drawn

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 41 The Jewish opposition grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, Joseph’s son, whose mother and father we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus responded, “Don’t grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless they are drawn to me by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 I assure you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that whoever eats from it will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:35, 41-51, CEB)

Whoever comes to me does so because the Father has drawn them to me.

Reminds me of Martin Luther’s explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed. This is my paraphrase, “I can not by my own will or understanding believe in God except through the leading of the Holy Spirit.” I can not believe in God unless God moves me to believe in God. The above reading says, I can not come to Jesus (God) unless made to do so by God (the Father).

God gives us the ability to believe in God.

So how do you believe in God?

How do those around you believe in God?

How do you share God with the world?

Love People. Love God.

Ask ~ receive

7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:7-11, CEB)

I have an issue with this verse. If you only read verses 7 and 8 then if you ask for it, look for it or knock on it, you will get it, find and it will open. And this could lead to all kinds of issues. Even good things we think we want or need and we ask for it, then we get it, and that may not be the best thing for our lives.

I love the song Unanswered Prayer by Garth Brooks. Because it is just the opposite of this verse. The other place this is in the Bible it says if it is in the will of God, then you will get it. And that is what the songs says. I asked for her to be my wife, but God knew better. Now this doesn’t mean that everything is planned out. But we don’t always know what is best for us.

But the redeeming part of this lectionary reading for me is verse 11, because we know how to give good things to our children, and God will give good things to us. So some of the things we ask for, or look for or knock on are not good for us, and even though we want them, they will not benefit us, so God doesn’t give us it.

So know you won’t get everything you ask for, look for, or opened when you knock. But God will give you good things.

Give them to the world and know that God will refill your cup.

Love People. Love God.

others

Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. 2 Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. 4 Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. 5 Each person will have to carry their own load. 6 Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. 7 Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. 8 Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. 10 So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith. (Galatians 6:1-10, CEB)

This seems to be a change to me from what I know Christianity to be. The first verse is, “If someone is caught doing something wrong, they should be restored by the community.” I see the Christian community saying they are damned to hell and should repent and fix themselves before they come back. But No! It is the communities responsibility to lift up the broken and to help them be a full member of the community. It isn’t about having everything together before you join, it is about knowing what you can do and doing it, and not comparing yourself to others.

You are supposed to lift up the low. You are supposed to help your neighbors.

You are supposed to be a guide and a friend along the journey.

Do what you are gifted to do without seeing yourself as a lesser part of the community.

Share God’s love and be a beacon of hope for the world.

Love People. Love God.

patient

We who are powerful need to be patient with the weakness of those who don’t have power, and not please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good in order to build them up. 3 Christ didn’t please himself, but, as it is written, The insults of those who insulted you fell on me. 4 Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction so that we could have hope through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude toward each other, similar to Christ Jesus’ attitude. 6 That way you can glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ together with one voice. (Romans 15:1-6, CEB)

We should be doing things to please our neighbors and build them up, rather than what pleases us and builds us up.

Our faith is not a private faith, we were called to follow Jesus, to pick up our cross and follow him. This is a following that leads us to serve the most vulnerable people in society and to live for them.

We are to show everyone the love of God and make sure they know they are loved by God.

God will give you the strength and endurance to run the race and share the grace.

Love People. Love God.

Hungry

In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 “I feel sorry for the crowd because they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they won’t have enough strength to travel, for some have come a long distance.” 4 His disciples responded, “How can anyone get enough food in this wilderness to satisfy these people?” 5 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They said, “Seven loaves.” 6 He told the crowd to sit on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them apart, and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they gave the bread to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said a blessing over them, then gave them to the disciples to hand out also. 8 They ate until they were full. They collected seven baskets full of leftovers. 9 This was a crowd of about four thousand people! Jesus sent them away, 10 then got into a boat with his disciples and went over to the region of Dalmanutha. (Mark 8:1-10, CEB)

These people need food. But where will we get enough for all of them?

Well what do we have?

Have you ever wondered how the resources you have would be enough to do what you are called to do?

I know as a person who God has called into ministry I have often wondered exactly what God was/is thinking with having me as a pastor. I know where I have been, what I have done and how unworthy I am to be a part of the body of Christ, let alone a pastor. And yet, God has called me to be a part of the body of Christ and a pastor.

We sometimes can’t see the answers because we see the problems. Our focus doesn’t allow s to see what is right there.

So have faith. And know that God is able to do through you things you can not fathom.

