09-15-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF THE SOUL

  Once upon a time, a very wealthy man approached the minister of his church and said, “I want to send you and your wife on a three-month sabbatical to the Holy Land.  When you come back, I’m going to have a very big surprise in store for you.”  What could they say?  The minister and his wife graciously accepted the offer, and the two of them set off for the Holy Land.

  Eventually they returned to their parish and were met by their benefactor, who showed them the surprise he had in mind.  While they were gone, he had had a fabulous new church built in their honor.  “This is the finest building money can buy,” he said.  “I spared absolutely no expense.”

  He was right.  It was a magnificent edifice, inside and out.  Yet once they got to the sanctuary, they were surprised to discover that it only had one pew, and that pew was in the very back of the church.  “I don’t want to sound unappreciative,” the minister said, “but why is there only one pew?”  The wealthy man replied, “You know how everyone likes to sit in the back of the church, and no one wants to sit up front.  Just wait ‘til you see what happens on Sunday morning.”

  When the time came for the Sunday service, the early arrivals entered the church, filed into the one pew, and sat down.  When the pew was full, a switch silently clicked, and – automatically – the pew began to slide forward.  When it reached the front of the church, it came to an abrupt halt.  At the very same time, another empty pew arose from below in the back, and more people sat down.  And so it continued – pews filling and moving forward – until finally the church was full from front to back.  The minister was truly in awe.  “That’s incredible,” he cried.  “I do believe it’s a dream come true!”

  The service began and the minister eventually started to preach.  He launched into his text and – when 12:00 noon arrived – he was still going strong with no clear end in sight.  Suddenly, a bell rang, a trap door in the floor behind the pulpit dropped open, and the minister disappeared.  “That’s incredible,” the congregation cried.  “I do believe it’s a dream come true!”

  Yeah, I thought you’d like that one.  God forbid that a worship service should last any more than an hour.  How else are we going to beat the Methodists to Perkins?  Truth be told, however, I haven’t really gotten too bad a time from people when the worship service lasts a little more than an hour since I left Minnesota.  You see, in Minnesota we were on Central Standard Time…so the Vikings kicked off at noon.  Here in Pennsylvania – since we’re on Eastern Standard Time – the Steelers and the Browns don’t kick off until 1:00.  Maybe that’s why people don’t complain when the worship service lasts a little more than an hour.  The issue, however, is this.  I will be proposing this morning that worship is an integral part of the Christian life.  What exactly is worship…that we should practice it and prioritize it?  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities.  Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are.  Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by, and influenced by, other people…for better or for worse.

  Then we worked hard to establish a few new narratives about God.  Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms.  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism.

  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.  Our goal in this series of sermons is learning to abide in the kingdom of God.

  Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint.  Obviously, the community were talking about here is the church.  The issue we’ll be dealing with today is worship.  More specifically, what exactly is worship… that we should practice it and prioritize it?

  Many years ago, I was on a campout with some fathers and sons from my student pastorate in Manchester, Kentucky.  Early one morning, we were in canoes on a mountain lake as a blazing, orange sun slowly rose in the east.  It’s hard to see such a sight and not believe in God.  One of the fathers who rarely came to church said, “This is my kind of church right here.  I find that I can worship God far, far better in nature than I ever can in a church.”  After witnessing that magnificent sunrise, it was hard to argue with him.  Yet that statement brings to mind two incredibly important theological points.  Those points are: revelation and narrative.

  Let’s deal with the issue of revelation first.  Like I said, it’s hard to see a magnificent sunrise and not believe in God.  The color, the grandeur, the wonder of it all…it truly leads one to believe that there’s something greater than one’s self.  God is revealed in a sunrise.  God is revealed in a lot of things in nature.  We call it general revelation.  When we witness a magnificent sunrise; when we gaze upon the intricacy of the human eye; when we observe the miracle of birth; we truly come to contemplate and experience God.  That, my friends, is the definition of general revelation.  The problem, however, is that there is no salvation in a sunrise.  No forgiveness is found in the human eye, and there is no divine guidance in the miracle of birth.  For those kinds of things we need special revelation…and special revelation is found only in the person of Jesus Christ.  Thus, worshipping God in nature may help one to sense the wonder and the awe and the majesty of God, but it will never produce a transformed life…and it cannot provide eternal life.

