Jesus was speaking in the temple when the chief priests and elders entered and questioned him about who gave him his authority. Jesus did not directly answer them, but told them parables. As Flo read Matthew twenty-one thirty-three to forty-six, which is the second parable of the vineyard owner, Jesus uses the imagery of a vineyard owner who rented out his vineyards to tenants. In this parable, the tenants end up mistreating and even killing the servants sent by the owner to collect the fruit. When the owner finally sends his son, hoping they will respect him, they instead kill him, thinking they can inherit the vineyard. This parable symbolizes God as the vineyard owner, sending his prophets and messengers, the servants, throughout history to guide and lead people back to Him. Despite these efforts, there are those who reject and harm these messengers, culminating in the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, the owner’s son. The parable serves as a warning about the consequences of rejecting God’s messengers and his message. The chief priests and Pharisees realized he was speaking about them. Even though they were trying to find a rest, a reason to arrest Jesus, they feared the crowds because the people regarded Jesus as a prophet. The parable highlights the seriousness of disobedience and the ultimate judgment that awaits those who persist in their rebellion against God. It prompts us to reflect on how we respond to God’s messengers in our own lives, and whether we are bearing the fruits of faith, love, and obedience in our relationship with Him. The parable challenges us to consider our own attitudes towards God’s guidance and the importance of heeding His call to repentance and transformation.

      So, why is this relevant today? The message of stewardship and accountability resonates with us. God has entrusted us with various gifts, responsibilities, and His message of love and redemption. The parable warns against complacency and rejection of divine guidance. It calls us to self-examination. Are we faithfully stewarding what God has entrusted to us? The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, moves us forward in the story of our accountability. The Reverend Derek Weber, director of preaching ministry, states in his writings that follow that Paul gives us a history lesson, then sets that history aside in favor of the mission of the church. Okay, granted, it reads like a humble brag. Paul, who was big on humility in his writing, manages to sneak in some considerable self-referential information that sounds like one-upmanship. The familiar, “I’m better than you,” so you should listen to me, and more than that, he actually says, “Do what I do, join in imitating me.” A couple of verses past the reading of this week. But let’s take a little deeper look. After his catalog of suffering and attributes, which are surprisingly in the same list, he says it really doesn’t matter. Moreover, he says he considers all that stuff garbage. The Greek word is skabala, translated as rubbish, garbage, or dung. It’s a strong word, offensive in some circles. And that’s how he feels about his own resume. At least compared to knowing Jesus, compared to the call to share the gospel, to widen the circle, to embrace the hope, and encourage others to embrace with him. What Paul knows is that when we come, when it comes to all of that, to well, let’s just say it, evangelism. Another strong word, offensive in some circles. But when it comes to evangelism, all we have is our stories. All we have is the witness of our lives. Paul isn’t ashamed to use what he has to tell of the relationship he has with Jesus Christ. He is ready to lay his life down as a witness to the power of the redeeming Spirit of Jesus. Not to use it as a way to increase his own glory, climb some social ladder, or enrich himself, he chooses to let his story be an invitation for another to hear, embrace, and move closer, and know the one who gives Paul his strength and purpose.

      The best thing about Paul’s story, he would no doubt point out, is not his history, but his future. Not who he has been, but who he is becoming. We’re pressing on, Paul argues. But pressing on toward what? What does Paul call us to do or be? Well, we think it is obvious, isn’t it? It’s about getting to heaven, about lounging on a cloud with a halo and a harp, about basking in the presence of the Lamb on the throne, or however we might envision that realm. Indeed, Paul talks about leaving to be with Jesus in other passages. That escape into a place where kingdom rules apply sounds enticing in today’s world. Yet it seems unlikely that Paul is arguing here for an escapist mentality. Rather, for Paul, the prize is righteousness, and righteousness is not a strict adherence to rules and laws, but an embodiment of God’s mercy and justice. Embodiment is an important concept. It’s how we live. It is the actions we take, the positions we hold, and the values we embrace. We are, in other words, called to become like Christ. When Paul rails against flesh, he doesn’t mean our bodies. What we do with our bodies matters a lot to him, as we can express our faith through our bodies, our words, and our inner being. But flesh represents anything that gets in the way of embodying faith in a Christ-like way. Flesh is self-centered, as opposed to other-centered. Flesh prioritizes empire, status quo, and nation over the kingdom of God. When we press on, we press on through many avenues. We press on through spiritual disciplines. We press on through acts of mercy. We press on through justice work and world-transforming efforts that bring wholeness to all people. We press on to build community, not just to take care of ourselves. Through his story, Paul issues an invitation to partner with the Spirit and working toward the vision that Jesus the Christ gave to us. That heavenly prize is, as we regularly pray, the kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. For Paul, faith is a deeply embodied journey that calls us into the present, embodied reality of loving and living with God, self, neighbor, and all creation. We press on together here and now by the grace through which Christ saves us. Amen.

