Beloved Friends in Christ,

Five weeks have gone by, and the snow of which I complained in last month's newsletter is still here. Will it ever go away? Of course, we all know that once the hot summer weather arrives, someone will complain about that too. As the saying goes, "the grass is always greener on the other side".

So it was for the Israelites. Delivered from harsh slavery in Egypt, with food falling from heaven for free, they still complained. Read the passage above if you have not already done so. Of course, their complaint was not about snow; it was about food. But, like my complaint-or dare I say: our complaint-they wanted change.

If only they knew how good they had it! If only they would have praised God for His abundant provision! But then, why should we expect them to be any different than us?

We too have it very good. We too should be praising God for His abundant provision. Day in and day out, we are fed by the Word of God-His Word of mercy and forgiveness falling from heaven for free.

But, "it's always the same", we may say. "Give us some variety", we may complain. But, do you really think that a bit of variety is the answer?

"Yes! I'll take an extra crack of the whip with my cucumbers and melons, and a side of mortar to lug with my onions and garlic." Who would dare suggest such variety as preferable over freedom and life-giving food from heaven above?

And what is it that we should desire that could possibly be better than God's message of forgiveness and eternal life based on the atoning death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord? To be sure, there may be times when one Sunday seems like the one before. But, for that I'll thank God, and, together with Katherine Hankey, I'll say:

In His service,

Pastor Richard A. Frey