  Then there’s the issue of narrative.  As I mentioned a moment ago, our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  There is a false narrative at work when we worship God only in nature.  That false narrative is this: Worship is a personal matter; one basically meant to inspire no one but me.  Again, the false narrative is: worship is a personal matter; one basically meant to inspire no one but me.

  One can readily see how worshipping God in nature is a personal matter, one basically meant to inspire no one but ourselves.  Yet perhaps this particular false narrative is also at work in many who worship God in the church.  For example, you’re heard me mention the seven last words of the church, have you not?  The seven last words of the church are: We’ve never done it that way before.  Along those lines – thinking of our false narrative about worship – I came up with what I call the seven last words of the soul.  The seven last words of the soul are: I didn’t get anything out of it.  When we say of a worship service, “I didn’t get anything out of it,” we are displaying the power of the false narrative that lies within us.  We are assuming that worship is all about us.  And that, my friends, is a grave theological error.

  It’s this grave theological error that has led to what we call the worship wars that have occurred over the course of the last twenty years.  Musically, it’s been a debate as to whether to go with contemporary music or traditional music.  A lot of people prefer more modern tunes played on drum sets and guitars to the time-honored hymns of the church played on an organ…so many churches give in to the pressure.  Theologically, it’s been a debate as to whether to go with motivational speaking or prophetic preaching.  A lot of people prefer a message that insinuates that God has a miracle in store for them…as opposed to Jesus’ instructions to, “Take up your cross and follow me,” so once again…many churches give in to the pressure.  Is worship really meant to be about us, or is in somehow meant to be about God?

  What lies at the heart of the problem here is a false narrative that insinuates that worship is a personal matter, one basically meant to inspire no one but me.  Perhaps it’s time we sought to establish a true narrative of worship.  A true narrative of worship might go a little more like this: Worship is a communal activity meant to shape and instruct a people of God.  Again, worship is a communal activity meant to shape and instruct a people of God.

  Have you ever actually considered what we do in worship here?  First of all, we center our hour of worship around four basic themes.  They are: “We Gather Around God’s Word,” “God’s Word Is Spoken to Us,” “God Moves Us to Respond,” and, “God Sends Us Forth to Serve.”  In the first section, we begin with a call to worship, usually centered around a Psalm.  Then we proceed to pray what we call a prayer of adoration.  Note that it is not called a prayer of invocation.  It is heresy to assume that we have the power to invoke God’s presence.  Our assumption is that God is already here, for as Jesus himself once put it, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 

  After that, we sing a rousing opening hymn meant to stir our souls and – ideally – get us thinking along the lines of a particular theme.  Believe it or not, Kevin and I put a lot of thought into the hymns we sing.  Then we confess our sin – both corporately and individually – and hear God’s words of forgiveness.  I suspect that, these days, a lot of people view the confession of sin and the assurance of pardon as archaic and unnecessary elements of a bygone era.  After all, it’s considered politically incorrect these days to insinuate that someone might be a sinner.  I would argue, however, that the confession of sin and the assurance of pardon are integral elements of worship, and that without them, we completely misunderstand the meaning of the Christ event.   I mean, if we were not sinners, then Christ came for nothing…and died to no avail.  Then, of course, we respond to our newfound condition with what we call the Hymn to the Glory of God.

  In the next section, we hear God’s word spoken to us.  We hear words from the pages of Scripture, a message for young disciples, we sing a hymn – again designed to set the tone for what lies ahead – and we listen to God’s word proclaimed.  In the Reformed tradition, of which we are a part, the sermon is deliberately designed to be at the center of the worship service.  Yet this is the point where people are most likely to respond with the seven last words of the soul.  You know, “I didn’t get anything out of it.” 

  What we often forget is that, while there is a great deal of responsibility laid upon the shoulders of the preacher in the preaching event, there is also a great deal of responsibility laid upon the shoulders of those who hear.  Theologically speaking, the preached word is the word of God.  It’s not my words that are the word of God, but rather, it’s the Holy Spirit working through my words…and in the minds of those who hear it.  Thus, if the sermon is bad, it just might be my fault.  Yet it is also entirely possible that the fault lies in the heart of the one who hears.  Thus, we must always come to church with a sense of what spiritual writer Richard Foster calls holy expectancy.  By that he means that we should approach the sermon not as a speech designed to meet my needs, but rather, as the word of God designed to shape my soul.  I have a sneaking suspicion there’d be far fewer bad sermons if a few more people developed a sense of holy expectancy.