    • Announcements 10-4-2026

      Announcements 10-4-2026

      Monthly Meeting

      Administrative Council Meeting:

      • Event: Administrative Council meeting
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: Sunday, October 11th at 8:15 AM
      • Details: Everyone is welcome to attend; church members are eligible to vote.

      United Women in Faith Meeting:

      • Event: Monthly Meeting
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: Monday, October 12th at 12:00 PM
      • Details: Meeting to prepare treats for local residents.

      South Hills Partnership Jumonville Day:

      • Event: Potluck lunch and Fall Festival
      • Location: Spencer UMC
      • Time: Saturday, October 24th at 12:00 PM
      • Details: Includes carnival games, prizes, and live music. Please call to RSVP with the number of people attending and specify if you need or can provide a ride. Dinner in the dining hall is $17.50 per person.
      • Contact: Spencer UMC

      Trick or Treat for UNICEF:

      • Event: Trick or treating for UNICEF
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: Sunday, October 25th
      • Details: Children are encouraged to wear costumes to help collect donations.

      Blessing of the Gifts:

      • Event: Blessing of Christmas Store donations
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: Sunday, October 25th and Sunday, November 1st
      • Details: Bring your donations to the church for a special blessing.

      Church Gala:

      • Event: Fundraising gala
      • Location: South Hills County Club
      • Time: November 21st
      • Details: If you are in the process of putting together a basket for the event, please notify the church.
      • Invitation and ticket information coming soon. Please purchase tickets in advance of the Gala.

      Christmas Store:

      • Event: SHP-sponsored Christmas Store
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: December 5, 2026
      • Details: The store will be held at the church. This is not open to the public. Only invited families will be able to shop.

    • Fairhaven Sermon 9-27-2026

      Summary

      In this week’s service at Fairhaven United Methodist, Pastor Steven McIlvaine  led the congregation through a reflection on Jesus’ encounter with the religious authorities in the temple, focusing on the parable of the two sons and the question, “By what authority are you doing these things?” Rev. Mclaine drew a vivid parallel between the leaders’ challenge to Jesus and our own internal questions to God—”Who do you think you are? Why should I do that?”—arguing that questions of authority are ultimately questions of trust. He reminded the congregation that Jesus often answers with a counter-question, as He did when He asked whether John the Baptist’s baptism came from heaven or human origin, exposing the leaders’ avoidance of truth in favor of self-protection.

      In this week’s service, Pastor McIlvaine  went on to unpack the parable of the two sons—one who said no but later went to work in the vineyard, and one who said yes but never went—emphasizing that God is more concerned with what we do than with what we say. He challenged the congregation to examine whether their words of love and faith are translated into visible action: forgiving, serving, reaching out, and giving others a second chance. Weaving in the startling declaration that tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the kingdom before the religious leaders, Rev. Mclaine affirmed that God’s grace reaches every person who has wandered, made mistakes, or said no to God, and that “no” is never the end of the story. He closed by inviting the congregation to answer the Father’s ongoing call—”Come, work in my vineyard”—and to trust that it is never too late to change one’s answer from no to yes.

      Good morning, everyone.

      Our scripture today takes us into an interesting conversation between Jesus and the religious authorities. Jesus had entered the temple, and the chief priests and the elders come to him with a question: “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Now it sounds like a reasonable question, right? But if you dig a little deeper into what they’re doing, we realize that they weren’t looking for an answer. They are challenging Jesus on what authority is he doing these things. They wanted to know who gave him permission to teach the way he does, to heal, to welcome sinners, and to speak about God the way he does.

