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.

factions

17 Now I don’t praise you as I give the following instruction because when you meet together, it does more harm than good. 18 First of all, when you meet together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it. 19 It’s necessary that there are groups among you, to make it clear who is genuine. 20 So when you get together in one place, it isn’t to eat the Lord’s meal. 21 Each of you goes ahead and eats a private meal. One person goes hungry while another is drunk. 22 Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on God’s churches and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Will I praise you? No, I don’t praise you in this. (1 Corinthians 11:17-22, CEB)

Can you believe there were issues in the church in Paul’s time? Seriously? Can people not get along?

But seriously there have been issues in gatherings since the beginning of time. But as the body of Christ we should get over our differences and work to bring about equality and justice.

People would gather to eat and were eating all of the food before others got there. They wouldn’t wait. And others would drink all the wine. We need to make sure everyone is fed and taken care of. We do not get to eat our fill while our neighbor goes hungry. The meal is for all to share equally.

Divisions do not have there place in the body of Christ. We are one body and need each other.

Love each other as God loves each of us.

Love People. Love God.

You give them something

35 Late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, “This is an isolated place, and it’s already late in the day. 36 Send them away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy something to eat for themselves.” 37 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” But they said to him, “Should we go off and buy bread worth almost eight months’ pay and give it to them to eat?” 38 He said to them, “How much bread do you have? Take a look.” After checking, they said, “Five loaves of bread and two fish.” 39 He directed the disciples to seat all the people in groups as though they were having a banquet on the green grass. 40 They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, broke the loaves into pieces, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 Everyone ate until they were full. 43 They filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of bread and fish. 44 About five thousand had eaten. (Mark 6:35-44, CEB)

The disciples wanted to send the people away. Maybe they really were worried about them getting something to eat, or maybe they were just done being around people. But they wanted Jesus to tell the people to disperse and go get something to eat. But Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.”

Now I am writing this devotion during June, and it is Pride month and I remember seeing just a few days ago a meme that said something to the effect, the church should be less worried about who is sleeping together in a bed and more concerned with helping people get a bed to sleep in. Are we more concerned with people having basic human needs or with who is sleeping with who? Jesus told us to love. And when we love we meet basic needs.

We feed.

We cloth.

We offer shelter.

It really isn’t that hard. Jesus gave us grace, mercy, and love to share. Let’s share it.

Love People. Love God.

I am coming to visit

22 That’s why I’ve been stopped so many times from coming to see you. 23 But now, since I don’t have any place to work in these regions anymore, and since I’ve wanted to come to see you for many years, 24 I’ll visit you when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while I’m passing through. And I hope you will send me on my way there, after I have first been reenergized by some time in your company. 25 But now I’m going to Jerusalem, to serve God’s people. 26 Macedonia and Achaia have been happy to make a contribution for the poor among God’s people in Jerusalem. 27 They were happy to do this, and they are actually in debt to God’s people in Jerusalem. If the Gentiles got a share of the Jewish people’s spiritual resources, they ought to minister to them with material resources. 28 So then after I have finished this job and have safely delivered the final amount of the Gentiles’ offering to them, I will leave for Spain, visiting you on the way. 29 And I know that when I come to you I will come with the fullest blessing of Christ. 30 Brothers and sisters, I urge you, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggles in your prayers to God for me. 31 Pray that I will be rescued from the people in Judea who don’t believe. Also, pray that my service for Jerusalem will be acceptable to God’s people there 32 so that I can come to you with joy by God’s will and be reenergized with your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. (Romans 15:22-33, CEB)

Paul is writing to the church in Rome to help them in the faith. He takes time to tell them who he is and how he has helped others, he lays out a theological understanding and as the letter draws to the end he reminds them that he has wanted to visit, but has been kept from coming, but after a quick trip to Jerusalem he is hopeful to stop in on his way to Spain.

Have you ever been telling people, I’m coming for a visit, and then things come up? Like this past year. After we moved to Texas, I was telling my children we would go to Wisconsin to visit, then COVID and no one traveling, so we didn’t go and now we are in summer again and one of my children is doing summer school, so we are saying maybe after summer school, but then there is camp, and band, and and and…

It seems there is always something to keep us from going.

