For the second Sunday in Creation Time, Rev. Cari jumps to the Hebrew Bible, to the ongoing story of the Exodus. She preaches today on a very timely text, Exodus 16:2-15, which starts with a major “whine-fest” on the part of the people of Israel.

And of course, before she can go any further, Cari just can’t resist noticing how “whiny” she herself, and all of us, seem to be feeling right now as well. She points out that whining is part of the general distraction or work-avoidance that people in all generations use to avoid moving into God’s promised future. She suggests that in fact, the whining is a cover for our true and deep longing for God.

The gift of the Scripture text is that the story doesn’t end with complaining, but with God’s open ear, and open hand to graciously feed the wandering Israelites…

So Cari invites us to gear down, pay attention to where God is offering us unrecognized grace, and get moving with God into that promised future.