Sermon - 2018-08-12
Last week as were gathered, Jesus spoke to us about the difference between the bread that we seek in this world and how it will never fulfill us and the bread that God himself gives to us that fills us up so much that we are amazed. I went on to talk about how the meal that we receive in Communion is the very body and blood and the full meal that we would ever need in our journey of life and faith.
However, it begs the question for you and for me. How close are you to Jesus and perhaps even more pointedly, how well are you living out the life that Jesus is calling us to live out. Now the people in today’s Gospel, we find them complaining to Jesus. Now think about that for a moment, do you ever complain to God? If your answer is “NO”, I then wonder who is the lowercase g god you are worshiping. For hear about this over and over again, to be in a relationship with God is to complain because we do not understand. It is this complain and question and wondering what the person is actually searching for a closer and better relationship with God himself and not their own understanding.
So today, we find people complaining to Jesus. However, what is it that they are complaining about? Please note the number of verses that we just read. Were we given the full story? Let’s read the verses that are in the middle.
36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” (John 6:36-40, NRSV)
Jesus is reminding the very people who are drawn to him and asking them, Why are you here? Yet they do not know when Jesus explains to them the very reason that he is here in this world. Many of them question him and wonder if he is crazy, stupid, or something else. They wonder how can this person who they have known be this special and amazing person who had been among them all this time.
Yet Jesus goes on to declare to them that they are not the reason for this gift from heaven. It is not because of the good works that God has brought them: rain, bread, jobs, community, loved ones or even their good health and life. Rather all of these things are gifts given to them by God himself. Yet they believe that they are something that they have achieved or earned somehow. Jesus declares that their own salvation, their return back to their relationship with God and all that God is now and into eternity is because of God’s Love and not what they have done.
Now I realize some of you may be looking at me with a puzzled look. Some of you may be nodding your head just so others think you “get this”. And still, some of you are more wondering, what’s for lunch or going on outside and after this worship service. So let me do this, I will tell you a story that highlights this meaning for you to understand.
A fictional story is told of Jesus and his disciples walking one day along a stony road. Jesus asked each of them to choose a stone to carry for him. John, it is said, chose a large one while Peter chose the smallest. Jesus led them then to the top of a mountain and commanded that the stones be made bread. Each disciple, by this time tried and hungry, was allowed to eat the bread he held in his hand, but of course, Peter’s was not sufficient to satisfy his hunger. John gave him some of his.
Sometime later Jesus again asked the disciples to pick up a stone to carry. This time Peter chose the largest of all. Taking them to a river, Jesus told them to cast the stones into the water. They did so but looked at one another in bewilderment.
“For whom,” asked Jesus, “did you carry the stone?”
For you see, there are times in our lives that we carry stones and we do things that at the time, we do not understand and others would think would be silly. Other times, we carry stones that burden and we think that they are for our own benefit. However, truly when we come to the waters of our Baptism, we realize that they are covered up and God has taken them away.
This week, may you become aware of the life you are living and perhaps reflect on why are you living it. Are you doing it for own sake? For the sake of others? Or are you doing it out of the calling that God has placed in your heart for the sake of God himself? Amen.
However, it begs the question for you and for me. How close are you to Jesus and perhaps even more pointedly, how well are you living out the life that Jesus is calling us to live out. Now the people in today’s Gospel, we find them complaining to Jesus. Now think about that for a moment, do you ever complain to God? If your answer is “NO”, I then wonder who is the lowercase g god you are worshiping. For hear about this over and over again, to be in a relationship with God is to complain because we do not understand. It is this complain and question and wondering what the person is actually searching for a closer and better relationship with God himself and not their own understanding.
So today, we find people complaining to Jesus. However, what is it that they are complaining about? Please note the number of verses that we just read. Were we given the full story? Let’s read the verses that are in the middle.
36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.37Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” (John 6:36-40, NRSV)
Jesus is reminding the very people who are drawn to him and asking them, Why are you here? Yet they do not know when Jesus explains to them the very reason that he is here in this world. Many of them question him and wonder if he is crazy, stupid, or something else. They wonder how can this person who they have known be this special and amazing person who had been among them all this time.
Yet Jesus goes on to declare to them that they are not the reason for this gift from heaven. It is not because of the good works that God has brought them: rain, bread, jobs, community, loved ones or even their good health and life. Rather all of these things are gifts given to them by God himself. Yet they believe that they are something that they have achieved or earned somehow. Jesus declares that their own salvation, their return back to their relationship with God and all that God is now and into eternity is because of God’s Love and not what they have done.
Now I realize some of you may be looking at me with a puzzled look. Some of you may be nodding your head just so others think you “get this”. And still, some of you are more wondering, what’s for lunch or going on outside and after this worship service. So let me do this, I will tell you a story that highlights this meaning for you to understand.
A fictional story is told of Jesus and his disciples walking one day along a stony road. Jesus asked each of them to choose a stone to carry for him. John, it is said, chose a large one while Peter chose the smallest. Jesus led them then to the top of a mountain and commanded that the stones be made bread. Each disciple, by this time tried and hungry, was allowed to eat the bread he held in his hand, but of course, Peter’s was not sufficient to satisfy his hunger. John gave him some of his.
Sometime later Jesus again asked the disciples to pick up a stone to carry. This time Peter chose the largest of all. Taking them to a river, Jesus told them to cast the stones into the water. They did so but looked at one another in bewilderment.
“For whom,” asked Jesus, “did you carry the stone?”
For you see, there are times in our lives that we carry stones and we do things that at the time, we do not understand and others would think would be silly. Other times, we carry stones that burden and we think that they are for our own benefit. However, truly when we come to the waters of our Baptism, we realize that they are covered up and God has taken them away.
This week, may you become aware of the life you are living and perhaps reflect on why are you living it. Are you doing it for own sake? For the sake of others? Or are you doing it out of the calling that God has placed in your heart for the sake of God himself? Amen.
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