  We call the next section of worship, “God Moves Us to Respond.”  There we affirm our faith, make our offering to God, listen to an anthem, and lift our prayers to God.  It’s important to note that we do those things after we have encountered God’s word.  After hearing God’s word, our own sense of generosity is impacted, and I suspect our prayer requests are somewhat transformed, as well.

  Finally we come to the part entitled, “God Sends Us Forth to Serve.”  The point is that we are not called to be Christians for only an hour on Sunday mornings.  Instead, we are called to live our faith outside the doors of the church.  The Christian faith is not meant to be a private matter…it never was.  The Christian faith is meant to impact and transform us – and – the world in which we live.  Yet how can it possibly do so if we keep our faith to ourselves?  And that, my friends, is why worship is defined as a communal activity meant to shape and instruct a people of God.

  On the 7^th of July of this past year, our youngest son Travis was flown to Quantico, Virginia for Office Candidate School in the United States Marine Corps.  Honestly, I was worried sick as to how he’d fare in the face of hard-core, Marine Corps drill sergeants.  Travis tends to be a bit hot-headed, high-strung and temperamental…just like his mother.  (Why does everyone laugh when I say that?) 

  In any case, I had a sneaking suspicion that the young man we sent down there would not be the same young man we got back…and I was right.  Travis has a flight contract with the Marine Corps.  Eventually he’s going to learn to fly jets from some of the finest instructors in the world.  That’s why he went to Officer Candidate School in the first place.  He went because it was the ideal way to help him achieve the end he ultimately wants to achieve.  Do you see what I’m getting at here?  He initially went to Officer Candidate School to fulfill his own personal dreams, ambitions, and goals.

  On the 17^th of August, my wife and I were in Quantico to witness his graduation.  As we sat in the grandstand and the Marine Corps marching band played on the parade deck, we saw 416 United States Marine Corps officer candidates come marching down the street in unison.  It was truly an awe-inspiring sight.  I thought of how terrifying it must be to an opposing army to witness the precision of the United States Marine Corps. 

  Four hundred and sixteen young men and women – each likely coming initially with his or her own individual aspirations – had become as one.  Each would be willing to give his or her life for the sake of their comrades in arms, or for the sake of the United States of America.  My point is that they may have come for some of the wrong reasons, but they were graduating for all of the right reasons.  What’s more, I suspect they had gotten far more out of it that any one of them could have possibly imagined.  Now granted, they had the help of drill sergeants poking and prodding them each and every step of the way.  Yet we have the help of the Holy Spirit of God.  Are we willing to let the Spirit guide us to where we need to be, as well?

  The seven last words of the soul are: “I didn’t get anything out of it.”  If we feel as if that is indeed the case with us, then perhaps we’re operating out of a false narrative.  Worship is not a personal matter, basically meant to inspire no one but me.  Worship is a communal activity meant to shape and inspire a people of God.  Come to worship with an open heart, with an open mind, and with a sense of holy expectancy.  If you can manage that, I suspect that – in the end – you will find that you’ve gotten far more out of it than you could possibly have imagined.  Amen.

 

09-08-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: THE LORD HELPS THOSE…

  Leighton Farrell was the senior minister of the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas from 1972 until 1995.  He tells the story of a man in his church who made a covenant with a former minister to tithe 10% of his income to the church every year.  When the man initially made this covenant, he was young and didn’t have a whole lot of money.  Thus, he gladly gave the church a check for $1000.00 when he was only making about $10,000.00 a year.

  Things quickly changed, however.  It was a little more difficult for him to write out a $10,000.00 check to the church the year he made $100,000.00.  It was a little more difficult still for him to write out a $100,000.00 check to the church the year he made a million dollars.  Then one year, his income topped out at six million dollars.  He simply could not bring himself to write out a check to the church for $600,000.00.  That’s when he went to see the Rev. Dr. Leighton Farrell.

  “Dr. Farrell,” he said, “this tithing business has got to stop.  It was fine when my tithe was only about a thousand dollars a year, but…I can’t afford to give the church six hundred thousand dollars!  Dr. Farrell, I want you to let me out of the covenant I made with that old minister.”  At that, Dr. Farrell knelt on the floor and began to pray.  A few minutes later, the man interrupted him.  “Dr. Farrell,” he said, “what are you doing?  Are you praying that God will let me out of my covenant to tithe?”  Dr. Farrell replied, “No.  So you won’t feel so bad about tithing, I’m praying that God will reduce your income back down to $10,000.00 a year!”  Needless to say, that was not exactly what that man wanted Dr. Farrell to do.  Generosity can certainly be a challenge, and sometimes it seems as though the more we have the more difficult it becomes.  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  Several months ago, we postulated that our spiritual lives are shaped by three basic things: our narratives, our practices, and our communities.  Our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  Our practices are the things we do on a regular basis that help to form who and what we are.  Our communities are the places we go where we are surrounded by, and influenced by, other people…for better or for worse.