Where do you want/need to go?

Can you share God’s love there?

Love People. Love God.

All things

10 I was very glad in the Lord because now at last you have shown concern for me again. (Of course you were always concerned but had no way to show it.) 11 I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance. 12 I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. 13 I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength. 14 Still, you have done well to share my distress. 15 You Philippians know from the time of my first mission work in Macedonia how no church shared in supporting my ministry except you. 16 You sent contributions repeatedly to take care of my needs even while I was in Thessalonica. 17 I’m not hoping for a gift, but I am hoping for a profit that accumulates in your account. 18 I now have plenty and it is more than enough. I am full to overflowing because I received the gifts that you sent from Epaphroditus. Those gifts give off a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice that pleases God. 19 My God will meet your every need out of his riches in the glory that is found in Christ Jesus. 20 Let glory be given to God our Father forever and always. Amen. (Philippians 4:10-20, CEB)

This passage has one of my favorite verses and a verse that is often misused. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

I am able to do anything because of God. Well no not really, that isn’t what that verse says. And even here in our translation it is worded a little different. I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength. I can make it through the circumstances of my life because God is always with me.

Not that I can shoot baskets, or do some sports thing I would never be able to do, or to have the ability to lift a car. But I can make it through life, because God is with me and gives me strength to see another day.

If we focus on God in our lives, the bad situations will not go away, but will be more tolerable and we will endure them with strength from God.

So help those out around you and support them, giving them strength as God gives you strength.

Love People. Love God.

Wouldn’t you?

After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea). 2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. 4 It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival. 5 Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” 6 Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” 15 Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain. 16 When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake. 17 They got into a boat and were crossing the lake to Capernaum. It was already getting dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. 18 The water was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When the wind had driven them out for about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He was approaching the boat and they were afraid. 20 He said to them, “I Am. Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and just then the boat reached the land where they had been heading. (John 6:1-21, CEB)

If you had heard and seen what Jesus was doing, wouldn’t you follow to see more or to witness the miracles first hand?

We want to be amazed.

And here Jesus amazed not only the crowd, but the disciples too. Jesus asked Philip where will you buy food to feed these people? Jesus already knew what was going to happen. But Phillip was like most of us would have been, are you crazy Jesus! We don’t have any where near enough money to buy food for all of these people and even if we did, there isn’t any place close to get the stuff we need. We doubt what can happen. We try to figure things out based on our knowledge of the world not based in God can do what God wants.

We need to let go of our understanding and look at the world through the eyes of God. To see as God sees, and to understand as God understands.

We don’t have to understand it. We just need to trust God.

Trust God.

Love People. Love God.

the will of God

31 In the meantime the disciples spoke to Jesus, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 33 The disciples asked each other, “Has someone brought him food?” 34 Jesus said to them, “I am fed by doing the will of the one who sent me and by completing his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then it’s time for harvest’? Look, I tell you: open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest. 36 Those who harvest are receiving their pay and gathering fruit for eternal life so that those who sow and those who harvest can celebrate together. 37 This is a true saying, that one sows and another harvests. 38 I have sent you to harvest what you didn’t work hard for; others worked hard, and you will share in their hard work.” (John 4:31-38, CEB)

Jesus is fed off of doing God’s will.

We are all called to go into the fields and harvest that which we did not plant or that which we did not toil to help grow.

You see we all play a part, Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God brought the growth. We need to be ready to go and do what God calls us to.

Are you in tune with the will of God so you are fed by doing and being who God has called you to be?

Love People. Love God.

whatever

12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people. 16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17, CEB)

Whatever you do do it in the name of Jesus.

Be tolerant of others and forgive as God forgave you.

Treat everyone with love, compassion, kindness. Be gentle and patient in all you do and say. I can say this isn’t always easy for me. But I sometimes need to remind myself that God is patient with me, so I need to treat others as God has and does treat me.

In moments when I want to lash out I remember the words spoken at Via de Cristo, “God loves you, and so do I.” And if I am loving as God loves, then I forgive and over look shortcomings. I lift people up and help them.

Let us all remember that there isn’t a single person we will come in contact with that God does not love. God loves you, and so do I.

Love People. Love God.