There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry. — Ed Asner, contemporary actor and activist

This workshop focuses on a story of the Hebrews after their Exodus from slavery in Egypt, during the forty year period when the people wandered in the desert wilderness before entering the Promised Land. The text reports that when the people became anxious because there was no food to eat, God delivered manna from heaven for them to make into bread for their daily use. We can imagine that the story was repeated and grew as generations retold the story of the wilderness journey, and how God delivered the food necessary for the Hebrew people to survive in a barren place. The story dwells on the idea that each person was provided with what food was needed to live, and nothing more.

Workshop participants consider how they might feel under those circumstances and ponder why this story continued to be told for centuries, until it was finally written down. Participants live into the story by remembering their own times of hunger (and complaining about being hungry!) They will touch and work with the basic ingredients of pita bread, which is similar to the bread the Hebrews lamented leaving behind in Egypt and examine coriander seed, which the Bible says is similar in appearance to manna.

This workshop continues a pattern of activities that frame all of the workshops in this program. Congregations may wish to establish their own patterns for this series of workshops, perhaps arranging for refreshments or a meal to precede or follow each workshop. Before leading this workshop, review the Accessibility Guidelines for Workshop Presenters found in the program Introduction and make any accommodations necessary for your group.

Goals

This workshop will:

• Present the story of God providing the Hebrews with manna to eat while they were in the wilderness
• Engage participants with the experience of the Hebrews by remembering their own experiences of hunger and complaint and by exploring the process of making bread from grain
• Invite participants to reflect on the reason for inclusion of the story in the Hebrew scriptures.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Gain knowledge and understanding of the story of God providing manna to the Hebrews in the wilderness
• Experience the process of making bread from grain
• Consider what wisdom this story held for the wilderness Hebrews and for the scribes of David's court who wrote it down 500 years later, and what wisdom it holds for contemporary Unitarian Universalists
• Experience connection with people of all ages and be enriched by variety of different perspectives offered.