If you were here last Sunday, you heard me say that faith does not simply mean “thinking” about Jesus in the right way. It’s more than that. Today the reading from James points out that faith is not simply “hearing” about Jesus either. Faith comes through hearing, as Paul says in Romans, but just hearing about Jesus does not mean that you suddenly have faith. Faith involves every part of you, you mind, your heart, your ears, your hands and your feet. Yes, we can agree with James that faith without works is surely a dead faith.
But this does not mean that good works create a “living faith” either. That’s the common misunderstanding surrounding these verses of James. In fact, this has been one of the greatest misunderstandings by Christians and non-Christians alike. So much so that it’s made a overweight and manic depressive monk like Martin Luther into a hero of the church just because he pointed it out: We are made righteous by faith alone, not by works prescribed by the law. Why faith alone? Because faith involves everything of course! It’s our natural human tendency to trust in what we do (alone), our good works all by themselves—that’s the great temptation. Trusting in faith alone doesn’t mean there are no good works that will show up, a good tree will produce good fruit Jesus says, faith means we don’t have to measure our salvation by the bushel basket of good that we accomplish in life. Salvation is a free gift given to you by Jesus Christ effective by faith.
There is a story about a old Lutheran pastor who was dying and declared boastfully that he could not remember one good work that he had done. Of course, we wonder what James would say about that! “But faith without works is dead!” he might say. “Don’t’ just be hearers of the word but doers of the word! “ he might say. But imagine this wasn’t simply a story about some old Lutheran pastor but it was the story of one of your beloved family members or friend. And on THEIR death bed they happily told you that they could not remember one good work that they had done. What would you think? “What about all the diapers you changed? What about the fact that you took care of your ailing wife for years who was fighting cancer? What about the money you gave to charities? What do you mean you didn’t do any good works?”
The question is not whether a person has done any good works, but what are they trusting in? What are you trusting in? Your works or the work of God? The greatest gift from God for any person is that, on their dying day, they forget everything they have ever done, good or bad, and just trust in God’s grace. Because when you or I are lying in our graves, we will be trusting in God’s mercy to bring us out--there will be nothing left for us to trust in but that.
But what do we do before our dying day when we are trying to do what is right and keep from doing what is wrong? We know that good works do not create a living faith, but we also know that sin threatens our relationship to God. Jesus never encourages sinning just because you might get away with it. This is a part of the Christian life that we tend to turn away from, intentionally or not. We’ve heard about God’s Law, we’ve thought about it, but while we trust God to love us, we have little faith in the usefulness of God’s commandments for our lives.
Like most everyone, you probably enjoy hearing that Jesus loves you, but this love is even more radical than you might imagine. He not only loves you, but he saves you. From what you may ask? Well, from yourself. Jesus called to the crowd, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” This is a list of things that can hurt you and hurt others.
In today’s gospel story, the Pharisees were asking Jesus why it was that he and his disciples were eating without washing their hands because handwashing was an important Jewish tradition. It differentiated the Jews from the rest of the culture just as the types of food they ate and their ways of treating one another made them distinct. They followed these traditions not because they were just trying to be “religious”, but because God called them to be holy and set apart from the rest of the culture. Jesus makes the point that HIS followers aren’t going to be known for what they eat or do not eat, by what they wear or do not wear, by washing their hands or not. They will be known by their behaviors and, most importantly, by things that are hidden from view, the integrity of their hearts before God. Not what goes in, but what is coming out.
Do you remember any of the list of sins I read? Do you remember even one? There were twelve. And it’s not a comprehensive list. Some would argue that Jesus is simply pointing out our need for salvation, and they are of course correct, but we’ve all gotten into a bad habit of calling ourselves “sinners” and after looking in the mirror, and seeing all of our faults, forgetting them immediately and never even attempting to correct them. Refraining from any particular sin will not save you, but a living faith involves all that you have, including caring enough about yourself and your neighbor to look in the mirror and attempt to make a change. Was there a sin on that list that you would see in the mirror? Will you forget about it after the service or not? Do you care enough to make a change.