  Then we worked hard to establish a few new narratives about God.  Looking at God through the lens of Jesus Christ, we determined that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is generous, God is love, God is holy, God is self-sacrificing, and God transforms.  Then we wrestled in turn with overcoming anger, lust, lying and the law of reciprocity.  We took a stab at defeating vainglory, avarice, worry and judgmentalism.

  The theory behind such an endeavor is that abiding in the kingdom of God is different than abiding in the kingdom of this world.  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I get more?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I give more?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I find myself?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I lose myself?”  Those who abide in this world ask, “How can I win friends and influence people?”  Those who abide in the kingdom ask, “How can I truly serve God?”  Ladies and gentlemen, there is a profound difference between abiding in the kingdom of this world…and abiding in the kingdom of God.  Our goal in this series of sermons is learning to abide in the kingdom of God.

  Today we continue the process of considering the communities that are meant to influence us from a spiritual standpoint.  Obviously, the community we’re talking about here is the church.  The issue we’ll be dealing with today is how the church becomes a generous community.  More specifically, the issue we’ll be dealing with today is this: How do I become generous myself?

  Perhaps in order to consider what it takes for us to become generous, we ought first to consider what it is that keeps us from being generous.  In this series of sermons, we’ve talked a lot about our narratives.  As I mentioned a moment ago, our narratives frame our understanding of God and of ourselves.  Thus, what might be the narrative that keeps us from being generous?  I suspect there are three, actually.  They are: a judgmental narrative, an entitlement narrative, and a scarcity narrative…a judgmental narrative, an entitlement narrative, and a scarcity narrative.

  Let’s consider our judgmental narrative first.  Perhaps we come by our judgmental narrative naturally because we think it’s really quite biblical.  Most of us are pretty sure that somewhere in the Bible it says, “The Lord helps those,” – say it with me now because I know you know it – “the Lord helps those…who help themselves.”  Do you know where it says that in the Bible?      It doesn’t say that in the Bible.  That phrase is actually found in a 1757 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanac, written by Benjamin Franklin.  Now, Benjamin Franklin said a lot of brilliant things, but this may not have been one of them.  Because the fact of the matter is, the Lord does not help those who help themselves.  The Lord helps those…who can’t help themselves.

  The Old Testament is full of stories where God intervened in people’s lives when they had exhausted all of their other options.  Case in point: Abraham when he longed for an heir; the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt; Elijah when Queen Jezebel vowed to put him to death.  The list goes on and on.  And truth be told, aren’t we more likely to turn to God for help when our own resources are exhausted…when we have nowhere left to turn?  The Lord doesn’t help those who help themselves.  The Lord helps those who can’t help themselves.

  Then there’s our entitlement narrative.  An entitlement narrative teaches us that the things we possess – be they time, talent or money – are ours to use as we see fit.  They are ours; we have earned them; we are entitled to them.  I think Scripture teaches us a slightly different narrative.  As I often say, “All that we have – and all that we are – are but products of God’s benevolence.”  Thus, nothing is necessarily ours.  We are stewards of God’s creation, not owners of God’s creation.  We may have worked hard to get where we are, but it was God who gave us the talent, it was God who gave us the drive, and it was God who provided the end result.

  If you have any doubt as to whether or not what I’m saying is true, think of this.  God and an atheist were having a debate.  God said, “Look at the world I have created.  Isn’t it marvelous?”  The atheist said, “I could do the very same thing.  Science has provided me with incredible capabilities.”  So God said, “Go ahead.  Let’s see you make a man out of the dust of the earth.”  At that, the atheist bent down and scooped up a handful of dirt.  And God said, “No, no.  You have to make your own dirt.”  It’s all about perspective.  Like I said, God is the source of all that we have and all that we are.  We are merely stewards of God’s creation, we are not the owners. 

  Yet perhaps the greatest narrative that hinders generosity is what some authors have termed the myth of scarcity.  We have this deep-seated, irrational fear that there may not be enough to go around.  When it comes to the issue of generosity, the theory is that whatever I give away is lost.  Whatever I provide for the needs of others contributes to my own potential lack of resources. 