      In other words, they’re basically asking him, “Who do you think you are?” Right? Yeah. And isn’t that something? Sometimes a question that we ask God: “Who do you think you are? Why should I do that?” Right? Maybe He’s telling me, “What should I do? Why should I do that? Or or why should I? Why should I listen to that?” Perhaps maybe I don’t know if I can forgive that person. Why should I forgive that person? Why should I? Why should I trust you when I don’t understand what’s happening? How can I trust you? The questions of authority is really a question of trust. Yeah.

      So Jesus, he doesn’t answer them directly, does he? He answers them with another question. He likes to do that. I like that he likes to do that too. He said, “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or did it come from human origin?” Now the leaders, they have a problem here. It’s a big problem, really, because if they say that that if they say that John’s authority came from heaven, well, then Jesus is going to ask them why didn’t they believe John? Well, if they say that John’s authority was merely human, well, there’s another problem because they were afraid of the people. The people believed that John was a prophet sent by God. So they answer. We don’t know. Seems like the easy way out, right? What was for them? So Jesus knows that they’re really avoiding the real issue here. They aren’t interested in discovering the truth. They’re interested in protecting themselves.

      Now, and sometimes we can do the same thing too. There are moments when we know exactly what God is asking us to do, and then, but we don’t want to admit it because that might mean that we have to change something, and well, we don’t like to change. So we say, I’m not sure. I don’t know if I heard you correctly. God, do you sure what you’re asking me? But sometimes we’re really not confused, are we? We we heard it correctly. We’re just avoiding it, and sometimes we’re just uncomfortable.

      Yes, you know. Twenty years ago, he asked me to get up here to preach. I couldn’t do it. I was too afraid, and I said no. But the no was the end of it. Obviously, I’m here now. Sometimes we just don’t always like the answer that God’s giving us.

      So then Jesus, to help things along, he tells them this parable or this story about two sons. Okay, so the father has two sons. He goes to the first and he says, “Son, go out into the vineyards and work today.” And the son says, “No.” Well, we’ve heard that before, haven’t we? Parents, no, right? But later, he changes his mind and he goes, which was really good, right? So then the father goes to the second son and he says the same thing, and the second son says, “Yes, sir, I’ll go.” But then he doesn’t. We’ve heard that before too, huh? Yeah. Go clean your room. Okay. Never gets done.

      So Jesus says, “Which of the two sons did the will of the father?” Well, the answer is obvious, right? The first son, because he went and did what the father asked. Now, I think most of us parents can really relate to this story because we’ve we’ve been there, we’ve done that before, we’ve gone through all of that stuff. Sometimes you ask your child to just do something, and the first response is no. Not today. Not right now. I’m busy. I’m playing video games or something like that, or maybe later. Okay, and that’s what they do. And then sometimes you think, after some time, they they think about it and they’re like, ah, okay, I guess I better go do that right now, and I’ll go and do it. And then there are other times when you hear, yeah, sure, sure, I’ll I’ll do the dishes, no problem, absolutely. And then it never gets done.

      Jesus is reminding us here that God is not as concerned with what we say as with what we do. Let me say that again: God is not as concerned with as what we say as if as if what we as excuse me. Let me say as He is with what we do, meaning our actions speak louder than our words.

      Now there’s something, an important lesson for us to learn here as a church, as a people. It is possible to say all of the right things and still miss what God is doing. We can say, “I love Jesus. I love God. I want to serve. I want to help people. I want to be a better Christian.” Those are all good words, but Jesus asks us to take another step, go a little deeper. What are you doing with those words? Is what he’s asking. Are we loving our neighbor? Are we forgiving? Here it is again. Are we are we serving? Are we finding ways to serve? Are we reaching out to someone who maybe feels forgotten? Are we willing to change when God shows us something in our lives that needs to change? Faith isn’t simply something we say. Faith. It becomes visible through the way we live. Action.

