Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Exodus 16:22
Click above for larger graphic • Image • Index of Scripture graphics and posts
Click for audio of today's lesson.
From the Word: And it happened that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses. (Exodus 16:22)
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism, Daily Prayers
Table Grace
Children and the rest of the household should go to the table with folded hands and reverently say: “The eyes of all look to you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing” (from Psalm 145:15–16).
(Note that to satisfy desire means that all living things receive enough to eat that they are joyful and happy. Anxiety and greed hinder such satisfaction.)
Then the Lord’s Prayer should be prayed, and following it, this prayer:
Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless us and these Thy gifts, which we take from Thy bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Pulling It Together: There are many lessons to be learned in this one verse. Let us learn one: that we may depend upon God for our daily bread, just as that wilderness congregation could. The whole world lives in a different sort of wilderness today. Ours does not wander; it is stuck at home. Ours is not a large congregation, but individuals and family units isolated from larger family, neighbor, church, and even work. Our wilderness trial looks different but the lesson remains the same. So, let the Christian hear. There is no reason to hoard. God still provides in the wilderness.
Prayer: I depend upon you, Lord, faithful to open your hand of bounty even in times such as these. Amen.
Receive these daily Sola Devotions by email. Write mryman@solapublishing.com with "Subscribe" as your subject. To unsubscribe, send an email to the same address with "Unsubscribe" as your subject.
It's time to get ready for Vacation Bible School—even if we are social-distancing. It will be here before you know it. So, consider Sola's VBS series. Here's one of those:
Mary, Martha & Many Faithful Women is a five-session VBS book designed especially for small churches, house churches, and mission congregations with a limited budget or in situations where the ages and number of students may vary from session to session. This resource includes worksheets and handouts that may be reproduced, Resources and ideas are provided for gathering time, music, activities, games, and refreshments — allowing just a few adult leaders to host a week of Vacation Bible School.
The price of Sola's VBS books includes permission to reproduce the worksheets and handouts for local use. For smaller churches in a "one-room schoolhouse" setting, only one book is necessary. For churches with multiple grade levels and individual classes, we suggest that each teacher have a copy of the curriculum book.
Author
Rev. Mark E. Ryman serves as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. Previously, Pastor Ryman has served other congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
Click Here For Content Archives