Of course, finally we all break all the rules somehow. I hope that you haven’t slept with another person other than your spouse, but Jesus points out that if you’ve ever thought about doing it, you have committed adultery in your heart already. Jesus raises the bar to point out your need for a Savior, but he still intends for you to reform what you’re doing for the sake of protecting and loving others.
But why should we focus so much on sins? Why should we ever talk about sins? Shouldn’t everybody be able to do whatever they feel is right in their heart? If this was a discussion of the constitution then that argument might work, but God’s laws are not about “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It’s a different kind of life, eternal life, liberation from sin that God is interested in.
This short list of 12 sins, are mentioned because Jesus wants to give you faith. When you realize that, at least in your heart and mind, you’ve done everything wrong, I pray that you see your need for salvation. However, don’t forget that these laws are not just there to push you toward a Savior. These rules are also used for another reason, namely, to protect yourself and others. Perhaps your own self-control will only work 85% percent of the time, but isn’t other peoples’ happiness worth the effort? The law isn’t just there to point us to Christ, it is also there for our own health and protection. Don’t just be hearers of the word, don’t just listen to this list of sins and think, “Oh well, can’t be perfect, that sin ain’t so bad, others are worse, I’m only human, what the point in trying.” Instead, be doers of the word and follow the law as best you can, not for your salvation, but for the sake of others. God’s law is written to be heard AND obeyed.
In the tenth chapter of John’s gospel, a woman is caught in the very act of adultery. Jesus points out that, if anyone in the crowd has no sin, they are free to throw the first stone. When they all leave Jesus tells the woman that he does not condemn her either BUT she is to go and SIN NO MORE. What was Jesus talking about, do you think? He wanted her to stop committing adultery, of course! Baptism, forgiveness, God’s love doesn’t give you the right to sin against God’s laws without repenting. Yes, we are all in the same boat, we are sinners, but each of us needs to be aware of the particular sins we struggle with the most and try to keep from doing them, again, not for our salvation, but to love ourselves, our families, our friends and even those people we have not and will not ever meet.
Finally, though, I have to thank James for making the point that Jesus is more than simply another lawgiver. In Jesus, is also freedom from the law of sin and death. Even as you and I work on hindering our favorite sins, we are free to go forth and be doers of the word and not just hearers. Jesus, heard the word from his Father and then DID that word to people. We are called not just to hear the words of judgment and forgiveness, but to give those words of judgment and forgiveness to others as well so that they might realize their sins and recognize their salvation in Jesus Christ.
Do not simply be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. Have you heard one of your favorite sins listed out loud this morning? In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. God’s Judgment and God’s forgiveness have been done to you. Now, ou are free to go and do the word of God to someone else who needs to hear it. Amen.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sermon for August 23rd
In my household we have a rule for our family at meals. “You have to at least TRY everything.” Beyond that, if we’ve had a kind of food before, we expect everyone to eat the food they’ve been given whether it’s brownies, brusselsprouts or beets. I like these rules, they are a good idea, I think everyone should have these rules—that is, unless I have to eat beets. I don’t like to eat beets. It’s one thing to make grand talks about eating everything, but it’s quite another to eat beets. To actually have to gulp them down myself past a sensitive gag reflex.
When it comes to your faith in Jesus Christ, what do you gag on? How big of a bite are you willing to take? Does it make you queasy just thinking about swallowing particular theological arguments? Perhaps you nibble at the smorgasbord of faith, but you are not willing to pay for the whole buffet, or swallow anything in its entirety.
During the siege of Leningrad, the city elders had a difficult decision to make. The Nazi’s had cut off most supply routes to the city. The few remaining truck routes across the frozen lake were bombed daily. It became clear that there was only one-third enough wheat to get them through the winter. Should they feed only a third of the people? What choice did they have? They decided to mix their bread with one third wheat, one third saw dust and one third manure. That winter tens of thousands of children went to bed every night starving to death on a full stomach. What have you added to Jesus to make him more palatable? Or is he just the little pinch of spice that you have added to your other belief systems. In order to “fit in” with the society. To fit in with your family or with your spouse. What if you were asked to swallow Jesus, and all of his teachings, whole? Or have you become so accustomed to the manure that you’re not sure you’d like the real deal?
Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” “To eat” is another way of saying “to believe”, but it gets to the point doesn’t it? When you think about believing in Jesus it’s easy to just THINK about it. To think about how nice being a Christian is. To think about how you should read your Bible more. To think about it. Just like you watch the latest movie about refugees and THINK about helping them or hear your wife doing the dishes and THINK about helping her. Thinking is easy, eating demands more commitment. An idea, you can take or leave, but once you’ve swallowed something, it’s tough to get the taste out of your mouth, it’s even tougher to get the crumbs out of your stomach.
“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Believing in Jesus is about more than your mind—it’s about more than thinking. Thinking is important. There are many Christians who don’t like to think and that is a problem, but many of us have a different problem—it’s not that we think too much, but we think about Jesus and that’s about it. We don’t want to commit any more than that. But believing in Jesus demands your mind, your mouth, your heart, your stomach, your hands, your feet, your life, your all. When you eat something it becomes a part of you right down to the cellular level. When you not only believe in Jesus, but when you eat Jesus, faith becomes a part of you as well, a part of your life that you can’t separate yourself from.
Here’s a story I read recently from a magazine called Voice of the Martyrs, “Dora and her husband, Ferley, gathered their children together for family devotions night. Dora and Ferley were teachers in Santana Ramos, a farming village deep in the Colombian jungle about five hours away from the nearest town. Night had fallen, dinner was finished and Marcella, their oldest daughter had done her schoolwork and was ready for devotions. For the most part, it was routine, but Marcella saw small tears forming in her mother’s eyes. And when her stepfather began to cry, the 12-year old knew something was wrong. After the family’s devotions, Dora looked at her oldest daughter and said, “Mommy may be going to sleep tomorrow for a long time.”
“Marxist guerrillas and the Colombian government were terrorizing the farming village Dora taught in. “Christians are dangerous,” the guerrillas repeatedly said. “Christians cannot lie. If the army asks them about us, they will tell the truth!” On Monday morning, Nov. 17th, 2008, Dora began her day like any other school day—praying with the students. During the day, a neighbor came to see the young teacher, “I’m sorry Dora,” he told her, “but the guerrillas will kill your brother tomorrow.” Later in the day, the neighbor returned. “I am so sorry,” he told her, “I have made a mistake. It is not your brother who will be killed . . . but it is you and your husband. You can take your family and run,” he said, “You can leave this village right now.” Dora reassured the guerrilla messenger, “You do not have to worry,” she said. This is better. My brother was not ready to meet the Lord. But my husband and I are.”
The next morning they began the day like any other. Around 10 am two armed guerrillas, ushered the couple to the back of the schoolhouse to say goodbye to their family. The 12-year old, Marcella cried as the armed men walked her parents across a field to a river just 300 yards away from the school. Marcella could not see her parents, but she remembers hearing the two shots as her parents were executed. “If I met the men who did this I would forgive them,” Marcella said months are her parents had died. I know this would be hard, but I know God forgives them. So I have to as well.” Dora and her daughter didn’t just believe in Jesus, did they? Their faith in Jesus was something they could not separate themselves from, their faith was more than an idea. They had eaten Jesus.
Faith is wider, stronger and deeper than just a thought. It is more than an idea. It involves all that you’ve got. It’s love, passion, and even hunger. Jesus knows what kind of people we are, the kind that nibble on things just in case we don’t like the taste and want to spit it out. But when it comes to Jesus, he wants you to swallow him whole so that he might make you whole.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you volunteer to prepare and dish out meals at the soup kitchen. We all KNOW that feeding hungry people is important. We all UNDERSTAND that Jesus tells us to do this. We believe all this right? But when you find yourself in front of fifty or sixty people coming for a meal and when your hands get sweaty from the heat in the kitchen under your plastic gloves, you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your life has been swallowed up in Christ’s victory over the suffering in this world.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you pray with people. We KNOW that we are supposed to pray. We all UNDERSTAND that there is a power to prayer. We believe this, right? But when a friend tells you her family struggles and you find yourself with your arm on her shoulder carrying her hopes and fears right into God’s ears you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your hopes have been swallowed in the promise of God’s victory.