      Well, the Jesus says something that must have shocked these religious leaders. These are pretty, pretty religious guys, and they think that they’re doing everything right. And what he says completely shocks them. He tells them that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom before them. Boy, that must have infuriated them. All their lives, they’ve lived in the way that they thought was by the laws of Moses, and yet here they are—prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the kingdom of God before it. How dare he say that? These are the people who that the religious leaders thought had failed—people that had made choices that they just did not approve of, and people who were on the outside.

      But Jesus says something remarkable. He says that they believed John. They believed that the Messiah was coming. They responded to God’s call. They were they changed direction and went in the way that the kingdom was leading them, and that’s really the heart of this passage. God’s grace is not limited to people who haven’t always gotten it right, or who have always gotten it right. Excuse me. God’s grace reaches to people who’ve made mistakes. People who’ve seen the downs and the lows and the highs, and those are the regular, normal, everyday people. That’s what God’s grace is for. People who have wandered, people who have said no to God, people who have wasted time, people who have made choices that they regret. People who are sitting in church today, wondering if God could possibly still have a place for them. The answer is yes. Jesus still has a place for you. It’s not too late.

      Maybe one of the most beautiful messages in this passage is the first son said no. Now, how does that seem like that’s a beautiful thing? Well, no wasn’t the end of the story, was it? He said yes a little bit later on. He changed his mind. He went to work. That means that our past does not determine our future with God. So whatever happened before does not determine what happens next.

      Maybe you’ve said no to God before. Maybe you were ignoring a call in your life. Maybe you’ve walked away. Maybe you’ve made a mistake. Maybe you’ve been angry with God about something in your life, but the story doesn’t end with the word no. There is always the possibility of turning around. There is always the possibility of coming home. Jesus is always saying, “Come, come back.” There is always the possibility of saying, “Lord, I’m ready now. Use me to do Your will.” That is grace.

      Sometimes we Christians make Christianity more complicated than it needs to be. I’m guilty. I’m guilty of it. We want to know exactly what God wants us to do. We want a detailed plan as how everything is laid out, so we can understand it. We want every question answered. But sometimes God’s invitation is just very simple: come, work an avenger, love somebody, help somebody, forgive somebody, visit somebody, pray for somebody, encourage somebody who’s going through a moment in their life, and give somebody another chance. Stand beside somebody who’s hurting. Tell somebody that they are loved, that Jesus loves them, that you love them. Be the hands and feet of Christ. The vineyard is all around us. As soon as we leave these doors, we are in the vineyard. And every morning, God continues to invite us into His work.

      The truth is, there are probably times when each of us has been both sons. If we admit it, sometimes we said yes and not did it, and then other times we said no, and then we’ve gone ahead and done it anyway. That is why this story really isn’t about judging the two sons. It’s not a comparison as much as it is about the father who keeps calling us, a father who who doesn’t give up on us, a father who keeps saying, “Come, come, work with me.” The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Come, be a part of what I am doing. Come and bring love into this world. And even after we’ve even said no before, if you’ve said no before, doesn’t matter. God continues to give us the opportunities to say yes.

      I think one of the most important questions that we can ask ourselves today isn’t “What have I said to God?” but instead asking “What am I doing with what God has asked me to do?” Because the Christian life isn’t just about having all the right words; it’s about allowing those words to become action, to be lived out. It’s about allowing our faith to become visible so others see it. And maybe there’s something that God has been placing on your heart—a call, a ministry, a mission, something. Maybe there’s someone you need to forgive. Maybe someone you need to give a call to. Me. Maybe there’s something that you’ve been avoiding. Yeah. Maybe there’s just something you’ve been saying not yet to. I’m not ready for that quite yet. Today, Jesus reminds us that it’s never too late to change our answer. The son who first was first said no, eventually went. And perhaps that’s where some of us are today. Maybe our answer to God hasn’t always been yes. But today, we can say, “Lord, I’m ready. I’m ready to do Your will. Show me where You want me to go. Show me who do You want me to love. Show me where You want me to serve. Because the vineyard is waiting, and the Father is still calling. Amen.

      Let us pray. Almighty Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for your stories. In your stories, they reveal great truth. Lord, I thank you for the two sons: one who said no but then went and did the will; one who said yes but did not. Lord, I know in my own life, I’ve been both sons. Lord, I, I know that in our lives as a church, we have been both sons. So, Lord, I ask that you forgive us, forgive us for the noes. But yet, Lord, make ready, available for more yeses. Help us to align with your will. Help us to have that courage, that strength that we need in order to do your will, to further your kingdom here on this earth. Lord, we ask for your blessings to be upon us, that we may bless you in return. In your name, we pray. Amen.