  Gordon Bloomendaal was a minister friend of mine in the Dutch Reformed Church in Luverne, Minnesota.  Gordon’s motto was: If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much!  He reminded me of it often.  When Gordon was in seminary, he was serving a little church in rural Minnesota.  Now this was back in the 1950s, so – as you might suspect – his salary was exceedingly small.   What’s more, he had a wife and two children at the time.  Providing for his family and paying for seminary was an extremely difficult proposition for him.

  One Sunday morning, it came time for the offering.  He opened his wallet and all he found was a single one-dollar bill.  As he pulled that single one-dollar bill out of his wallet and placed it in the offering plate, he said a little prayer.  He said, “Lord, this is all that I have and we’re out of groceries.  I am trusting that – somehow – you will take care of things.”  That very afternoon – I kid you not – three families from the church each brought a carload of groceries to Gordon Bloomendaal’s house.  We may think that that which we give away is lost and that it contributes to our own potential lack of resources.  Yet when it comes to God, there’s no such thing as a myth of scarcity.  In fact, when it comes to God…there’s no such thing as scarcity at all.

  We’ve tried to shoot a few holes in that which keeps us from being generous.  Perhaps now it’s time to consider what it is that helps us become generous.  In the passage Dan read a moment ago from the book of Exodus, Moses had just led the Hebrew people out of bondage in Egypt.  There they were in the wilderness, and they found they had nothing to eat.  When Moses beseeched the Lord, God sent manna from heaven.  I can’t tell you exactly what that manna was.  The word “manna” itself is a Hebrew word that means, “What is it?”  In any case, the people found themselves to be in want and God provided...because the Lord helps those who can’t help themselves.

  Note also, however, that God instructed the people as to just how much they should gather.  “Gather as much of it as each of you needs,” God said, “an omer to a person.”  How much is an omer?  Well, an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.  Does that help?  Actually, an omer would work out to be just a little less than a gallon.  In God’s mind, that was all that a person would need.  Thus, the lesson here is clear.  In order for a person to actually become generous, that person must only take what he or she needs.

  Perhaps the word we’re looking for here is frugality.  Frugality means being careful about our resources.  It’s not the same as being stingy.  It does not mean that we have to be cheap.  Frugality means that we take what we need, but not necessarily everything we want.  As spiritual writer Dallas Willard once put it, “Practicing frugality means we stay within the bounds of what general good judgment would designate as necessary for the kind of life to which God has led us to live.”  Note that he says, “…for the kind of life to which God has led us to live,” not to the kind of life we may have fancied for ourselves.  The key to generosity is frugality, and the key to frugality…is discerning the kind of life we believe God is calling us to live.  What thus remains for us, I suspect, is discerning just exactly what kind of life we believe God is calling us to live.  That, my friends, you must do for yourselves.

  Yet one more thing still needs to be said.  Consider the passage I read a moment ago from the gospel according to Luke.  There once was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen, and who feasted sumptuously every day.  At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus – covered with sores – who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table.  Apparently, however, the rich man would not even give Lazarus that.

  It came to pass that both men died.  As a wise man once said, “No one gets out of here alive.”  The poor man was carried away by angels to be with Abraham.  The rich man found that he was in not quite so pleasant a place.  He begged Abraham to dispatch Lazarus to bring him some water, yet Abraham would not do so.  “During your lifetime,” he said to the rich man, “you received your good things, and Lazarus – in like manner – evil things.  But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.  Besides all this, between you and us, a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so…and no one can cross from there to here either.”  Where do you suppose it was that the rich man found himself?

  Lest we think our generosity does not matter, Jesus provides us with a stern warning.  Greediness, or stinginess, or even a lack of generosity…can have eternal consequences.  We have but one lifetime to get it right.  Jesus means to imply that generosity is important, but I think he also means to imply a bit of importunity.  Put another way, Jesus seems to be saying, “Live your life as you should…and you’d best be starting right now!”

  Erma Bombeck was a newspaper columnist who achieved fame in the 70s and 80s for writing down-to-earth books on humor in life.  She died of cancer in 1996.  Shortly after she was diagnosed with her disease, she wrote an essay entitled, “If I Had My Life to Live Over.”  I think it pertains to that about which we have been speaking.  Listen closely to her words.