When Jesus talked about faith, he was talking about more than thinking the right way about things or doing good things for people. Faith is about all of that and so much more. How would you describe your faith? Do you believe in Jesus or have you eaten him? I’d like to end today with one of Martin Luther’s most famous quotes about what faith in Jesus, the bread of life, truly is, “Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God. It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. Whoever doesn't do such works is without faith; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn't know what faith or good works are.”
“Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.”
Faith is more than thinking, it’s eating. Faith is not your work before God, but God’s work in every part of you.
When it comes to your faith in Jesus Christ, what do you gag on? How big of a bite are you willing to take? Does it make you queasy just thinking about swallowing particular theological arguments? Perhaps you nibble at the smorgasbord of faith, but you are not willing to pay for the whole buffet, or swallow anything in its entirety.
During the siege of Leningrad, the city elders had a difficult decision to make. The Nazi’s had cut off most supply routes to the city. The few remaining truck routes across the frozen lake were bombed daily. It became clear that there was only one-third enough wheat to get them through the winter. Should they feed only a third of the people? What choice did they have? They decided to mix their bread with one third wheat, one third saw dust and one third manure. That winter tens of thousands of children went to bed every night starving to death on a full stomach. What have you added to Jesus to make him more palatable? Or is he just the little pinch of spice that you have added to your other belief systems. In order to “fit in” with the society. To fit in with your family or with your spouse. What if you were asked to swallow Jesus, and all of his teachings, whole? Or have you become so accustomed to the manure that you’re not sure you’d like the real deal?
Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” “To eat” is another way of saying “to believe”, but it gets to the point doesn’t it? When you think about believing in Jesus it’s easy to just THINK about it. To think about how nice being a Christian is. To think about how you should read your Bible more. To think about it. Just like you watch the latest movie about refugees and THINK about helping them or hear your wife doing the dishes and THINK about helping her. Thinking is easy, eating demands more commitment. An idea, you can take or leave, but once you’ve swallowed something, it’s tough to get the taste out of your mouth, it’s even tougher to get the crumbs out of your stomach.
“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Believing in Jesus is about more than your mind—it’s about more than thinking. Thinking is important. There are many Christians who don’t like to think and that is a problem, but many of us have a different problem—it’s not that we think too much, but we think about Jesus and that’s about it. We don’t want to commit any more than that. But believing in Jesus demands your mind, your mouth, your heart, your stomach, your hands, your feet, your life, your all. When you eat something it becomes a part of you right down to the cellular level. When you not only believe in Jesus, but when you eat Jesus, faith becomes a part of you as well, a part of your life that you can’t separate yourself from.
Here’s a story I read recently from a magazine called Voice of the Martyrs, “Dora and her husband, Ferley, gathered their children together for family devotions night. Dora and Ferley were teachers in Santana Ramos, a farming village deep in the Colombian jungle about five hours away from the nearest town. Night had fallen, dinner was finished and Marcella, their oldest daughter had done her schoolwork and was ready for devotions. For the most part, it was routine, but Marcella saw small tears forming in her mother’s eyes. And when her stepfather began to cry, the 12-year old knew something was wrong. After the family’s devotions, Dora looked at her oldest daughter and said, “Mommy may be going to sleep tomorrow for a long time.”
“Marxist guerrillas and the Colombian government were terrorizing the farming village Dora taught in. “Christians are dangerous,” the guerrillas repeatedly said. “Christians cannot lie. If the army asks them about us, they will tell the truth!” On Monday morning, Nov. 17th, 2008, Dora began her day like any other school day—praying with the students. During the day, a neighbor came to see the young teacher, “I’m sorry Dora,” he told her, “but the guerrillas will kill your brother tomorrow.” Later in the day, the neighbor returned. “I am so sorry,” he told her, “I have made a mistake. It is not your brother who will be killed . . . but it is you and your husband. You can take your family and run,” he said, “You can leave this village right now.” Dora reassured the guerrilla messenger, “You do not have to worry,” she said. This is better. My brother was not ready to meet the Lord. But my husband and I are.”
