How are we witnesses?

So much has happened in the past week:

·         Gunmen in Egypt killed more than 24 people and wounded 25 after they opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians on [Friday] May 26.[i]

·         Floods and torrents of mud unleashed by heavy rains in Sri Lanka have killed 91 people and left 110 others missing, and authorities have appealed for international help. More than 61,000 affected by heavy rain that started early on Friday. [ii]

·         An explosion at a concert in Manchester killed 22 people, and many more were wounded.

We yearn for a simpler time.

1997, Twenty years ago[iii],

·         Both Mother Theresa and Princess Diana died

·         58 tourists and four Egyptians were shot dead outside Luxor’s Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

·         Peruvian commandos successfully stormed the Japanese ambassador’s house in Lima, where hundreds of hostages had been held for 126 days by 14 members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA).

We back a bit further:

1967, 50 years ago[iv],

·         The Vietnam war

·         The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were in the charts

·         Israel won a six-day war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

1917, 100 years ago[v],

·         Albert Einstein published his first paper

·         Russian Revolution

·         The First World War

Over 2 centuries ago, what do we know about life then?

·         In the first century, Romans ruled the Mediterranean area known as Palestine (modern day Israel), …. In the hierarchy of power, the Jewish self-government reported to the authority of the local Roman government (King Herod), which reported to Rome (Emperor Caesar).

·         The economy of first century Israel was supported by three key segments: agriculture of olives, figs, grains, dates, and vineyards; trade fostered by Israel’s key location on the Mediterranean Sea; and large government building projects sponsored by King Herod. There was a very large disparity between rich and poor.[vi]

·         Essentially the Roman Empire of the first two centuries A.D. was a slave state with a small minority who had any pride or freedom in their lives, …. There was little of what we should call family life, few homes of comfortable living and active thought and study; schools and colleges were few and far between.[vii]

This is the world at the time Jesus – foreign occupiers, fear, slavery and following the traditions of the village that you were unlikely to ever leave.

Into this world, we hear from Luke in his second Book, the book of Acts.

For forty days after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples in a variety of ways. Then we hear that Jesus told the disciples:

the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world. [CEV]

These are the last words of Jesus that are recorded by Luke.

Just focus on this:

The Holy Spirit will flood over you

and drench you with power,

giving you the passion

and courage

to be my witnesses.

Then you will be able to tell everyone about me, ….” [©2002 Nathan Nettleton ][viii]

Next week we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as recorded in the book of Acts. 

Wind.

Flames.

Voices.

Good news spoken.

Lives changed.

This week, we heard how the risen Jesus, gave a few final words to his disciples, and then drifted off up to the clouds.

Jesus passed the baton to the disciples. Go and tell everyone, everywhere about me.

And the rest, is history – after Pentecost, the early church grew like topsy, and not just in Jerusalem, but all over the known world. And it wasn’t easy, people were killed for being Christian.

What about us?

Where are we in this story?

Into all this stuff happening in the world,

The violence and pain we see on the news,

as well as the pain of grief,

the despair of unemployment

and the loneliness many people feel.

How are we witnesses,

how do we tell with our lives?

not just our voices,

what Jesus has done.

What would you like people to learn about Jesus from your life?

In what ways do you think your life shows those facets of the life and teaching of Jesus?

Our lives are witnesses to Jesus.

Not only when we think we are talking about Jesus.

Jesus was a person of

• ·         prayer
• ·         compassion
• ·         forgiveness

he was a

• ·         healer
• ·         teacher
• ·         companion

he spoke against those people and practices

• ·         that ripped people off,
• ·         that labelled people unclean
• ·         that judged people for being ill or poor.

What would you like people to learn about Jesus from your life?

In what ways is your life a witness to the life of Jesus?

---

[i] https://sojo.net/articles/gunmen-kill-more-20-coptic-christians-egypt

[ii] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-27/sri-lanka-mudslides-leave-thousands-homeless/8565096

[iii] http://metro.co.uk/2007/12/05/top-10-stories-of-1997-579195/

[iv] https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/02/50-years-ago-a-look-back-at-1967/516174/

[v] https://worldhistoryproject.org/1917

[vi] http://www.swcs.com.au/firstcenturypalestine.htm

[vii] http://www.bartleby.com/86/35.html

[viii] http://laughingbird.net/ComingWeeks.html

an unknown God

Acts 17:22-28; John 14:15-20, 25-27 

We live in a time when people are interested in spirituality, but not any religion in particular,

a time when people who grew up attending worship and youth group are no longer interested in ‘church’

we live in a time when fewer people than in the past know the basics of Christianity.