Love People. Love God.

many gifts

27 You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. 28 In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, the ability to help others, leadership skills, different kinds of tongues. 29 All aren’t apostles, are they? All aren’t prophets, are they? All aren’t teachers, are they? All don’t perform miracles, do they? 30 All don’t have gifts of healing, do they? All don’t speak in different tongues, do they? All don’t interpret, do they? 31 Use your ambition to try to get the greater gifts. And I’m going to show you an even better way. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31, CEB)

Are all the same?

Can you imagine if we were all the same.

Identical in every way.

How boring would the world be!

And what would we not be able to do? We all have gifts to use to make the world a better place. We all play a part and we are all needed.

Use the gift you have been given to make the world the world God created.

Love People. Love God.

renew

17 So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking, 18 and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts. 19 They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed. 20 But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ. 21 Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, 22 change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24, CEB)

Renew the thinking of your mind.

Do not be conformed to what makes you feel good, or what everyone else is doing.

Keep your focus on right and wrong and choose right, and follow after where God is leading you.

Do not practice corruption or greed. Do not do something simply because it feels good. Truly live the life that God has called you to.

Do not be conformed to the world, but be a beacon of hope for all of the world.

Love People. Love God.

ate your fill…

24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27 Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One will give you. God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.” 28 They asked, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?” 29 Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.” 30 They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” 32 Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:24-35, CEB)

What sign will you show us so we can know you are the Son of God?

Why do we need a sign?

We see a sign that says wet paint, and our first instinct is to touch it to see if it is really wet. Why?

We have read the stories form the Bible and know who Jesus is and what God has promised. Why do we need more proof?

We want to be able to say that everything is as it is and have the proof. But where is our faith then?

Faith is belief in what we can’t see. It is a hope in what we know is true even when we can’t prove it.

Live your life in faith, because the promises we have seen are true. We know that God is for us. Don’t test it, just trust it.

Love People. Love God.

yeast is teaching

5 When the disciples arrived on the other side of the lake, they had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “We didn’t bring any bread.” 8 Jesus knew what they were discussing and said, “You people of weak faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you don’t have any bread? 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves that fed the five thousand and how many baskets of leftovers you gathered? 10 And the seven loaves that fed the four thousand and how many large baskets of leftovers you gathered? 11 Don’t you know that I wasn’t talking about bread? But be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he wasn’t telling them to be on their guard for yeast used in making bread. No, he was telling them to watch out for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12, CEB)

A little bit of yeast leavens the whole batch. It only takes a little bit of yeast to make the whole batch have yeast. It infiltrates and gets into everything.

So when the bad teaching comes in, it takes over the whole batch.

This is why we have to guard our hearts and watch our for the bad yeast so it doesn’t take over everything.

Be on your guard for bad yeast

Love People. Love God.

their own judgment

27 This is why those who eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord inappropriately will be guilty of the Lord’s body and blood. 28 Each individual should test himself or herself, and eat from the bread and drink from the cup in that way. 29 Those who eat and drink without correctly understanding the body are eating and drinking their own judgment. 30 Because of this, many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few have died. 31 But if we had judged ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged. 32 However, we are disciplined by the Lord when we are judged so that we won’t be judged and condemned along with the whole world. 33 For these reasons, my brothers and sisters, when you get together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If some of you are hungry, they should eat at home so that getting together doesn’t lead to judgment. I will give directions about the other things when I come. (1 Corinthians 11:27-34, CEB)

I know this verse has been used by many denominations to keep people who are not members of that denomination to not have communion with them. It is called a closed table. And in the ELCA we practice an open table, which means, as we were taught in seminary, any baptized believer is welcome to come to the table and receive communion. I argued that that is a closed table, because unbaptized believers couldn’t come. And I was told baptized believer is an open welcoming statement. Because we are not saying you have to be ELCA, you can be any believing Christian. Well ok we could go back and forth on semantics here, but I can see that.

But isn’t it interesting the way that verse is worded?

“Those who eat and drink without correctly understanding the body are eating and drinking their own judgment.”

Those who eat and drink without correctly understanding are eating and drinking their own judgment. Understand what? without understanding the body. What body?

The body of Christ? We are all the body. So when you take the bread and wine and think that the flesh and blood are only for you, or for those who think exactly the same as you, or are in the same class as you, or fit the mold that you fit then you are eating and drinking to your own judgment. We know that this is given and shed for all people, not just your chosen circle or people. All. Everyone you like and everyone you don’t. No one deserves a seat, but Christ opened the doors for all.

So if everyone isn’t welcome, maybe you need to rethink your understanding and skip the trip to the table until you can have everyone there.

Love People. Love God.