The next morning they began the day like any other. Around 10 am two armed guerrillas, ushered the couple to the back of the schoolhouse to say goodbye to their family. The 12-year old, Marcella cried as the armed men walked her parents across a field to a river just 300 yards away from the school. Marcella could not see her parents, but she remembers hearing the two shots as her parents were executed. “If I met the men who did this I would forgive them,” Marcella said months are her parents had died. I know this would be hard, but I know God forgives them. So I have to as well.” Dora and her daughter didn’t just believe in Jesus, did they? Their faith in Jesus was something they could not separate themselves from, their faith was more than an idea. They had eaten Jesus.
Faith is wider, stronger and deeper than just a thought. It is more than an idea. It involves all that you’ve got. It’s love, passion, and even hunger. Jesus knows what kind of people we are, the kind that nibble on things just in case we don’t like the taste and want to spit it out. But when it comes to Jesus, he wants you to swallow him whole so that he might make you whole.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you volunteer to prepare and dish out meals at the soup kitchen. We all KNOW that feeding hungry people is important. We all UNDERSTAND that Jesus tells us to do this. We believe all this right? But when you find yourself in front of fifty or sixty people coming for a meal and when your hands get sweaty from the heat in the kitchen under your plastic gloves, you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your life has been swallowed up in Christ’s victory over the suffering in this world.
How is eating different than simply believing? When you pray with people. We KNOW that we are supposed to pray. We all UNDERSTAND that there is a power to prayer. We believe this, right? But when a friend tells you her family struggles and you find yourself with your arm on her shoulder carrying her hopes and fears right into God’s ears you might realize that what you believe has just become a part of you—you’ve eaten Jesus. And your hopes have been swallowed in the promise of God’s victory.
When Jesus talked about faith, he was talking about more than thinking the right way about things or doing good things for people. Faith is about all of that and so much more. How would you describe your faith? Do you believe in Jesus or have you eaten him? I’d like to end today with one of Martin Luther’s most famous quotes about what faith in Jesus, the bread of life, truly is, “Faith is a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God. It kills the old Adam, makes us completely different people in heart, mind, senses, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. What a living, creative, active powerful thing is faith! It is impossible that faith ever stop doing good. Faith doesn't ask whether good works are to be done, but, before it is asked, it has done them. It is always active. Whoever doesn't do such works is without faith; he gropes and searches about him for faith and good works but doesn't know what faith or good works are.”
“Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.”
Faith is more than thinking, it’s eating. Faith is not your work before God, but God’s work in every part of you.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sermon for August 2nd
For those of you who remember, I skipped over the gospel lesson last Sunday in order to focus on lessons that talked about the gifts that God has given you for ministry. If you don’t remember that, might I suggest that one of your gifts might NOT be having a good memory. In any case, this week’s gospel lesson builds on last week’s so I’ve got to give you a quick summary of what happened in the story in order to get you up to speed.
Jesus was traveling with his disciples and was being followed by a large crowd of people. About five thousand people in all the story says. Jesus asked one of his disciples, Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip admitted that six month’s wages would not be enough to feed everyone. Andrew, however, did find one boy with two fish and five loaves of barley bread. “But what are they among so many people?” He asked.
After Jesus had everyone sit down, he took the five loaves and gave it to everyone, along with the fish, and everyone ate, all five thousand of them. . . AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED it says! Let me repeat that, just in case you weren’t paying attention. According to the story, five thousand people ate AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED! And from the fragments of the two fish and five loaves they filled twelve baskets full. One full pan of deviled eggs usually can’t last through an entire potluck here, but five thousand people ate five loaves of bread and had leftovers. Amazing.