    • Announcements 9-27-2026

      Announcements 9-27-2026

      Prevention Point Lunch:

      • Event: Lunch for people served by Prevention Point
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: Thursday, October 1st from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
      • Details: Volunteers are needed for a two-hour commitment.
      • Contact: Charlie Hannigan

      Administrative Council Meeting:

      • Event: Monthly administrative council meeting
      • Location: Fairhaven UMC
      • Time: Sunday, October 11th
      • Details: Usually held on the first Sunday, but moved to the second Sunday for October.

      Jumonville Day:

      • Event: Annual South Hills Partnership Jomonville Day and Fall Festival
      • Location: Jumonville
      • Time: Saturday, October 24th at 12:00 PM
      • Details: Fall Festival at Jumonville. Lunch at noon. Dinner in the dining hall is $17.50 per person. Please note if you need or can provide a ride.
      • Contact: Spencer United Methodist Church (to register)

    • Fairhaven Sermon 9-20-2026

      Summary

      In this week’s service, Rev. Dylan Parson explores the biblical narrative of Exodus 16, examining the Israelites’ rapid transition from celebrating God’s miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea to grumbling in hunger and fear within the Sinai Desert. As God provided manna to be gathered daily, He established a profound spiritual lesson regarding the necessity of trusting in “daily bread.” The sermon highlights how the Israelites’ impulse to stockpile food—driven by the anxiety that God might not provide for them tomorrow—resulted only in decay, underscoring the tension between human insecurity and divine providence.

      Connecting this ancient struggle to the modern human experience, Rev. Parson shares his personal vulnerability regarding the anxiety he feels over the upcoming birth of his child and the overwhelming sense of having no control over the future. He posits that much of our anxiety stems from a compulsion to “gather an extra jar” of security for an uncertain tomorrow. Ultimately, the message calls believers to practice the difficult discipline of faith: letting go of the need for control and trusting that God’s grace, which is sufficient for today, will be waiting for us again when tomorrow morning breaks.

      I want to push a little further into Exodus 16 here because you might as well know what happens for the whole chapter. So we just finished here where flow stopped and the bread has come and you would think that everything would be normal and we’d be good. They’re fed, they have the bread now. Of course, that’s not what happens. We see multiple different responses to the bread. Some people listen. Some people only collect as much as they need for the day. And then there are others who collect more in the hopes that they can stockpile it, that they can secure it to make sure they still have some for the next days. That bread, over the course of the evening, when they try to keep it in a jar, became infested with worms and stank. That’s an important piece there, too. Moses ends up being furious with these people, and they seem to finally learn their lesson towards the end of the chapter. But what happens after that is God commands that one jar of manna can be kept, just one, and it’s to be kept in the tabernacle in front of the ark where the people can see it and remember for all generations that God provided for them in the desert.

      Give us this day our daily bread. We pray it at least once a week. I know you do because we just did. You probably pray it more than that. And it’s a really reassuring line in the Lord’s Prayer, I think, that Jesus tells us all we need to do is ask the Father to give us what we need to make it through the day ahead of us. And yet, when we find the Israelites in the Sinai Desert this morning, wandering and starving, we’re forced to see the image of daily bread in a different kind of light.

      And this chapter opens in the midst of a severe crisis. There’s about to be a rebellion, a mutiny against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites are murmuring is the traditional way that that’s translated, that there’s just this kind of buzz of rebellion. The people are hungry. We don’t know how long they’ve gone without eating. At the end of chapter 15, God miraculously gave them water from this bitter spring. He ends three days of thirst after they make it across the Red Sea. They don’t get to drink for three days, but then he miraculously transforms this spring into sweet water. And after that, they make camp at an oasis of 12 springs and 70 palm trees. And we can assume there there’s at least something to eat. But now they’re on the move again. They’re not in an oasis anymore. They’re in the middle of the desert in a region called Sin. And they are grumbling and furious as they just lash out against Moses. And they say, oh, how we wish the Lord had just put us to death while we were still in Egypt. There we could sit by the pots of cooking meat and eat our fill of bread, and instead you’ve brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly into death.