·         If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

·         I would have invited friends over to dinner, even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

·         I would have eaten the popcorn in the good living room, and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

·         I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

·         I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

·         I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

·         I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

·         I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.

·         Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

·         There would have been more, “I love you’s,” and more, “I’m sorry’s.”

·         I would perhaps have had more actual troubles, but I’d have had fewer imaginary ones.

·         If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall.

·         If I had it to do over again, I would travel lighter next time.  I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds.  I would pick more daisies.  I would try to give so much more than I ever received.

  We need to discern what it is that we really need in life, and what it is that we can do without.  And as Jesus seems to indicate, we’d best be doing so as soon as possible.  The Lord helps those who can’t help themselves.  Thus, we have the opportunity to assist God in that process…and we have the assurance that God will be there for us when we need him, as well.  Amen.

 

09-01-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY

  There are many different translations of the Bible and – although each one may offer a slightly altered rendition of certain words – they all tend to basically agree on the important things.  In the year 1631, however, the Kings Printing House in London was authorized to reprint the King James Version of the Bible.  They provided a slightly different translation of the seventh commandment.  Instead of printing, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” they printed, “Thou shalt commit adultery.”

  This was considered quite scandalous at the time.  Head Printer Robert Barker was fined three hundred pounds.  That would be about four hundred and fifty dollars, and while that may not seem like much to us, four hundred years ago…I suspect it was a bit more significant.  In any case, after the error was discovered, the roughly one thousand Bibles that had already been printed were tracked down and destroyed.  Eleven copies survived.  One is on display at The Living Word National Bible Museum in Branson, Missouri.  I’ll bet you didn’t even know there was a Living Word National Bible Museum in Branson, Missouri!  Another can be purchased online, if the price is right.  As of the 5^th of August, I see that the going rate was $99,500.00.  How much would you be willing to pay to have your baser instincts justified biblically?

  Generally speaking, however, most of our translations of the Bible are in agreement on the important things.  For example, we all have four gospels in the New Testament of our Bibles, do we not?  They are: the gospel according to Matthew, the gospel according to Mark, the gospel according to Luke, and the gospel according to John.  Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the synoptic gospels because they – in essence – provide a “synopsis” of Jesus’ life.  Not so with the gospel according to John.  The gospel according to John reads more like an extended statement of faith.  Thus, in a nutshell, we could say that the synoptic gospels tell us what Jesus did, while the gospel of John attempts to tell us what Jesus means.  Are you with me?  Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us what Jesus did, while the gospel of John tries to tell us what Jesus means.

  Now immediately preceding the passage I read from the gospel according to John is the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with but five loaves of bread and two fish.  That is the only miracle story recorded in all four gospels.  After Jesus fed the five thousand, the synoptic gospels go off in a different direction.  The gospel of John, however, proceeds to tell us how the people reacted.

  Jesus fed five thousand people with but five loaves of bread and two fish.  It was a miracle that greatly impressed these people.  In fact, it impressed them so much that they didn’t even go home that night.  They camped out on the hillside where they had been fed.  When morning came, they set out in search of Jesus themselves.  When they were unable to find him on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, they crossed the sea in boats and found him in a town called Capernaum.  The first thing they said to Jesus was, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

  Now, unbeknownst to them, Jesus had walked across the Sea of Galilee, but that’s another story.  Jesus had impressed these people so much that they went to great lengths to find him.  So when they found him, they said, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

  Jesus did not even bother to answer their question.  Instead, he got right to the heart of the matter as to why they were looking for him in the first place.  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you: you seek me – not because you saw signs – but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”  In other words, “You’re not looking for signs of the coming kingdom of God.  You only want another free meal.”

  Jesus’ words to his peers seem a little bit harsh, do they not?  Perhaps they are harsh words for us to hear in this day and age, as well.  For example, we come to church – more or less on a regular basis – in search of Jesus as well, do we not?  But why do we come?  Why do we come to church?  Are we looking for signs of the coming kingdom of God?  Or are we – like the people of Jesus’ day – only looking for another free meal?  Put another way: Are we really looking for Jesus, or are we only looking for what Jesus can do for us?  Let me explain.

  I had a friend quite a number of years ago who was raised in the Presbyterian Church.  Yet once he reached adulthood, he joined the Methodist Church.  Why did he join the Methodist Church when he’d been raised a Presbyterian?  Was the Methodist preacher better?  Was the Methodist music more contemporary?  Was he struggling with the theological concepts of Arminianism versus the Reformed faith?  No, he joined the Methodist Church because it was the biggest church in town.

