I am aware the following illustration is such a classic that undoubtedly many of you have heard it before.  I believe however it bears repeating but I will make it brief.  There was a man facing an impending flood but trusted God would save him.  The floods came and a State Police Officer came by in a four wheel drive truck to  rescue the man “God will save me” he said then a row boat came “God will save me” finally a helicopter was sent to pluck the man from his roof top but again he refused to leave saying “God will save me.”  The man drowned and so he asked “God why didn’t you save me?”  To which God responded, I sent a truck, and then a boat, and finally a helicopter, what more did you want me to do?”

            I wonder how long it is going to take, or if we will ever be satisfied with what God has given us.  We cry out to God the way the Hebrews did in Egypt saying how long oh Lord, how long?  Have you forgotten about us?  Why do you let us suffer like this?  I know not always but often it is the case in those situations that God has already given us the means we need to get through, to rise above, to endure, or to escape the situation and we simply can not recognize it.  Instead we cry all the louder “How long oh Lord?”  I can’t help but imagine God’s response to us is something like “I sent you a truck, a boat, a helicopter what more did you want?”  Perhaps closer to reality God says “I sent you a savior, myself in human form, I died for you, I was raised for you, I have claimed you by my all sufficient grace and mercy what more do you want?  How long oh people, how long till you recognize the rich blessings I have granted you and you begin to respond in faith and thanksgiving rather than continuing to lament and live in fear? How long oh people?”  

            There is nothing new to this human behavior of complaining to God only to have God help them and have them complain all the more.  One of the classic examples in the Bible is the passage we read a few moments ago from Exodus chapter 16.  The Hebrews had cried a long time asking God to deliver them from the cruel, harsh treatment of the Egyptians.  So God intervenes on their behalf and as I am sure you remember there was that whole Red Sea thing allowing the Hebrews to escape un-harmed and un-impeded.  Now just a little more than a month after God delivered them from

            At this point Moses looks to God and say’s “Um God do something!”  God says to Moses “Relax I am going to do something.”  So Moses says to the people “Your beef is with God, not Aaron and me, you might be angry with us, but your complaint is with God, but don’t worry God has heard your complaints and God is going to feed us with bread in the morning and quail at night.”  That evening quails covered the camp, and the next morning flaky bread covered the ground and the people dropped to their knees and said thank you God for feeding us, we are sorry we ever complained.  No instead they looked at the stuff on the ground, and then at one another, and then at Moses and said what is it; that’s what the word manna means “what is it?”  Now manna is described here and in other parts of the Exodus story as being a sweet, flakey, dew like, fluffy, substance that the people made into cakes.  Near as I can figure God gave them Krispy Kreames and all they could say is “What is it?”   But once they ate one, and keep in mind the rules about gathering these particular Krispy Kreames they were never more than a day old and 6 days out of the week they were fresh; once the people tried one of these hot fresh delectable Krispy Kreams they said oh thank you God for this sweet, sweet whatever it is that one day thousands of years from now people will call Krispy Kreams and will forever be a sign of your goodness to humanity and a foretaste of your heavenly kingdom.  No…no they didn’t say that in fact a little later in the story they turn to Moses and say yet again, “You know Moses we should have stayed in Egypt, we are so tired of eating these stupid Krispy Kreams.”  How long oh people, how long till you come to trust God’s provision, and give thanks for what the Lord has given you to supply your need, but you have overlooked because you are never content and always looking for something else, something more? 

            Friends we live in a culture that has an insatiable appetite for more and more stuff.  We are never satisfied and always want more.  Being good consumers has been so engrained in us that we often use the word need when what we really mean is we want.  I don’t mean to suggest that I am immune to this, I am as guilty as any one else.  So this week when certain major financial institutions went under and the stock market did what it did, I immediately became worried that there wouldn’t be enough to go around.  I was worried and still am that motivated by the sense of scarcity people will hoard and there won’t be enough money for me to get all the stuff I need, all the stuff I want.  I am fearful also that those institutions like Lafayette Urban Ministry, Habitat for Humanity and Bethany Presbyterian Church who depend on the generosity of others might suffer also, and the people we serve the poor and the poor in spirit will suffer even greater because of it.  I began to think, I might not have enough, you know not just for me, but for my family, and perhaps maybe I need to withhold some of my generosity.  So far I have refused that notion because I do not think it is the right answer and I certainly do not think it is what we as Christians are called to do.  Friends I do not wish to make a political statement here, I don’t honestly know whose plan is the best, for turning things around and I don’t know what the future holds in terms of our country’s wealth.  What I do know is this, in the hands of the faithful God can do a lot with a little.  What I do know is that when we like the Hebrews operate out of a mindset of scarcity then our perception is skewed and we loose sight of the blessings God has given us and we say things to God like why haven’t you taken care of us God?  Why haven’t you given us what we need?  And God says I delivered you from Egypt, I gave you water from a rock, I gave you quail and Krispy Kreams, I gave you a Savior what more do you want?  More over I have blessed you richly so that you might be blessed in sharing your abundance with those in need, I have created you in such a way as to live in relationship with one another and I have given you the mandate to care for one another, the privilege of depending not only on me but on each other what more do you want?  You have more than enough already if only you would learn how to use it; how to share it. 

            Scripture is filled with stories about the amazing things God can do through us despite our limitations if only we will allow God.  I was reminded of one such story yesterday.  The story comes from the book of Judges and is about Gideon leading the Israelites to defeat over the Midianites.  You might be interested to know the story begins “Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.  God answered them saying I led you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery; and gave you this land; and I said to you ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not given heed to my voice.”  In other words “How long oh people?”  But in spite of everything God called a man named Gideon to lead the Israelites to defeat the Midianites and Gideon said “How can I deliver

            Friends there is no question that at times the road is rough, at times life can be downright un-bearable and our only recourse is to cry out to God for help, but as we cry out may our vision not be so clouded by our tears that we fail to see the solution God may have already given us.  May we remember the blessings God has given us and share our abundance rather than have our vision and our action distorted by a mindset of scarcity.  We may never be as rich as Bill Gates but we have enough to share with others.  We may never be as saintly as Mother Teresa but we can serve others with the same spirit of love and sacrifice the way Christ has called us.  May we ask ourselves how much is enough, what does it take to be satisfied?  And may we respond by trusting God to meet our needs and being satisfied with what God provides.  Amen.