Presbyterians really like words. We are people of the book – students of ‘The Word’ – and along the way we have used some high-powered words to describe the majestic complexity of God’s relationship to Creation (and ours to God).

We especially like words which describe God’s freedom to act and God’s generousity – words like Sovereignty and Providence.

(I struggle – still with sovereignty especially – but not in the ways you might imagine. I simply cannot spell it right the first time. Ever. I still remember my field ed supervisor telling me that if I was going to be a Presbyterian, I’d better learn how to spell sovereignty. Sorry Christine – no luck yet.)

These two attributes of God are strangely complimentary – and on display in each of this morning’s readings.

Bread from heaven. We think we understand. It’s one of those strange ‘Old Testament’ miracles – God does what God does in spite of the groaning and complaining from people who can’t decide whether or not they want to be saved in this particular way.

There are odd details in this account that you likely have never considered before. First, that while God ‘tells’ Moses that it will rain bread every day, somehow – by the time Aaron announces the event, there is a meat course included as part of the heavenly buffet. Is this a case of Moses & Aaron pushing God’s buttons, trying for an upgrade? (It worked, for the record – the people gather manna in the morning and quail at twilight. An embarrassment of heavenly riches)

Second – this is not the first time (in a very short time) that the people voice their complaints – against Moses. It is because of this (perhaps) that Moses is moved to remind them (v 8) that while they are yelling at Moses (and Aaron), they are really complaining against God. There is communication breakdown illustrated – how do we connect to this magnificent God while keeping our sanity (and our lives) intact? How far can God be ‘pushed?’ Where might God draw the line before withdrawing favour (or the necessities of life)?

We want the Exodus story to be a miracle – and maybe it is. Large group of people adrift in the desert – wandering, hungry, frustrated and frightened. And (after some complaining and bargaining) God provides. A miracle. But do you remember the rest of the story?

Yes, the manna continues to sustain them for years. But always just enough. No more or less than exactly what was needed for the day (and two day’s worth on Sabbath). NO leftovers. No hoarding for an afternoon snack. Just. Enough.

That’s a strange kind of miracle – that’s weird providence. But it speaks to God’s sovereignty (hence my ‘big word’ theme)

And then, along comes Jesus, who offers – not a miracle to affirm the generousity of God – but a parable. We are spared the argument about whether or not such an event actually happened, since it is presented as a fictional example. And this is either your favourite parable, or your least favourite – it depends, quite frankly, on your social position.

If you are a business owner (or anyone who has ever paid anyone for any work) you are likely appalled at the suggestion of equal pay for inequal work. That is not what we are taught to believe about economic justice. We are told to ‘earn’ our living, and that means our reward (for work) is directly proportional to the amount of work we do. Period. (think about the howling and complaining whenever a guaranteed living wage is discussed in Canada)

But if you are on the other end of capitalism, and have had employers squeeze you for nickels and dimes because you clocked in ten minutes late (or had to stretch lunch to take a child to the dentist) then Jesus’ object lesson sounds like liberation.

This too is a strange kind of miracle – and we don’t always get it.

There is more than a hint of God’s unpredictable, (sovereign) providence in this parable – more than the suggestion that there is always enough to satisfy everyone – and that doing more shouldn’t (necessarily) mean having more.

How often have you been told (or told someone) ‘well, maybe if you work a little harder…’ as if that was the secret to satisfaction. This parable about God’s grace suggest something else.

The parable focusses, not on the rate of production by the workers, but on their shared humanity. Jesus seems to argue that we all have the same basic needs, and that those needs can (and should) be satisfied by something as simple as ‘enough.’

Do these separate (and very different) story’s of grace offer any wisdom for us? Is there anything we can claim from these suggestions of unpredictable (sovereign) providence?

The singular suggestion might be that we cannot be careless about such grace when it is offered. The Israelites’ still had work to do – to gather appropriately and to be mindful, both of their need (and their consumption habits.)

The workers could have played it safe – show up late and count on grace – but even our gut reaction to this parable tells us that such grace is not to be depended upon. Not every opportunity is so grace-filled. Not every employer will play by these Holy rules of justice and equity.

But God’s people claim a willingness to be guided by these seemingly preposterous stories. We acknowledge that God has both the ability AND the willingness to provide enough for everyone – whatever that might look like in the moment.

We proclaim an unpredictable providence – a gracious, generous, and surprising God – whose creation contains the necessities of life; whose Spirit provokes creative approaches to challenging situations; whose Son describes a pathway to life abundant.

The ‘more’ that we think we need is a myth.

God’s ‘enough’ is actually – always - more than enough.