When I was growing up, I don’t remember having Scripture classes at school, they may have happened, but I don’t remember them.
My parents did not attend worship, or have anything to do with church.
My brother and I went to Sunday School with the lady a few doors up for maybe 2 years.
But, I wondered what it meant that Australia was a Christian country.

Did it mean we were all automatically Christians?
From the little that I knew, I decided that everyone couldn’t be Christian, because some people did the wrong thing – I obviously hadn’t heard about grace   [smiley face]

Faith is a mystery in many ways, so many people feel that there is more to life than what they can see; yet for many people the church is not a place they look to answer that need.

Paul is visiting Athens, where there are idols to many Gods, including an idol to the ‘unknown God’.

Paul didn’t tell the people of Athens off, for having so many Gods.
He didn’t tell them they were going to hell
or that they were outside God’s love.
He talked about the God he knew, not giving every detail of the story, and connecting with the people’s interest in religion and poetry.

When so many people today are not interested in ‘the church’, but are searching for something more in life,
when people don’t have years of Bible stories and Sunday school
I wonder how can we speak to people in ways that connect with their experience, that answers the questions they are asking.

Sure, we could go and stand on the beach and tell people about sin and the cross and hell – but …

•             what if instead we lived in ways that showed people love. Not because they deserve it, but because they are part of God’s creation.

•             what if we took seriously questions about shame, guilt, life, death, forgiveness, pain and grief. Not with easy answers, but willing to listen to people’s experience.

•             what if we were prepared to say we don’t know the answers to everything about God and Jesus and faith

•             what if instead of talking about punishment for sin, we showed God’s desire to heal the wounds our sin causes.

When people are looking for something that makes sense of life, how do we talk about our experience of God?

As I mentioned last week, John has this very long section of Jesus telling his disciples he will soon die, and reminding them of how to live.

Jesus is saying: don’t be afraid, I will send another advocate, another companion. Just as Jesus has been with the disciples, walking beside them, teaching them, showing them how to live; after he dies, the Holy Spirit will come and continue to guide them and be present with them.

You may have noticed that this section begins: “If you love me, you will do as I command.”

If….

Is this a threat like: if you don’t tidy your room you won’t get any dinner?
Or, if you eat your vegies you can have dessert.

There is another way to look at this, Jesus is stating a fact. This isn’t a threat, but a reality. When we love someone, we will follow their teaching and example.[i]

And what was the teaching and example of Jesus?

Love

Grace

Healing

….

“We remember ... that Jesus has also said, ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another’. (John 13:34)

The commandment is to love, to be loved.

It has to do with an abiding in and with God and with one another. It is a mutual relationship.” [ii]

Our love of Jesus is expressed in being "agents of God's love in the world."[iii] We don’t do that on our own, that is what Jesus is saying here, keep my commandments, love one another, and I am sending a companion, the Holy Spirit will guide and lead you, just as I have been with you, guiding, teaching and loving you.

Sentimental love or a cherished memory will not give us the courage and confidence to speak on behalf of the poor, to be obedient when it is uncomfortable or unpopular or illegal.

Christianity is about being a follower of Jesus, not an admirer or a fan.

When things get tough for the disciples, and the early church, they are being encouraged to remember the life Jesus showed them, and the teaching about being loved and loving.

We can remember the life of Jesus, and treat it as a good story; or we can remember the life of Jesus and allow it to change us, so that we allow Jesus to live in and through us.

Have you ever felt the prompting of the Spirit?

The other week in hospital, one night the lady next to me was in pain. My first thought was that I am a patient, and the nurses will sort it out.  But I knew I should speak to her. So, I pulled the curtain back, and asked if she was in pain? She was, but had been on painkillers for 3 weeks and didn’t want anymore because of the side effects. I suggested she ask the nurse, which she did. The nurse went to get some medication for her. The patient asked me why I bothered talking with her. Well, to be honest I was tempted to stay out of it, but something inside me connected with the humanity and pain of this woman.  To me that was a prompting of the Holy Spirit, telling me that this woman needed kindness, and I should get out of bed and let her know she is not alone.

