Monday Manna: What The Storm Left Behind
- T.J. Lucas
- Jun 8
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 9
By: Reverend T.J. Lucas
This past Saturday, the storms that tore through Scottdale left their mark on our borough and on our church. Trees were uprooted, powerlines came down, and nearly half of the borough lost power. Our mayor declared a disaster emergency and neighbors have been rallying together to clean up our community. Here at The Reformed Church, the storm broke a stained glass window at the highest point in the front of our historic building--a piece of this church's long story, now changed by one afternoon of wind.
We did not gather this past Sunday but the sermon is uploaded as I preached from the pulpits of my student pastor's congregataions in Darlington and Latrobe this past weekend while she was away for a conference. Please check out our FB page for that message in full but I will still summarize it some here as part of our Monday Manna spiritual practice.
This past Sunday's texts were full of people who waited a long time and weathered many storms in order to see the promises of God in their lives.
Abram (later known as Abraham) left everything familiar at God's call--not knowing the road adhead of him, only the next step. The woman in Matthew had been bleeding for twelve years rendering her life one of shame and suffering as she would have been seen as unclean and spiritually disconnected from God while being publically ostracized from community. Both stories are about people who kept on returning to God and moving forward when every circumstance told them to give up.
Paul props this up in Romans as a theology of hope--hoping against hope, Abram believed. Abram and the bleeding woman refused to let what they could see define what God could do.
Then Jesus gives us the framework for how we weather the storms of life to get to the brighter days ahead in Matthew 7:7 he says, "Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Yet, the greek word and form used (aiteo in present imperative for my Greek scholars), will not let us treat prayer as a single event. This isn't like the buy now button on the amazon cart. This is more like adding to the cart then waiting a couple weeks and reviewing the order to ensure your purchases aren't an impulse. It is about assessing the orientation of our hearts actively with God. The word I'm referring to actually translates better as keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking because prayer is not a transaction. Prayer is a posture. And because God is not a genie. God is a loving parent who wants to transform us into who we are truly called to be and become.
One of my favorite theologians, James K.A. Smith notes in his book You are what you love, "God meets us where we are, as creatures of habit who are shaped by practices, and invites us into a community of practice that is the very body of his Son. Liturgy is the way we learn to 'put on' Christ." In other words, the practices I lead you all in throughout the worship service, with Monday Manna and Dwelling in the Word, with how we do communion and feed our neighbors, among other things is all intentional to give you opportunities to cultivate habits that shape you with intention even if you don't see how it is forming you in the moment. So again, I invite you to our Dwelling in the Word practice so you can prepare your heart for next week's message and worship, so you can connect with God, and so you can have a solid foundation to stand upon to weather whatever storms of life come your way.
Persistent prayer and dwelling in the Word of God are both a return to that closed door so we can knock again and again, ask again and again, seek more and more. Every return to God, even in the face of no (remember the woman had 12 years of no before boldly reaching for healing from Christ) or in the heartbreak of broken things of our life much more precious than windows, reorders what we love, refines what we want, and slowly makes us capable of receiving what God actually has for us. Praying without ceasing isn't about waiting for God to grant our every wish because then we would just want his stuff. It is about returning to God over and over until what we want is not what God gives but the Giver.
The storm broke a window but left behind an opportunity to rebuild in the way of Christ better than we were before the storm passed through. We will commission a new window and I envision it will say, "Love First" on it overlooking the community we serve. We have faith in Scottdale! Praise be to God for all the storms of life for in God's love we shall overcome.
The Four Movements of Lectio Divina AKA Dwelling in the Word
Taking time to slow down and simply dwell in the Word is one of the most life-giving rhythms we can cultivate. In a world that constantly demands we read for information or efficiency, this spiritual practice invites us to read for intimacy and transformation. It is about letting the text master us, rather than us trying to master the text.
Here is a simple, four-step guide to help you sit with the Scriptures, followed by brief, clear summaries of the passages you’ve selected to guide your reflection.
Before you begin, find a quiet space, take a few deep breaths, and invite the Holy Spirit to speak.
1. Lectio (Read): Read the passage slowly, gently, and preferably aloud. Don't rush to finish. Just listen for a single word, phrase, or image that seems to shimmer or catch your attention.
2. Meditatio (Reflect): Read the passage a second time. Take that specific word or phrase and chew on it. Why did the Spirit highlight this for you today? How does it intersect with your current joys, burdens, or questions?
3. Oratio (Respond): Read the passage a third time. Now, turn your reflections into an honest prayer. Talk to God as you would a trusted friend—pour out your gratitude, your doubts, your requests, or your repentance based on what the text stirred up.
4. Contemplatio (Rest): Read the passage one final time. Release all your thoughts and simply rest silently in God’s presence, letting His love wash over you like a deep exhale.
Scripture Summaries for Reflection This Week
Use these one line summaries of the text to pick which scripture you will dwell in each day of this week. I have found staying in one scripture for a longer period of time can draw out more than bouncing between several. These are from the Revised Common Lectionary. You can read them in full all together here.
Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) God visits an elderly Abraham and Sarah with the wild promise that they’re going to have a baby, and even though Sarah laughs out of disbelief, she eventually gives birth to their son, Isaac.
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 The writer pours out their heart in thanks to God for listening to their prayers and helping them through tough times, promising to show their appreciation publicly.
Exodus 19:2-8a At Mount Sinai, God offers the Israelites a special covenant, telling them they will be a treasured, holy nation if they follow God's lead, and the people enthusiastically sign on.
Psalm 100 A high-energy song of praise urging everyone on Earth to serve God happily and walk into worship with a thankful heart, remembering that God is good and always faithful.
Romans 5:1-8 Paul talks about the deep peace that comes with faith, highlighting the ultimate proof of God’s love: that Christ died for us when we were at our worst, not our best.
Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23) Seeing how exhausted and lost the crowds are, Jesus calls his twelve closest followers together, gives them the power to heal, and sends them out to help people while warning them that the road ahead won't be easy.
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