  You see, he owned a furniture store downtown, so – if he was a member of the biggest church in town – he felt it would increase his customer base.  I am not making this up; he told me that him-self.  My friend came to church in search of something.  Yet perhaps he came not looking for signs of the coming kingdom of God, but rather, he came because he was looking for that free meal.  Perhaps he came not looking for Jesus so much as he was looking for what Jesus could do for him.

  As is sometimes the case with us, so it was with the people who crossed the Sea of Galilee in search of Jesus.  They weren’t looking for Jesus so much as they were looking for what Jesus could do for them.  So Jesus, in essence, told them that they were wrong.  He said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.”  In other words, don’t try to build up treasures on earth, but rather, try to build up treasures in heaven.  You see, the distinction here is really quite clear.  When we are in search of what Jesus can do for us, our goal tends to lean toward building up treasures for ourselves.  Yet when we are really in search of Jesus Christ, our goal tends to lean toward building up treasures in heaven.  Do you see the difference?  One has the aim of building our personal kingdoms, while the other has the aim of building the kingdom of God.  Which one do you suppose Christ had in mind?

  Ah, but we can’t help but be a little bit selfish, can we?  After all, what’s the point of building up the kingdom of God if there’s nothing in it for us?  Bombarded as we are by buy now, pay later schemes, our “wants” quickly come to be perceived as “needs.”  And we’ve always been led to believe that Jesus provides for our needs, have we not?  So how do we come to look for Jesus…instead of what Jesus can do for us?

  I think it begins by looking at what Jesus has done for us.  Consider what Jesus says in verse 35.  “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”  In other words, Jesus is the bread of eternal life.  Those who partake of him are the blessed recipients of life everlasting.  Ladies and gentlemen, that’s what Jesus has done for us.  Our response should be one of gratitude, rather than constantly searching for something else Jesus can do for us.

  Later in this passage, Jesus indicates that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood.  He was making reference to the sacrament of communion, of course, but it was a concept that utterly appalled those who heard him.  John clearly indicates that this became a dividing line for Christ’s followers.  As he notes in a later verse, “After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.”

  Why did many of Jesus’ followers draw back and no longer go about with him?  Was it because they were appalled at Jesus’ graphic description of the sacrament of communion?  Or was it perhaps because they began to realize that Jesus had nothing to offer them but himself?  Personally, I think the latter is true.

  People quit following Jesus because he would not do for them what they wanted him to do.  Perhaps that’s true for us today, as well.  For example, the churches that tend to be booming these days are the churches that give people what they want.  We call it the Prosperity Gospel.  The churches that are struggling these days are the churches that teach Christians that they have a role to play in the coming kingdom of God.  Put another way, they ask: Does God exist to serve us, or do we exist to serve God?  I know that’s not necessarily what we want to hear…but it does have to do with our response to what Jesus Christ has already done for us.

  Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”  Jesus is talking about eternal life.  Those who have a part of him are the blessed recipients of eternal life.  Still, we tend to reply, “What about the present life?  As the bread of life, can Jesus sustain us in the here and now as well?”

  Rabbi Harold Kushner has written a book entitled, When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.  That’s a pertinent title for the Baby Boomer generation…and perhaps for Baby Busters and Gen Xers and Millennial Kids, as well.  Acquisition becomes the key as we spend our lives keeping up with the Joneses – as we try to earn enough money to have everything our hearts desire.   Then what happens?  We end up feeling empty inside…because all we’ve ever wanted – somehow – isn’t enough.  As Saint Augustine put it some sixteen hundred years ago, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.”

  This is where Jesus Christ – as the bread of life – can truly sustain us.  He provides bread for the journey…this journey we call life.  By taking part in the life of Christ, we find that peace and contentment we so desperately seek.  Yet how do we take part in the life of Christ?  How do we get our fill of bread for the journey?  Honestly, I think we get our fill of bread for the journey when we stop and take inventory of our lives so far.  Think for a moment about what you have …instead of what you lack.  Have you got your health?  Have you got a loving family?  Have you got a source of income?  Is there food on your table?  Are you surrounded by caring friends?  The list goes on and on.  The point is this: If you can say “yes” to any or all of the aforementioned questions, then you indeed know that God is in your life.  You have received bread for the journey so far.  Why, then, would you ever think…that it might run out?  Amen.