Manna from Heaven
Dear Friends,
For the past few weeks, we have been hearing the stories from Exodus about the liberation of the people of Israel from the land of Egypt. Last week, we were told how, as the Israelites fled from Pharaoh's armies, the Red Sea parted so they could make their escape to the other side. (Whenever I hear that story, I can’t help but imagine Cecil B. DeMille’s dramatic rendition).
Today, we come to the next part of the story. The people of Israel, now free from bondage and the danger of Pharaoh's armies, find themselves wandering in the wilderness. And now, reality kicks in. They may be free, but it isn’t what it is cracked up to be. It’s hot, it’s tough, and there is no food or water in sight. It doesn’t take long for them to start grumbling at Moses, and even looking back at their lives of labor in Egypt with rose-colored glasses. “At least we had our fleshpots and bread to eat!” they complain, “Have you taken us into the wilderness to kill us?"
Rather than get frustrated with the people, God tells Moses that bread will rain from heaven every day-- manna -- just enough for each day. Don’t try to hoard it or save it, God tells them, because it will get rotten if you do. In other words, you’ll have to trust in God’s daily provision.
I’ve always wondered, what did it look like and taste like, this manna from heaven? Artists have depicted everything from flat wafers to doughy pellets. They have shown the manna falling like a rain shower, a quiet snowfall, or a wild thunderstorm.
I recently learned that in 2013, artists Han Zhang and Helen Yung interpreted the story of this heavenly food using paper and calligraphy. "Like Manna from Heaven" was created at the Culture of Cities Centre in Toronto. Inspired by a Chinese expression that literally translates "pie from the sky" and means "free and delicious food falling from heaven," the artists calligraphed poems about food on rice paper. The paper was then cut to create three-dimensional forms reminiscent of baskets, nets, and other containers. These forms were suspended so that they might, indeed, fall from heaven. If you are interested in what it looks visit https://helenyung.com/portfolio/future-food-salon/.
In the exhibit, viewers were invited to become creators by writing or drawing their own idea of "manna" on rice paper. They then attached their contributions in, among, and through the artist-created pieces of the installation.
As I imagined this exhibit, I found myself asking, “what is my idea of manna?” What would “free and delicious food falling from heaven” be, for me? How about you? And then, how would our lives change if we could trust, as the people of Israel had to trust, that our daily ration would be enough? That we could thrive on the simple things that God provides? The Hebrew word "manna" means “what is it?” What it is, of course, is enough. Enough strength, enough courage, enough hope, enough sense of direction. Barely enough, some days, but enough.
In Christ,
Amelie
