Dear friends of our Lord Jesus Christ: Tomorrows 7th Sunday after Trinity is under the Watchword from the letter to the Ephesians in the 2nd chapter: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (verse 19 NIV). In various readings this live of God’s people and members of his household is spelt out.

“God provides quail and manna to the Israelites”

This is not utopia, but from real life. Just read Exodus 16,2-3.11-18: In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” …  The LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ ” That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.  When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ” The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. 

+ Taste and see how friendly the Lord our God is +

The Epistle from Acts sounds more ideal, even if the ongoing story also proves that this is not heaven on earth yet. The readings is from the 2nd chapter of Acts: “Those who accepted his message were baptized… They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (2,41a.42-47 NIV)

Take and eat … and 12 baskets of left-overs were gathered!

Finally the gospel is from St. John in the 6th chapter and shows Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, who even in the desert feeds God’s people with heavenly abundance: “Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (1-15 NIV)

The sermon for the day is on St. Paul’s letter to the Phillipians in the 2nd chapter:  “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (verses 1-4 NIV)

The sermon in isiZulu was written by Pastor Frederick Mtshali (Fernie Lutheran Church): wz1237120722 n Tr 7  and this was translated as usual into seTswana by Rev. E.A.W.Weber DD and is available here also: wt2012.7.22 7nT 

A very blessed Sunday to you +