Gidday and welcome to Parklands
This time the video of the service comes as one video. We met before the service for a hot drink on Zoom (each in our own houses/bubbles) and at the end of the video we broke up into Zoom groups to further catch up and to offer the chance for people to pray together.
Some links to songs you might want to sing along to.
This weeks Daily Reading from Exodus
| God provides | Week 3 | Exodus 16:1-26 |
| Monday 4th May | Exodus 15:22–27 | |
| Tuesday 5th May | Exodus 16:1–36 | |
| Wednesday 6th May | Exodus 17:1–7 | |
| Thursday 7th May | Exodus 17:8–16 | |
| Friday 8th May | Exodus 18:1–12 | |
| Saturday 9th May | Exodus 18:13–27 |
Small Group/Life group/Bubble Discussion notes
Enough ?
Start by reading Exodus 16:1-25 out loud.
Ice Breaker :
What kinds of things make you grumble ? Who do you normally grumble to ? What is there our current lockdown that makes you grumble ? Does it help ?
Who do the people grumble to ? Moses ? Aaron ? God ? (16:2-3)
Have you ever heard of ‘negative bias’ ? What do you think it is ? Do you think you might have it ?
What is Moses’ response ? What is God’s response (16:10-16)
In the Story :
The Grinches world view is that there isn’t enough to go around . Do you agree ?
What do you think of the other two statements ? “I have to get my share” and “I’d like to have some or all of your share”. In what ways do you think this is like our current world ? Who is trying to get your share ? Who doesn’t get a share at all ?
The exodus story highlights that God will provide. There will be enough. In exodus 16:16 God asks people to gather enough. In exodus 16:17 it’s noted that “the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”. What do you think it would be like to be either of them ?
In Exodus 16:19-20 Moses asks people not to store any overnight, people do and it goes rotten. What might they learn.
Then the sabbath story tells of gathering twice as much and it not going rotten on the day before the sabbath. If this was you, what would this make you think ?
Throughout the story – there is enough for the people. Brueggemann says “The God of abundance continues to provide more than enough – where it is justly and rightly distributed”. He goes on to say “Scarcity is Fake News“. What do you think ? What do you believe ? How do you live.
I suspect all of us struggle to believe this, because our world is so strongly biased towards the grinches belief system. I certainly do. We are all rightly nervous of the economic implications of Covid-19. Does that mean there isn’t enough to go around ? Does God continue to provide ? Is there enough to go around.
If there is enough to go around ? How can we justly and rightly distribute it ? Should we consider giving money to food banks ? What other organisations could we give to ? Where might we be wise to seek to have less? Could you sponsor a kid ? Contribute to world vision / Tear fund / Tranzsend ?
Paul said “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal 5:14)
Who are our neighbours ? What do you have that they might need ?
John Wesley used to say “Earn all you can, Save all you can, Give away all you can” ? He showed that distinctly Christian trust that God would provide enough, not just for himself, but for others.
“The God of abundance continues to provide more than enough – where it is justly and rightly distributed”. – Walter Brueggemann.
Let’s be part of that right and just distribution and let’s seek to notice how God provides.
P.S. Send your count of Siobhan the sheep by email to Colin and he’ll let you know if he thinks you are right !