Thursday in the First Week of Lent
Earlier this morning, as I clicked my way through the television channels (on my way to the up-to-the-minute weather forecast), I was detoured for about fifteen minutes.
What caught my attention and delayed my rapid-fire march through the infomercial jungle that is euphemistically called "Paid Programming", was a quintessential TV Evangelist. This person was one of the more prominent faith healer types twenty years ago, but I hadn't seen or heard much of him for some time.
On this morning's broadcast, the evangelist was inviting viewers to "phone in" to receive a piece of "Miracle Manna". I found it just a bit odd that the guy was giving away little squares of what looked like a cross between a graham cracker and a piece of matzo.
According to the Bible, when the Israelites were first fed with manna in the wilderness, the food was supplied by God, and showed up every morning scattered about the ground around the campsite. The Children of Israel called the stuff "manna" because they didn't know at first what it was. (Manna literally means, "What is it?"). And the manna had a very short shelf life. The gathering instructions provided by God included the proviso that only a day's worth of manna could be collected at a time. Hoarding was forbidden. Those who hoarded the stuff in disobedience discovered to their dismay the next morning that the heavenly bread had "produced worms and became foul" (Exodus 16:20). The only time one could over-collect manna was in preparation for Sabbath. Pre-sabbath manna remained fresh and worm-free through sundown on the day of rest.
The biblical narrative describes manna as "a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground" (Exodus 16:14). The Miracle Manna I saw this morning was significantly more substantial in terms of texture...and arrives via USPS in a one of those zippered, plastic bags. The biblical manna was meant to provide sustenance for the day (literally "daily bread"). Miracle Manna was being touted as a "point of contact" whereby one could procure an abundance of blessings -- financial, health, relational, etc. -- if one simply followed the specific Miracle Manna instructions that would be sent along with the product by the evangelist.
When the story of the Exodus is retold in the Psalms, there is this great line about the manna:
"So mortals ate the bread of angels;
he provided for them food enough." (Psalm 78:25)
The manna was meant to increase the Israelites faith in and dependence upon God -- to nourish them for their journey.
Admittedly, the self-styled television prophet invites plenty of sarcasm and cynicism as a result of his blatant gimmickery. But I'm fairly certain that there are plenty of decent, hard-working folks "phoning in" to have this hyped-up hardtack sent to them in hopes that their various distresses will be cured by God.
And this is where I get stuck. The people who will wind up on the evangelist's mailing list for future fund-raising solicitations are people in search of spiritual (and other sorts of) nourishment. They are, indeed, hoping for, praying for miracles. Many of them are probably in some degree of desperation -- stuck in situations beyond their control. It's easy for me to get indignant about the manipulative practices of what appears to be a religious huckster.
But, in his own way, the evangelist stands as an indictment of white-collar religious workers like me. How is it that folks would rather send off their money and their hopes to a guy on the TV instead of talking with their local pastor? The easy answer is to say that the people sending their hard-earned cash for a cracker are being duped and it's their own damned fault.
The more difficult response is to remain open to the possibility there are people in desperate situations all around me (even when they live in beautiful houses, drive spiffy cars and are parents of brilliant children)...to open my eyes to see the things I'd rather not see...to open my ears to hear the things I'd rather not hear...to open my heart to encompass the pain of another...to open my hands in assistance...and to open my wallet in an act of generosity.
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
--Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, page 219
Earlier this morning, as I clicked my way through the television channels (on my way to the up-to-the-minute weather forecast), I was detoured for about fifteen minutes.
What caught my attention and delayed my rapid-fire march through the infomercial jungle that is euphemistically called "Paid Programming", was a quintessential TV Evangelist. This person was one of the more prominent faith healer types twenty years ago, but I hadn't seen or heard much of him for some time.
On this morning's broadcast, the evangelist was inviting viewers to "phone in" to receive a piece of "Miracle Manna". I found it just a bit odd that the guy was giving away little squares of what looked like a cross between a graham cracker and a piece of matzo.
According to the Bible, when the Israelites were first fed with manna in the wilderness, the food was supplied by God, and showed up every morning scattered about the ground around the campsite. The Children of Israel called the stuff "manna" because they didn't know at first what it was. (Manna literally means, "What is it?"). And the manna had a very short shelf life. The gathering instructions provided by God included the proviso that only a day's worth of manna could be collected at a time. Hoarding was forbidden. Those who hoarded the stuff in disobedience discovered to their dismay the next morning that the heavenly bread had "produced worms and became foul" (Exodus 16:20). The only time one could over-collect manna was in preparation for Sabbath. Pre-sabbath manna remained fresh and worm-free through sundown on the day of rest.
The biblical narrative describes manna as "a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground" (Exodus 16:14). The Miracle Manna I saw this morning was significantly more substantial in terms of texture...and arrives via USPS in a one of those zippered, plastic bags. The biblical manna was meant to provide sustenance for the day (literally "daily bread"). Miracle Manna was being touted as a "point of contact" whereby one could procure an abundance of blessings -- financial, health, relational, etc. -- if one simply followed the specific Miracle Manna instructions that would be sent along with the product by the evangelist.
When the story of the Exodus is retold in the Psalms, there is this great line about the manna:
"So mortals ate the bread of angels;
he provided for them food enough." (Psalm 78:25)
The manna was meant to increase the Israelites faith in and dependence upon God -- to nourish them for their journey.
Admittedly, the self-styled television prophet invites plenty of sarcasm and cynicism as a result of his blatant gimmickery. But I'm fairly certain that there are plenty of decent, hard-working folks "phoning in" to have this hyped-up hardtack sent to them in hopes that their various distresses will be cured by God.
And this is where I get stuck. The people who will wind up on the evangelist's mailing list for future fund-raising solicitations are people in search of spiritual (and other sorts of) nourishment. They are, indeed, hoping for, praying for miracles. Many of them are probably in some degree of desperation -- stuck in situations beyond their control. It's easy for me to get indignant about the manipulative practices of what appears to be a religious huckster.
But, in his own way, the evangelist stands as an indictment of white-collar religious workers like me. How is it that folks would rather send off their money and their hopes to a guy on the TV instead of talking with their local pastor? The easy answer is to say that the people sending their hard-earned cash for a cracker are being duped and it's their own damned fault.
The more difficult response is to remain open to the possibility there are people in desperate situations all around me (even when they live in beautiful houses, drive spiffy cars and are parents of brilliant children)...to open my eyes to see the things I'd rather not see...to open my ears to hear the things I'd rather not hear...to open my heart to encompass the pain of another...to open my hands in assistance...and to open my wallet in an act of generosity.
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
--Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, page 219
posted by FrGaryB | 6:02 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home