A Life worth Living

PPLP - Thanksgiving Sunday

Pentecost + 18 Proper / Lectionary 28

9 October 2022

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Psalm 100

Philippians 4:4-9

John 6:25-35

God, whose word is engrained

in all we eat and drink:

free us from the greed that destroys the roots of life;

teach us to eat the living bread

in whom all hungers are satisfied

by the life that gives itself and is never sapped,

Jesus Christ, the living Word. Amen.

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Today’s gospel may be one of the more complex that we read, only because it touches on the mystery of what it means to Receive the body and Blood of Christ, the sacrament.

So, the word ‘mystery’ truly applies because as we see, in today’s gospel, Jesus points out humanity’s desire for ‘a free meal’ is more what is gravitated to, as opposed to a meal that makes one free.

And yet, the people, as we are able to see in the world today, thinks that God’s grace, the gift that makes one free is something to be earned, a reward from God for getting all of the pieces in the right order. In addition, we add conditions, strings, to that free meal for which we long.

Yet at the same time, we stand there demanding signs of Jesus that he is truly the Son of God.

So, then, here is the true mystery. Here is the gift from God.

When God created the world, created Adam and Eve as part of creation, God didn’t ask them if they wanted God to be a part of their lives. Instead, God walked in the garden, in the evening and spent time in their company. (Gen 3:8)

When God attempted to destroy sin in the flood, God gave Noah the means to save his family and to continue to be the people of God in the world. After the flood, God was still among the family of Noah. (Gen 9)

When the Hebrew people faced destruction due to famine, God made provision for them in Egypt, and sent Joseph ahead to prepare the way for God’s people to survive. (Gen 37-50)

When the Hebrew nation, trapped in slavery in Egypt, cried out for freedom, God equipped Moses to be able to lead them from being slaves to being the Israelite Nation, and he led them for 40 years, with God’s guidance. (Exodus, Deuteronomy)

What I’m trying to say is that at each step God was and continues to be an integral part of the lives of the people, of our lives. And yet it’s not something that is able to be earned. It’s not a reward for ‘right action.’

Rather it’s the ongoing and consistent gift of the love of God.

The mystery is that each one of us is treasured. We are loved by God, and like writing thank you notes for gifts received when we were young, all God desires is to be acknowledged as being a part of our lives of faith.

Not just looking back at how God has guided and provided for us, but instead looking at how God has fed us and guided us, but how God continues to move with us into each of our futures, as well.

The gospel for today shows us how the people are seeking out Jesus. They’re looking for him, because at the beginning of this chapter, Jesus fed the 5000.

They came to the wilderness, not sure of what it is they’re looking for, it was so good that people are still talking about how Jesus took a child’s lunch of bread and fish and made it stretch to feed everyone who was there until everyone was full.

And yet today’s gospel starts “25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” (Jn 6:25-26)

And in that mindset, then, how many of the 5000 have run around the lake, to just be where Jesus is, in the hopes of another free lunch?

They, like we, have forgotten, often forget that God is a consistent part of each one of our lives. But the marvel of the miracles lives on, still today, when we find ourselves blessed beyond measure, or when events take a positive turn and for all our analysis, we don’t see how this might have happened.

Jesus, today, reminds us that God is all around us, and that God is an active part of our lives.

Jesus reminds us: “27Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ 29Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’” (Jn 6:27-29)

Jesus tells us, once again, that God wishes for so much more than we can ask or imagine for each of our lives.

At which point we look for the strings. “30So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?” (Jn 6:30)

And I’m reminded of an apt ‘modern proverb’ that says: “A man convinced against his will is of his own opinion still.”

Do these people want to believe? Or do they want to be convinced each and every time, like a dinner and a show.

They want the easy way out, without growing, without stretching, except for the salt and pepper.

But its that stretching and growing that we do in God that reminds us that everything we have is a gift from God.

We are reminded that God has given us life, and love, and means for living in this world.

We are reminded that such gifts have been consistent in the world since the moment of creation.

“32Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn 6:32-35)

Does this mean we have to do anything special? Perhaps jump on one foot for 30 seconds, while turning counter-clockwise?

Or maybe we are to pat our head and rub our stomach in a circular manner, simultaneously?

All God desires from each one of us is to be acknowledged as an active participant in each of our lives, every day.

All God wishes from us is to be included in the making of any and all decisions on our lives, so that we are able to lean back on God’s love and guidance for each one of us.

The rest of the bible tells us of the ongoing way God has and continues to be a part of our lives.

We are able to recall the crucifixion of Jesus, when, like the serpent in the wilderness, we are encouraged to look and believe (Jn 3:1-21)

We see the conversion of Saul who becomes the greatest advocate for the spread of Christianity testifying in each community, in each letter how God has turned his life around.

And Paul, who was Saul, is quick to point out that this isn’t an easy life, but it is a life worth living.

At every stage of life, in every page of the bible, we find where God is waiting to be acknowledged not just as the author of our faith but as a full partner in each of our lives.

At every step, in every instance, we are surrounded by the love of God, we are encouraged in the pathways that God places before our feet, and we are able to go where God needs us to go.

We are like Paul. We are like all of the characters of the bible, as we embrace the mystery of faith that tells us that Jesus, the Son of God, is “the bread of life.” (Jn 6:35)

Is this easy to understand?

No, this is why we consider it to be a mystery of our faith.

A mystery around which we centre our faith, our very lives of faith, and we understand that Jesus is talking about so much more than food.

The people are here looking for a free meal, and Jesus points out that we are hungry for more than just bread and fish.

We are hungry for the love of God, we are starved for the inclusion of God in each of our lives, because we had thought we’d discovered something that is better.

We’ve turned away from the diet that feeds us, body and soul for something that leaves us craving what we don’t know that we want or need.

Then Jesus, in the midst of the wilderness made “five small barley loaves and three small fish” (Jn 6:9) to feed everyone who was there.

We believe that we see Jesus as the origin of this unexpected feast, yet even he lays the credit at God’s feet.

We want to be convinced, yet its not the spectacle that we desire, really, but rather to know that it is a gift from God, that is renewed every day.

As God’s Son, here to teach us to remind us to return to the love of God not just on Sunday’s, or the Sabbath Day, but every day, Jesus reminds us “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn 6:35)

This is our mystery. This we believe.

Amen.