This section from John finishes with Jesus saying: I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give.

The challenge, as always, is to hear Jesus speaking to us as well as the disciples, knowing that if Jesus was here today giving this sermon, he would use different words to 2000 years ago.

While much has changed in that time, I think much of our humanness is the same. Several people have written about the basic human needs.  

Anthony Robbins has written the 6 core needs of people:[iv]

• •     Certainty - security and predictability
• •     Variety - surprise and challenges and change
• •     Significance -  feeling needed, a sense of importance
• •     Love and connection
• •     Constant emotional, spiritual and intellectual development
• •     The need to contribute, to care for others, to give beyond ourselves.

For me, the Christian life fulfils each of these needs:

Jesus offers us peace and security
The Holy Spirit brings surprises and challenges.
God gives each of us gifts that are to be used for the good for all, and we are called to seek the coming kingdom
And each one is loved, and lives in God, and God in us – how much more connected could we be.

  

We live in a time when people are seeking life; abundant, fulfilling, meaningful life.  How do we speak of our experience of faith in ways that connect with people?

Not belittling, or putting them down, or speaking words of judgement.

How do we speak of life and love and peace with people who don’t know about Jesus or church or the Bible?

When people are looking for something that makes sense of life, how do we talk about our experience of God?

May the Spirit give you courage and confidence to speak the words of life.

---

[i] Kathryn Matthews, U.C.C. SAMUEL

[ii] Spill the Beans 25 May 2014

[iii] Kathryn Matthews, U.C.C. SAMUEL

[iv] http://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/6-core-human-needs-by-anthony-robbins/

Don't be afraid, go and tell

The angel said: don’t be afraid.

The newspaper article is about the Mother of All Bombs the USA dropped on Afghanistan, and how Russia has the Father of all Bombs, which is even bigger, and on the news last night there was a story about North Korea and weapons.

The angel said: don’t be afraid.

It seems that so much of our time and expertise goes into killing and maiming and destroying people and buildings and the earth. Just like Pax Romano – the peace of the Roman Empire. Do what you are told, don’t make a fuss and no-one gets hurt. Except we all are hurt by the constraint and the fear that such a regime imposes.

The women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning, were not expecting anything to have changed. The dead body of Jesus had been wrapped in a cloth and placed in a tomb, and sealed tight.

Then Matthew writes of an earthquake;

and the stone is rolled away;

and an angel says to them: don’t be afraid.

I don’t know about you, but if the person who I thought was God had just been executed, and then then the second earth tremor in 3 days and then an angel speaking to me, well I think I might be terrified.

As people who believe in the life changing power of resurrection, in whatever way we understand that, it can be tempting to end the story here. We have been through Lent, and Holy Week, and read or listened to the long chapters of betrayal, arrest, mistreatment, and crucifixion, and finally we get the happy ending to the story. Jesus is alive. The end.

But the resurrection is not the end of the story.

The story of God’s love did not start with the birth of Jesus and did not finish with the death, or even resurrection of Jesus.

I wonder what it means to not be afraid, when we live in a world where it is easy to see the pain of Good Friday; tragedies of suicide; terrorism; famine; child abuse; violence in the home; ….

How might resurrection speak to the pain and fear that infects our lives?

The story of God’s love for the world and each one of us continues as long as we tell the story and live the story.

Last Sunday I spoke about how Jesus came to change the game, to bring in a new way of being, a new kingdom.
Jesus didn’t come to beat the Romans with military might.

Jesus didn’t come to beat the religious leaders in spirituality contest.

Jesu came to show a different way of living.

One without fear

One without oppression

Without violence

Without hate and poverty.

A letter to the editor this week suggested that instead of weapons, the US could drop bombs of food and books and medicine. This reminded me of a story:

“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon.
A happiness weapon.
A beauty bomb.
And every time a crisis developed,
we would launch one.
It would explode high in the air -
explode softly - and send thousands, millions,
of little parachutes into the air.
Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas.
And we wouldn't go cheap, either -
not little boxes of eight.
Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in.
With silver and gold and copper,
magenta and peach and lime,
amber and umber and all the rest.
And people would smile
and get a little funny look on their faces
and cover the world with imagination.” [i]

What if instead of seeing how has the biggest bomb that can destroy more people, we didn’t retaliate, we bombed with love and hope and beauty and food?

