2
Kings 4:42-44 New Revised Standard Version
Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we’ll never comprehend what he knows and does. God puts the fallen on their feet again and pushes the wicked into the ditch.
"A
man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to
the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in
his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.”
But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred
people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat,
for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’”
He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to
the word of the Lord."
John 6:1-15 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
"After
this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called
the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept
following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the
sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down
there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the
festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large
crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy
bread for these people to eat?” He said this
to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy
enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One
of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But
what are they among so many people?” Jesus
said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of
grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.
Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks,
he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as
much as they wanted. When they were satisfied,
he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that
nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them
up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those
who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When
the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This
is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
When
Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to
make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself."
It
was, and still is...a hungry world. Sometimes it is physical hunger,
sometimes spiritual...or emotional...but I think we can all agree,
the world is hungry for something. And Jesus knew one thing –
people can't concentrate on anything when they are distracted by
hunger. Even something as important as his radical idea of God's
unwavering and unconditional love will get pushed aside when the
human, physical needs are all consuming.
I've
learned a lot in the last few years about people in poverty. I work
for a local non-profit that provide rental housing options for people
with disabilities. Many of these folks have never been able to work
and therefore survive on the $750 per month from SSI. Even with rent
subsidy and other supports they often find themselves on the edge
financially. And I can tell you that while they are in the midst of a
crisis, they have a hard time seeing beyond the next day, or
hour...or minute. When they have to choose between medications or
meals – it is hard to think about anything else.
Jesus
knew that the people weren't going to be able to focus on his message
until their hunger was quenched. And so he asked the disciples what
they were going to do about it.
And
they didn't have a very good plan. Phillip manages to assess the size
of the problem. Which, as usual, isn't a very helpful part of solving
a problem. If your buddy has just broken his leg skateboarding off a
staircase – pointing out that the bone sticking out is a bad
sign...well, that's just not terribly helpful is it? Andrew at least
finds SOMETHING. But he is almost apologetic when he tells Jesus
about this boy with 5 loaves and a couple fish. “I don't know what
good it'll do,” he seems to moan.
But
Jesus is more than ready to take a small resource and use it beyond
the wildest of expectations. And he's ready to take our small
offerings to make an unexpected impact in our hungry world.
A
lady named Mamie always went to a branch post office in her town
because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to
buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were
particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait
in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. "I
know," said Mamie, 'but the machine won't ask me about my
arthritis."
We
all feel a need to be a part of community. A sense of belonging. That
someone cares for us even when we feel like we are on the sidelines.
Part of being church is that caring, bringing people on the outside
into the warmth of God's love and grace.
Jesus
was compassionate to the people he met, especially when they were in
the midst of crisis or hurting or marginalized. Sometimes the void to
be filled isn't stomach pains but a deeper hunger for healing of
body, mind or soul. In Mark 1, Jesus cast out a demon from a man he
met in the synagogue. Verses 21-28 tell this story: Then they
entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in
getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. They
were surprised at his teaching—so forthright, so confident—not
quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars. Suddenly, while
still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was
deeply disturbed and yelling out, “What business do you have here
with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to! You’re the
Holy One of God, and you’ve come to destroy us!”
Jesus
shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The afflicting spirit threw
the man into spasms, protesting loudly—and got out. Everyone there
was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. “What’s going on here? A
new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic
spirits and sends them packing!” News of this traveled fast and was
soon all over Galilee.
So
news is spreading and Jesus' cover is blown – even demons know he
is the Messiah! Does Jesus go into hiding, knowing that those in
power will be threatened by him? No, he goes to the home of Simon and
Andrew and finds Simon's mother-in-law sick with fever. I had a fever
last week. For those of us in modern times, a fever may not sound
that serious – after all, we have fever-reducers like Advil and
Tylenol, antibiotics and other medications to deal with the source of
the illness, hospitals with doctors and nurses if our fevers don't
respond. But in Jesus' day, this fever was a very serious situation.
When Andrew and Simon told Jesus about the situation – he just came
and lifted her up. The fever was gone and she started fixing dinner.
Extraordinary. By evening, the whole city was gathered at the door
and Jesus was curing those who were sick with diseases and casting
out demons. The whole city was gathered at the door. A hurting world
flocking to the promise of healing.
People
with demons and diseases were not welcome in community. They were
pronounced “unclean” and put on the sidelines. Jesus' act of
healing meant their restoration. They were a part of society again.
They were able to worship again. They were, like Simon's
mother-in-law, able to serve again.
I
just had a sinus infection this past week – something I've dealt
with before and will deal with again. While I was sick, I was
isolated – partly because I didn't want to share my sickness with
anyone else – and partly because when I'm sick, I'm like a wounded
animal who crawls off to lick its wounds. But my isolation was not
only temporary, it was self-imposed. Nothing forbade me from leaving
my home and doing what I wanted. I could have gone to the store or to
work or to church. The people that Jesus was healing were pushed
to the outside.