But there is a definite difference between last week’s story and this week’s. First of all, God is a God of social justice, he wants people to be fed, loved, free and respected. God doesn’t turn a blind eye to the poor, the hungry, the homeless or the oppressed. Even though he probably knew his efforts might be misunderstood, Jesus didn’t send five thousand people away when they were hungry. However, while God is a God of justice Jesus never lets it take center stage in the story “Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” he says, “and all these things will be added unto you.”
How might we, as God’s people, be radical in our efforts to feed the hungry while, at the same time, being just as radical in our efforts to feed people who are hungry for spiritual nourishment. Most of us are more comfortable doing one to the detriment of the other. You may even have a specific gift related to evangelism, or the gift of mercy, inviting those less fortunate into your home and into your heart. But all of us as Christians are called into relationships with people where they both need to hear about Jesus and need to find a place to eat. This is a universal Christian responsibility, not just to do one, but to do both.
Pope John Paul once referred to the “gospel of feeding the poor”, but it is critical to distinguish between what we mean by “gospel” and what is meant by “feeding the poor”. Even if every man, woman and child on the face of this planet were fed, nourished and free from hunger, this does not mean that they are free with respect to sin. Life on this earth does not equal eternal life. Feeding the poor is NOT the gospel, it is the law. Bread cannot free you from hunger forever. This is why, despite Jesus’ love and compassion for the hungry masses, despite his passion for social justice, today’s gospel lesson is not about filling people’s stomachs with bread but, instead, about filling peoples’ hearts with faith in the bread of life, Jesus Christ himself.
That brings us to today’s story. What you might call Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner: Part Two. The same crowd of people that followed Jesus before is still following him. The question is: why are they going through so much trouble? For you and I we might think, well that’s obvious isn’t it? They’ve just seen the power and majesty of Jesus Christ after all! Who wouldn’t follow him after a miracle like that? But Jesus tells them, and us, the truth behind the crowd and their actions: “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “you are looking for me NOT because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” In other words, when five thousand people were fed off of two fish and five loaves of bread, these people did not see this as a sign of Jesus’ divinity—they saw a free meal ticket. They saw Jesus as a walking, talking free buffet line and they were lining up to partake once again.
You know these types of people. Perhaps you are this type of person. How many times do we pray to God to get us out of a big jam (just this once!) and then we’ll start going to church, or start praying or start acting more “Christian-like” only to let the moment pass without anything changing in our lives or in our hearts. “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “You are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” It appears that the crowd in the story DIDN’T actually SEE the signs. Well, they saw the sign saying “Free Buffet!”, but they didn’t really SEE who Jesus was and couldn’t appreciate what was actually happening.
We keep asking Jesus for money to pay our mortgage, or a better relationship with our spouse, or for the government to focus more on our favorite social issue. But how often do you pray for a closer relationship to God? Jesus says, “Do not continue working for the food that dies, that perishes, but work for the food that endures, the food that lives and continues all the way into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
The crowd asks Jesus, “What must we do then to perform the works of God?” Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” They don’t have to DO anything—it’s a gift.
It’s hard to believe that something like eternal life or forgiveness could possibly be a gift, something given and not worked for. A few months ago, my wife and I were staying up late and she had to call customer service about a problem with a bill. She was being kind, but direct, about getting a refund that we expected to receive. After forty-five minutes of not winning this battle I felt the need to throw in MY two cents. But once I was on the telephone and felt that all of my rational arguments were not winning the day, I started getting really frustrated and angry and mean. When my rant was over, the guilt flowed over me like water pouring down from Kent Falls. Kristy’s eyes were big and I just started feeling sick to my stomach. I told the woman that I was sorry and then handed the phone back to Kristy while I began beating up on myself.
After berating myself both out loud and within my own mind for being an awful person, an awful pastor, and an awful Christian, my wife told me that she forgave me and reminded me that Jesus forgave my sins as well. He didn’t die for perfect people, but for sinners. And what did I do with that free gift of forgiveness and love? Well, I kept beating up on myself of course.