What if instead of seeing who is the fastest or the brightest or the one with the most toys, we encouraged each other to live out the life God has given us, to use what we have for the good of the Kingdom of God?

The story of the life and death and resurrection continues to be told today. Because the women at the tomb went and told the disciples. And after Jesus appeared to the disciples, they wrote of their experiences.

Peter spoke: We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. …  And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead.”

Both the angel and Jesus tell the women: don’t be afraid, and then ‘to go and tell’.

Don’t be afraid, go and tell.

What story do you have to tell?

What story do you have to tell of new life,
of light after darkness,
of peace in the midst of pain,
of joy in the midst of fear.

What story do you have to tell?

Tell that story and

Tell the story of Jesus –

The story of compassion,

of grace,

of inclusion,

of acceptance,

of healing,

of liberation.

Tell it in words and actions

Tell it with your time and your money,

with your voice and your hands,

tell the story of love with your life.

Don’t be afraid, go and tell

---

[i] All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten Robert Fulghum, p52/196

civil disobedience or divine obedience

Exodus 1:8-2:10

Matthew 16:13-20

“whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Peter is given the keys to the kingdom.  Peter, the rock on which the church is built; there is a word play going on here, as the word for Peter in Greek, is like the word for rock.

one implication is that the church has the keys to the kingdom. just imagine you have the keys, do you use the key to lock the door and guard the entrance? or do you use the key to unlock the door for everyone to enter?

often in the church we talk about heaven and hell as places that exist after death; I think heaven and hell exist, but they exist here, in this dimension of time and space.  it is easy for us to think the keys to the kingdom are for keeping out the ‘wrong’ people; but in doing so at times we make life hell for each other.

during this past week at the retreat we looked at holiness, shame and vulnerability:

how often do you worry about saying something in case people laugh at you?

how often do you worry that you are not enough, not clever enough, or pretty enough, or strong enough,…?

how often do you worry that people won’t like you if they knew what you were really like?

that is shame. guilt is sorry for something you have done, shame is sorry for who you are. many people feel shame, it keeps us small, trying to not get noticed.

shame also makes it hard for us to be vulnerable, yet we need to know vulnerability if we are to feel empathy, if we are to act with courage, if we are to stand alongside people who are hurting. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable means being honest with ourselves, and with others, about who we are. and yes it can be hard.

..

the Hebrew people were in Egypt because Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, and Joseph ended up in Egypt, did a good job and was promoted by the then Pharaoh. then famine hit the homeland and Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt looking for food, and so the whole family moves to Egypt.

years later we pick up the story, there is a new Pharaoh who doesn’t know Joseph, and the Hebrew people are large in number. so Pharaoh does what many in his positon have done throughout history, and continue to do; he got scared. ‘ He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land."

heard anything like that recently?

Pharaoh not only was worried, but told the people of Egypt to be worried.  there is no suggestion that Hebrews and Egyptians had not lived peacefully until then.

the Pharaoh, the King, was scared, the Hebrew people are made to be slaves, they build cities, they are oppressed and still they breed. the fear increases and the oppression increases.  until finally the King decides that something has to be done; all the baby boys will be killed.

but there are some flaws in his plan:

1. the midwives are about life not death
2. the river that is meant to be the place of death, maintains life
3. and girls/women were more trouble than the king imagined they would be.

 

This story is one with a number of heroines: the midwives who refused to kill, the mother and sister of Moses who refused to give up hope and the Egyptian Princess who refused to ignore a child.  This reminded me of other times when women have been the ones to speak out against injustice and violence.  women like the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, who met as they looked for their ‘disappeared’ children, during the military dictatorship in 1976 – 1983 in Argentina; women like Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan form Northern Ireland who received the Noble Peace Prize in 1976. these women were generally in traditional homemaker roles. the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo were demanding their right to care for their children – something they couldn’t do when their children were taken by the secret police.   