For
those who have been relegated to the sidelines of life, those who
have been denied equal access, those who society has declared
“unclean” or “undesirable” or “unworthy,” the message
that Jesus brings restoration is like cool water in a desert. We are
NOT forgotten. Eugene Peterson's The Message phrases Isaiah 40:27-31
in this way, “Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine,
Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what
happens to me”?
Don’t
you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come
and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or
imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his
breath. And he knows everything, inside and out.
He
energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For
even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime
stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t
get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”
That
is the God we believe in. The God that we serve. He gives strength
and energy. He lifts up the fallen and they spread their wings and
soar like eagles. That restoration is what Jesus came to tell the
world about.
He
got a lot of people's attention with his healing ministry. It gets to
the point that Jesus couldn't go into a town without being
overwhelmed by the crowds.
But
there is a subtext to these physical healings that many overlook. It
is more than the body that is healed – the spirit is lifted up and
the people are changed by their encounter with Jesus. And the word
spreads! God's love is for everyone – and all are invited to be
part of that community.
In
Mark 2:1-5 we hear another story about physical healing: “When he
returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at
home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them,
not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.
Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by
four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of
the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug
through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins
are forgiven.”
After
some exchange with the religious scholars who were present, Jesus
tells the man to pick up his mat and go home. And he does. It's a
great story of healing. But I recently got a new perspective on this
familiar Bible story. Father Greg Boyle talks about it in his book,
Tattoos on the Heart. He talks about the four men who brought the
paralytic.
When
they arrived with their friend, they found the crowd was too great to
get inside the house where Jesus was. They didn't want to miss the
opportunity, so they literally dug through the roof to lower their
friend into Jesus' presence. They ripped off the roof so they he
could be let inside.
Here
is where we have to hear Jesus' voice – asking us, like he asked
the disciples when the crowd was gathered on the hill - “these
people are in need...what are you going to do about it?” How many
roofs have we been ripping off lately? How excited are we to
introduce our friends to the healing power of Jesus? Are there people
on the sidelines of life that need to meet the one who knows our
names? To meet the God who counts the stars and assigns each a name.
Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we’ll never comprehend what he knows and does. God puts the fallen on their feet again and pushes the wicked into the ditch.
We
need to rip some roofs off. We need to go outside and see the people
who are hurting and need Jesus. We need to find every way possible to
get them connected to the one who loves them – and let them know
that he does.
There
are people who are hurting out there. People who need to see the love
of God. We have neighbors who don't have enough to eat, who need a
listening ear, who need a helping hand to get back on their feet,
neighbors who face barriers that we can dismantle. They are
counting on us.
We
have the power to show them God's love. But we have to understand
something very important. They will experience God's love through the
love we show. And they will be able to tell if it is genuine.
...they'll know. They will know if we are helping them out of a sense
of obligation or if our helping them is just an extension of the joy
we have in being loved so much by God.
They
will know we are Christians by our love. By the way we show love to
the world. We affect the way people encounter God through us.
You
see? They'll know! They will figure it out before we even get the
chance to tell them about Jesus and the unfathomable love he has for
every single person. Mahatma Ghandi said, “I like your Christ, I do
not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Do not let this be our story.
Let
our story be about how we ripped off roofs to introduce a hurting
world to the love of the one who knows our name. Who can't wait to
see us face to face.
Who
are the people that you know that are on the outside waiting for a
roof to be ripped off? Who is just waiting to be invited in?
Right
here in our community we have opportunities to be roof rippers. Maybe
you can help build a Habitat house for a family who has struggled
with shelter. Or maybe you can be a mentor to a young person. Or
perhaps you can just pick up the phone and call someone who is
lonely. I could list dozens of possibilities and a lot of you are
already ripping roofs for people you encounter in your lives.
How
are we feeding the 5000? How are we showing God's love to a hungry
world? Who is on the margins needing to be welcomed inside? Maybe –
maybe the person on the sidelines is you. Perhaps you feel like you
are outside of the circle of God's love. Let me rip a roof off for
you – let me give you a hint of God's love toward us. If we can
grasp that concept – then the rest is just making sure that light
shines through you.
The
mission statement of the United Methodist Church states that we are
“to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the
world.” Disciples, by biblical definition aren't simply worship
attenders or financial givers, but people who answer the call to
follow Jesus with their lives. And their love.
They'll
know we are Christians by our love. Everyone needs to hear about this
incredible. Unfathomable. Unconditional. Love. When we dive into the
depths of that unfathomable love, then we start to see the people
around us differently. And this love thing starts to spread.
And
now I'll share the message to the church at Ephesus from Paul...as
paraphrased by Eugene Peterson's The Message. In this passage Paul is
praying for the ministry and impact of the Ephesisans – but he
could be speaking to New Bethel UMC just as well. Hear this as a
message to each of us on the presence and POWER of our God. Embrace
the assurance in these words that God will be with us as we feed his
hungry world.
Ephesians 3:14-21 The Message
My
response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this
magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to
strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious
inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door
and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly
on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the
extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience
the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights!
Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
God
can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or
guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us
around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within
us.
Glory
to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
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