      And it’s amazing, this constantly happens in Exodus. How fast the Israelites move from miracle to mutiny. Constantly. Just a month prior, a chapter ago, all the people were united. They’d just made it across the sea, and they were singing praises to God. One of these beautiful hymns in the Old Testament. I will sing to the Lord for an overflowing victory. Horse and rider he threw into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my power. He has become my salvation. This is my God whom I will praise. The God of my ancestors whom I will acclaim. The Lord is a warrior. The Lord is his name. They all are singing this on the banks of the Red Sea. And now, a month later, the people are ready to swim back across it. into the chains that Pharaoh has had waiting for them, because at least in Egypt, they knew the smell of cooking meat.

      Better a predictable slavery than an unfamiliar freedom. And so God speaks to Moses, and this is interesting, by the way, because as you read this chapter, it doesn’t seem like Moses is asking. God has something to say to Moses without him asking first. He needs him to know. And God speaks to him about how God is going to respond to this murmuring, this rebellion that’s bubbling up. And God’s plan is this. Bread will rain down from heaven every night. And every morning, the people may gather it for food, but each person can only gather one omer, which is enough grain for one person for one day. It’s about two quarts. The only exception is the day before the Sabbath, when they’re allowed to collect enough for two days, allowing them to rest on the Sabbath day, even in the midst of this desert, of this struggle, of this suffering. Sabbath rest is still respected. That day is still sacred and peaceful.

      And as a bonus, a huge flock of quails is going to come the very first night. It covers the camp. It’s covered with these game birds and gives them meat to hunt. And so Moses gathers and addresses the people to tell them what God has said, and he repeats it. The Lord will give you meat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning because the Lord heard the complaints you made against him. And then I think it’s interesting here, too, he distances himself. Point to Aaron, he goes, who are we? Your complaints aren’t against us, but the Lord. Definitely trying to quell this rebellion here.

      But Moses is clear and firm in sharing the instructions that he received from God. Don’t keep any of it until morning. And naturally, the people don’t listen. The rumbling of their bellies and the memory of their hunger is louder than the sound of God’s voice. And some of them decide that the best thing to do is to stock up. Again, they keep manna for the next days. But within a single night, it rots. It fills with worms. It stinks with the smell of decay. It’s inedible. Can’t be kept. and Moses is furious finding out that the people did this.

      Some disobey in the opposite way. We also find out later in this chapter, they refuse to collect double the day before the Sabbath, and they go out the morning of the Sabbath to go find their breakfast, and oh, nothing there. God this time lashes out, not Moses, but God this time, and addresses Moses for the failures of the people and says to Moses, how long will you refuse to obey my commandments and instructions? Their leader is responsible for the way they’re behaving.

      And this singular most important role of the manna here that’s dispensed by God’s will on God’s schedule is to remind the people that the one who brought them out of Egypt is the one who maintains their life and their well-being every single day still. It’s not themselves. It’s not Moses. It’s not Aaron. It’s God. The bread comes from God. Give us this day, they might pray, before they go out to the desert to collect their rations flavored like honey, our daily bread. No more, no less. And to keep that memory alive, God commands this jar of manna be kept in the tabernacle so that all future generations can see that the same God who brought the plagues upon the Egyptians, who plunged Pharaoh’s chariots into the deep, who split the Red Sea, also fed them day by day in the midst of the desert. As much as liberation and power and this warrior spirit are part of who God is, so is this motherly daily bread.

      But here’s the thing that every Israelite in the Sinai knows, whether they say it out loud, and some of them actively rebel against it, but they all know this is true. Relying on God’s daily bread sucks. And we’re tempted to be pious about that. And we say to ourselves, God gives us just what we need to make it through the day. But that is not often what it feels like. We don’t feel particularly grateful for that. And these Israelites are not less faithful than we are. I think we have to remember this. They have seen in the past month the power of God before their eyes in ways that we can only dream of. They saw the sea parted with Moses’ staff. They saw the plagues, the frogs, the rivers of blood. They were freed from slavery, and they know that God did it. So it’s all that they don’t believe. They know full well God cares for them, but the fear remains. And I have to deeply sympathize with those Israelites in the Sinai who can’t help themselves to gather extra manna. Because, you know, what if it doesn’t come tomorrow? What if it doesn’t come tomorrow? What if God decides to stop? They’ve been hungry before. And you and I have felt the pain of needing God’s help before, the desperation that emerges when it doesn’t come when or how we want it. What if it doesn’t come?