This is called penance, and even though the Lutheran Reformers thought they put it to rest in the 16th century, my own heart and mind dig it out of its grave all too often. Penance means that you can only trust God’s forgiveness if you do a little work first, say a few Hail Mary’s say a few Lord’s prayers, do community service, that type of thing. Doing the work is thought to help you know that you are truly sorry and, thus, truly forgiven. But, in fact, it only makes you trust in your own work rather than in God’s word of forgiveness.
After doing such a horrible thing on the phone, I wanted to do something, earn God’s forgiveness, so that I felt that I deserved it. But no matter how much you beat yourself up, you don’t deserve forgiveness any more than before. Jesus points out quite clearly, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one that was sent.” If you are still beating yourself up for some sin along the way: feel free to stop and believe that Jesus Christ died for that sin too. Yes, he died for even you, though you do not and never will deserve it.
In one of my favorite movies, Bruce Almighty, there is a man, played by Jim Carey, named Bruce, who feels like God hates him because God doesn’t give him everything he wants. God, played by Morgan Freeman, decides to let Bruce be God for awhile and try to answer the prayers of everybody asking for miracles each day. Bruce decides to just answer “yes” to every prayer request (there are so many after all). Within a week, everything is messed up. In one of the last lines of the film, God says this, “A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is THEY have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”
Today, this week, this month, this year, be radical in your passion for social justice. Work at it. Don’t just pray for a miracle from the Jesus Christ buffet line, pray and then BE the miracle. But when it comes to your salvation, take a vacation. Stop working and receive as a free gift that which is more important than anything else you could ever work for, the gift of forgiveness that is yours in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus was traveling with his disciples and was being followed by a large crowd of people. About five thousand people in all the story says. Jesus asked one of his disciples, Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip admitted that six month’s wages would not be enough to feed everyone. Andrew, however, did find one boy with two fish and five loaves of barley bread. “But what are they among so many people?” He asked.
After Jesus had everyone sit down, he took the five loaves and gave it to everyone, along with the fish, and everyone ate, all five thousand of them. . . AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED it says! Let me repeat that, just in case you weren’t paying attention. According to the story, five thousand people ate AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED! And from the fragments of the two fish and five loaves they filled twelve baskets full. One full pan of deviled eggs usually can’t last through an entire potluck here, but five thousand people ate five loaves of bread and had leftovers. Amazing.
But there is a definite difference between last week’s story and this week’s. First of all, God is a God of social justice, he wants people to be fed, loved, free and respected. God doesn’t turn a blind eye to the poor, the hungry, the homeless or the oppressed. Even though he probably knew his efforts might be misunderstood, Jesus didn’t send five thousand people away when they were hungry. However, while God is a God of justice Jesus never lets it take center stage in the story “Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” he says, “and all these things will be added unto you.”
How might we, as God’s people, be radical in our efforts to feed the hungry while, at the same time, being just as radical in our efforts to feed people who are hungry for spiritual nourishment. Most of us are more comfortable doing one to the detriment of the other. You may even have a specific gift related to evangelism, or the gift of mercy, inviting those less fortunate into your home and into your heart. But all of us as Christians are called into relationships with people where they both need to hear about Jesus and need to find a place to eat. This is a universal Christian responsibility, not just to do one, but to do both.
Pope John Paul once referred to the “gospel of feeding the poor”, but it is critical to distinguish between what we mean by “gospel” and what is meant by “feeding the poor”. Even if every man, woman and child on the face of this planet were fed, nourished and free from hunger, this does not mean that they are free with respect to sin. Life on this earth does not equal eternal life. Feeding the poor is NOT the gospel, it is the law. Bread cannot free you from hunger forever. This is why, despite Jesus’ love and compassion for the hungry masses, despite his passion for social justice, today’s gospel lesson is not about filling people’s stomachs with bread but, instead, about filling peoples’ hearts with faith in the bread of life, Jesus Christ himself.
