Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35
Message:
Last Sunday our lectionary brought us a message about the abundant presence of God. We also heard a prayer from the Letter to the Ephesians where the writer prayed that we might comprehend the enormity of God’s love for us. It is beyond our comprehension and there it is God loves us. God knows us as we truly are and loves us. Live in that love. Be as a people drenched in that love so that your very foot prints on the earth may live a mark of love wherever you go.
It is in compassionate love that Jesus feeds the 5000 in the gospel reading last week. Remember, he asked the disciples about finding enough food? It was a child who offered the little that he had, with a child’s heart not realizing that the little he had could not possibly be enough. Like that child we are called to be what we are no matter how small our loaves and fishes seem. We offer what we are and when we place this in the hands of Jesus it is more than enough.
And remember what happened next. After Jesus had feed the people, he knew that they had not gotten his message. They were happily full of bread but not full of the life giving presence Jesus was trying to bring to them. So, Jesus went away to pray.
This week we meet Jesus in the Gospel when those whose physical hunger was filled return to Jesus for another meal. Jesus confronts them with their lack of seeing the miracle. They even ignore that they have just been fed and ask him to give them a sign of who he is. They missed it.
There is a story of the little girl that I remember from some Sunday School teachers guide some years ago. I don’t know if the story is true and I love this story. A little girl goes into the room of her baby brother. Her mom is listening in on the baby monitor and over hears the little girl ask her brother, “ Tell me about heaven, I’m starting to forget.” I don’t know if this really happened and I love the story as it expresses both how each of us is a gift from heaven and it each of us start to forget who and whose we are. “Tell me about heaven, I’m starting to forget.”
That’s what the writer of letter to the Ephesians reminds the believers about. We who welcome the love of God have a calling, a purpose. We are called to have unity of Spirit in peace. The writer says that we get to this unity of Spirit that brings peace by bearing with one another in love.
This love is the most telling gift of the Spirit. This love bears with one another. It is not a feeling. This is a love characterized by humility, gentleness, and patience.
That is our purpose, to unite with the Spirit that bring peace as we bear one another in love. The writer give three practices of bearing one another.
1. Humility. What are your gifts? Think about them. Are you good at organizing, creating, following instructions, formulating ideas... What are your gifts that you can offer to the building up of the body united in Spirit. Now, with that, what are you not gifted at. Filing is a rare gift. The gift of letting things go... To have humility is not to put yourself down. True humility is when you know yourself so well you can offer your gifts eagerly and face up to your non gifts with appreciation for those who have the gift... It is holding one another in our gifts and non gifts as well. Humility...
2. Gentleness. To hold one another in gentleness in the faith community is seek each person as a treasure. There is no other like that one next to you. Each a special expression of God’s presence.
3. Patience. To have patience is to act as God acts with us. It is to endure and to hold fast to that vision known in Jesus... patience only is possible for those who have hope. and our hope is only possible when we have a sense of the Spirit moving among us and with us...
Have hope in this abundant God that we may fulfill the vision of God. This week, our church leaders are taking a silent retreat. They will still be in the world and in their every day lives but they will not be doing the administrative tasks. They will not take calls or emails for this week. Any questions are welcome at the office. During this time they will take time each day to be with God. Call it prayer, meditation, a walk, a silent time.
I have envelops with a card for each day, starting today and you are all welcome to join them in this retreat that is in the world of our everyday lives. For my family, our silence will be that there will be no TV this week. What noise will you turn off for the week so that you can have more time to unite with the Spirit in silence.
The journey this week is to be in silence with God each day this week.
This week let us be united in Spirit int he sharing of this meal and in the sharing of the Spirit. Take a moment in your day and simply be with God so that we might better unite in the work we are called to do.