      But daily bread means just enough for the day. And it means trusting that God is going to be as good tomorrow as God has been today and yesterday and the moment he split the sea. And it is an incredibly difficult spiritual discipline to pray for daily bread like we do in the Lord’s Prayer and mean it. And I can confess that I am not at all there to the degree that I hope to be. God measures out grace. God measures out providence as God sees fit. We don’t get to stockpile it. There’s no way to stockpile it. Whether it’s this bread that’s scattered on the frost or this full day’s wages given to a worker that shows up at five, God refuses to work to give on our terms. And God provides what is needed for our lives. No more, no less.

      And these stories force us to deal with the reality of our lives. That no matter what we might prefer to think, our lives are in God’s hands. and we’re just infinitely better off when we live that way because you can’t and aren’t self-sufficient. It’s by God’s blessing, not the strength of our efforts, not our worthiness that our work comes to fruition. It’s by God’s grace that we are fed in the deserts of our lives, in our minds, in our bodies, in our souls. God is the provider. All that we have is a trust from God, one day at a time, because there can only ever be manna for today.

      As you all know, as we’ve discussed a little bit this morning, stormies do any day now, right? And something has happened to me within the past couple months, and that is that I have become deeply, viscerally anxious about this baby coming. I’m very serious about this. I’ve dealt with anxiety for quite a few years now. But this is the worst that it’s been in a long time. And it’s hard to explain what that means unless you’ve dealt with it yourself, as I’m sure many of you have, because like worrying isn’t the issue, right? Anxiety like something like this is something else. And I told Stormy earlier this week that I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s going on with me here, but I have a hypothesis. And that is that I have absolutely zero control over anything that’s to come in these next few weeks or like 20 years. And this is probably the first time, if I’m honest, this is probably the first time since I’ve been a conscious human being that I have felt this way. Completely out of control.

      All I can do is grab my bag of, you know, T-shirts and sweatpants and cookies, grab it, put it in the car and sit in the hospital bed, sit in the hospital room for however many hours it takes. I have no details of what’s going to happen. Besides, at the end of it, there will be a baby buckled in the backseat of my car in the car seat that’s already there haunting me. I can think, you know, what if I can’t do it? Right. What if I’m a nervous wreck for the rest of my life all day long? or I can just feel that gnawing in my stomach all the time. But whenever I have those questions, you know, what if I can’t do it? God has an answer. And that answer is what we hear in Exodus 16. Go out tomorrow morning and gather the bread for the day. The answer will be exactly the same tomorrow. Go out in the morning, gather the bread that you need for the day. One day at a time, God will give the manna this miraculous nourishment that God knows I need to make it. And regrettably, this has not cured my anxiety.

      If only it were as easy as knowing that everything is going to be okay. Again, the Israelites of the Exodus, they know God’s power quite well. They know God can handle it. They have walked the seafloor of the Red Sea, and yet they are still anxious enough to find themselves desperately squirreling away some extra jars of manna that turn into worm-filled rot, right? The work that God does in us, that we do with God’s help, happens over the whole course of our journey as we first accept that God’s grace comes on God’s schedule. And this is what a life of faith, of growth in faith looks like as we move from doubt first, Then maybe to gritting our teeth and affirming that God will provide even if we don’t feel it. And eventually, hopefully, losing that deeply human compulsion to bring an extra jar just in case.

      So whatever desert you find yourself walking through this week, whether it’s a hospital room, an empty house, some uncertain future that’s keeping your stomach tied, we can decide to leave that extra jar behind. You don’t have tomorrow’s grace yet. You only have today’s, and that’s all you ever get. So go out and gather what you need for the hours right in front of you and trust that when tomorrow morning breaks, all you need is going to be there again. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.