That brings us to today’s story. What you might call Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner: Part Two. The same crowd of people that followed Jesus before is still following him. The question is: why are they going through so much trouble? For you and I we might think, well that’s obvious isn’t it? They’ve just seen the power and majesty of Jesus Christ after all! Who wouldn’t follow him after a miracle like that? But Jesus tells them, and us, the truth behind the crowd and their actions: “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “you are looking for me NOT because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” In other words, when five thousand people were fed off of two fish and five loaves of bread, these people did not see this as a sign of Jesus’ divinity—they saw a free meal ticket. They saw Jesus as a walking, talking free buffet line and they were lining up to partake once again.
You know these types of people. Perhaps you are this type of person. How many times do we pray to God to get us out of a big jam (just this once!) and then we’ll start going to church, or start praying or start acting more “Christian-like” only to let the moment pass without anything changing in our lives or in our hearts. “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus says, “You are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” It appears that the crowd in the story DIDN’T actually SEE the signs. Well, they saw the sign saying “Free Buffet!”, but they didn’t really SEE who Jesus was and couldn’t appreciate what was actually happening.
We keep asking Jesus for money to pay our mortgage, or a better relationship with our spouse, or for the government to focus more on our favorite social issue. But how often do you pray for a closer relationship to God? Jesus says, “Do not continue working for the food that dies, that perishes, but work for the food that endures, the food that lives and continues all the way into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
The crowd asks Jesus, “What must we do then to perform the works of God?” Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” They don’t have to DO anything—it’s a gift.
It’s hard to believe that something like eternal life or forgiveness could possibly be a gift, something given and not worked for. A few months ago, my wife and I were staying up late and she had to call customer service about a problem with a bill. She was being kind, but direct, about getting a refund that we expected to receive. After forty-five minutes of not winning this battle I felt the need to throw in MY two cents. But once I was on the telephone and felt that all of my rational arguments were not winning the day, I started getting really frustrated and angry and mean. When my rant was over, the guilt flowed over me like water pouring down from Kent Falls. Kristy’s eyes were big and I just started feeling sick to my stomach. I told the woman that I was sorry and then handed the phone back to Kristy while I began beating up on myself.
After berating myself both out loud and within my own mind for being an awful person, an awful pastor, and an awful Christian, my wife told me that she forgave me and reminded me that Jesus forgave my sins as well. He didn’t die for perfect people, but for sinners. And what did I do with that free gift of forgiveness and love? Well, I kept beating up on myself of course.
This is called penance, and even though the Lutheran Reformers thought they put it to rest in the 16th century, my own heart and mind dig it out of its grave all too often. Penance means that you can only trust God’s forgiveness if you do a little work first, say a few Hail Mary’s say a few Lord’s prayers, do community service, that type of thing. Doing the work is thought to help you know that you are truly sorry and, thus, truly forgiven. But, in fact, it only makes you trust in your own work rather than in God’s word of forgiveness.
After doing such a horrible thing on the phone, I wanted to do something, earn God’s forgiveness, so that I felt that I deserved it. But no matter how much you beat yourself up, you don’t deserve forgiveness any more than before. Jesus points out quite clearly, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one that was sent.” If you are still beating yourself up for some sin along the way: feel free to stop and believe that Jesus Christ died for that sin too. Yes, he died for even you, though you do not and never will deserve it.
In one of my favorite movies, Bruce Almighty, there is a man, played by Jim Carey, named Bruce, who feels like God hates him because God doesn’t give him everything he wants. God, played by Morgan Freeman, decides to let Bruce be God for awhile and try to answer the prayers of everybody asking for miracles each day. Bruce decides to just answer “yes” to every prayer request (there are so many after all). Within a week, everything is messed up. In one of the last lines of the film, God says this, “A single mom who's working two jobs, and still finds time to take her son to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says "no" to drugs and "yes" to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realize is THEY have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”
Today, this week, this month, this year, be radical in your passion for social justice. Work at it. Don’t just pray for a miracle from the Jesus Christ buffet line, pray and then BE the miracle. But when it comes to your salvation, take a vacation. Stop working and receive as a free gift that which is more important than anything else you could ever work for, the gift of forgiveness that is yours in Jesus Christ. Amen.
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