It is good to be back! As you may know Kim and I just returned from watching our Grandkids for a week while their parents where on a vacation. I thought I was tired when I left! WOW. I remember now why people have kids when they are young! Thank God, Nana is so young. Actually, we did get some rest, play and relaxation. And it was very good to see our kids and grandkids. But very tiring in a very good and healthy way.
As you can imagine Jesus got tired too. We must be honest and admit that most of Christianity has focused very little on what Jesus himself taught and spent most of his time doing: healing people, doing acts of justice and inclusion, embodying compassionate and nonviolent ways of living.[1] In today’s lesson, Jesus is very popular, people wanted to see him to watch him, and he was under constant stress and needed to rest. Many times, in the gospels Jesus goes off alone to pray and to recharge his batteries. Do you all realize that “It takes courage to say YES to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.”[2] But I digress.
Jesus would also get the disciples alone so that he could teach them to have a deeper understanding about himself. Jesus and the disciples are trying to get away from this crowd of follows who have been watching with amazement the things that Jesus did. They set sail across the sea, but their course of direction could easily be seen and there was a way to walk around the lake, the Sea of Galilee, from Capernaum and catch up to Jesus and the disciples. Obviously, it took longer than sailing directly across. Jesus had some time with the disciples. It was close to the time of the Jewish Feast of the Passover so there would have been other pilgrims on the road. Others might have joined the group chasing Jesus to help explain the huge size of the crowd – 5,000. And the crowd quickly caught up to them.
This miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels – his feeding of the five thousand. For John, this is not just a miracle of Jesus but rather demonstrates that Jesus is the bread of life, it points to the signs that Jesus is the only one who can give life to the world.[3] Trusting in the fact that God through Jesus will provide.
After the crowd does catch up to them, what is the first thing that Jesus is concerned about? The well-being of the crowd. Feeding - food for the crowd! They have just walked a long way to be with Jesus. John is the only Gospel that suggests that Jesus was testing Phillip when he asks him where we can get bread. Phillip was from that area. Six months wages were not enough to buy food for such a large crowd, even if everyone only got a little bit. But Andrew brings something to Jesus that he can work with from a kid - five loafs of bread and two fish.
If I might paraphrase what some unknown writer penned a few years back: “A basketball in my hands is worth about $50. A basketball in LeBron James’ hands is worth about $100 million. It depends whose hands it’s in. A baseball in my hands is worth about $10. A baseball in former New York Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s hands is worth $30 million. It depends whose hands it’s in. A golf club might be worth $50 in my hands. In Phil Michelson’s hands it’s worth 100s of millions. It depends whose hands it’s in. A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea. It depends whose hands it’s in. A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy. A sling shot in David’s hand is a mighty weapon. It depends whose hands it’s in. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God’s hands will feed thousands. It depends whose hands it’s in.”[4]
At our Vestry Meeting last Thursday we participated in an adapted African Bible Study Method. It is a method of determining what this scripture lesson is teaching us. One person reads today’s gospel lesson the first time and I asked everyone to select a word that struck them. Some of the Vestry responses were
· sat,
· sign,
· sick,
· withdrew,
· mountain,
· storm,
· afraid,
· walking,
· crowd,
· and prophet.
Then another person read this same scripture lesson a second time and I asked what phrase struck them. Some of the vestry responses were:
· make the people sit down,
· Jesus had not yet come to them,
· He (Jesus) said this to test him for he himself knew what he was going to do,
· he (Jesus) withdrew again to the mountain by himself,
· Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost,
· They kept following him
· The sea became rough …. they saw Jesus walking on the sea….and they were terrified.
· “it is I do not be afraid.”
· “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
We read the same scripture a third time and I asked what this scripture is saying to you. Some of the Vestry responses were:
· Don’t underestimate the power of the God I follow.
· Trust in God,
· Jesus brings you to where you are supposed to be,
· Jesus was a leader and was followed and the crowd was fed, Jesus retreated when they wanted to make him a King
· The Crowds were interested in following him by the signs that he was healing the sick, but the crowd was not sick, once they were there with Jesus, they needed healing, they needed to be fed. We need to be fed too.
· The kid with a lunch is all powerful - making the difference - hey Jesus can have my lunch, Jesus needed help.
· We all get tested through our life, with sickness and struggles, we know God is going to provide and we should not be afraid.
· Have faith that God will provide
· A time of miracles --- can we believe in it? This is the challenge of our faith – how are we going to feed everyone,
· Trust in God always and do not be afraid to follow where God is leading us,
· Jesus did not do this alone, he leads the disciples, he had to have help
· there is room for you at this table,
· there is enough for everyone, Jesus out of grace will provide,
· and trust in God always.
A STORY
After a few days of very heavy rains, a town started to flood. The waters rose and people began to evacuate. As the water reached the porch of a man’s house, a family in a boat came by and told him to get in. He replied, “no, I have faith that God will save me.” So, they moved on and he prayed and asked God to save him. The water rose more, and another boat came by and asked him to get in. “No,” he said, “God will save me.” And he continued to pray for God to save him. Finally, the water rose so high that he was forced to climb onto his roof. As he was sitting there praying, a helicopter flew by, lowered a ladder, and tried to rescue him. But he yelled back, “No, no! I have faith that God will save me!”
Eventually the water rose so high that he was washed away and drowned. As he entered heaven, he approached God and said, “Lord, I had ultimate faith that you would save me. I prayed and prayed and never doubted. What happened?”
And God said, “I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what else did you want?[5]
We put on our currency “In God we Trust.” But how do we do that? REALLY? We have to acknowledge our identity – our worth. Who we are and whose we are. What is your worth? How do you measure worth? I believe that you and I have to acknowledge that we are Children of God.
I know many of you will find this hard to believe, but I was a smart Alec in my younger days. And as a Preacher’s Kid, I would introduce myself to people as Jim Said, Child of God, inheritor of the Kingdom. Funny thing is now I am serious. In baptism, we are adopted as Children of God and inheritors of the Kingdom.
Scripture tells us:
In Galatians 3:26 – “for in Christ Jesus you are all Children of God through faith.”
In 2 Corinthians 6:18 – “and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
And in Romans 8:14 – “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
The Theologian, Howard Thurman said, “The awareness of being a child of God tends to stabilize the ego and results in a new courage, fearlessness, and power. I have seen it happen again and again.[6]
Let me say that again, “The awareness of being a child of God tends to stabilize the ego and results in a new courage, fearlessness, and power.” SO, Welcome to the family! AMEN.
References: [1] Richard Rohr [2] Brené Brown, Summer Sister Series the Gifts of Imperfection. [3] Blakley, J. Ted. A Lector’s Commentary, p 321. [4] John 6:1-15 | The Sign For Home | Sermon and Worship Resources (sermons.com) Accessed July 24, 2021. (Christian Globe Illustrations Author unknown). [5] Markham, Ian S. & Samantha R.E. Gottlich, Lectionary Levity, the Use of Humor in Preaching, p153. [6] Howard Washington Thurman was an American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements and organizations of the twentieth century. Thurman's theology of radical nonviolence influenced and shaped a generation of civil rights activists, and he was a key mentor to leaders within the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King Jr.
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