Moses grows up and God calls him to free the people from slavery, and leads them out of Egypt, safely through the water that kills the Egyptians. there are a lot more steps in the journey until we get to that point. sometimes it can seem that God saves the people from slavery in one giant amazing miracle, but there are small steps throughout the story of Moses. and each step is necessary for the story as a whole.

“It's a courageous act of civil disobedience that changes history, And it all starts here, with two women willing to say "no" to an act of injustice. I doubt very much they thought they were changing the world. But they were, just by being faithful, by following the dictates of their hearts, by heeding the call of conscience.

The things we do this week -- our actions, decision, choices -- will, in fact, ripple out with consequences foreseen and unforeseen, for good or for ill, for the health or damage of the world. That question isn't whether, but what...what will we do this week to make a difference in the world.” [David Lose, working preacher]

 

the action of the midwives is ‘civil disobedience’, or as one person has put it  ‘divine obedience’. [http://sweetjubilee.tumblr.com/post/79831990907/imagine-a-woman-confronting-injustice-shiphrah-puah]

we can stay out of sight, we can hide, or we can stand up, we can speak out, we can protect life.

here is a  quote from Nelson Mandela:  “ for to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

and another quote , this time from Desmond Tutu

”If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

 

Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone he was the Messiah. I wonder if it is because our living speaks louder than our words.

in our world today there are many examples of injustice, poverty and oppression. in our world there is a need for people to act with integrity, compassion and courage.

measuring faith

Another week, and more news of violence and destruction.

Another week, and more news of corruption by politicians and others

another week, and it seems like life is just getting stranger all the time.

And on a personal level there are people who are ill, grieving, lonely and in pain.

 

And yet we meet each week, we are here again this morning.

 

Often in looking at the Matthew passage I think about the social context and the religious context. Today I want us to think what it would be like to be this woman. As a parent, grandparent, and friend what would you be prepared to do to help a child in need? And not just any child, for those of you with children and grandchildren what would you do for your child, for your grandchild?

 

The current events in the USA, where another young black man has been killed by a police officer, some of the comments that I have been reading have surprised me. One person, who has black skin,  talks about how she was taught by her parents to always have her hands out in the open while they were shopping, so people would not accuse her of stealing. Always have receipts in view so people knew that you had paid for what you had in your hand. Growing up in the United States with black or brown skin meant being constantly on guard.

 

And mother of a white child writes of all the things she didn't have to tell her son, to keep him out of trouble, the way black mothers have had to.

 

And I think of the situation with surrogacy and the baby Gammie.

And stories of women in detention centres, thinking that if they let their children be adopted by Australians then their child will be safe.

 

Parents and grandparents  would do almost anything for their child to be healed, to be safe, to be free. And the woman we hear about in Matthews gospel is doing exactly that. Somehow or other she has heard about Jesus and she is not going to take no for an answer.

 

This woman talks of only wanting the crumbs, yet she is talking to Jesus, who is the one who fed over 5000 people and had food leftover. She is willing to accept a scrap, knowing that just the tiniest piece of God's grace can heal her daughter.

We are told that this woman's faith is great enough for her daughter to be healed. Yet just last week we were hearing about how little faith the disciples had.

 

I wonder how do we measure faith?

Having been a science student I am familiar with metres and gallons, light years, and nanometres, amps, and decibels. We know how to measure noise and distance, volume and light intensity; but how do you measure faith?

 

How much faith is enough? What does that mean that she is a person of great faith?

What is it about her faith, that it would be described as great faith?

She is persistent, she is honest about her situation, she asks for help, she recognises who Jesus is. Are these the things that make for having a great faith?

This woman does not accept Jesus initial response, she answers back, she does not let the standard boundaries stop her from getting what she wants, and she gets Jesus to act. Maybe this is what makes her faith great.

 

The woman wanted her daughter healed.

I wonder, what is it that we want?

Do we have enough faith?

 

What is enough faith?

the disciples are told they have little faith.

Peter had enough faith to get out of the boat, but not enough to stay on top of the water.

The woman had enough faith that her daughter was healed.

 

 

With all the bad news we see each night on the TV, with the pain and brokenness in our own lives, still we come together to hear God's Word, to confess our brokenness, to sing praise to God, to pray for ourselves and others. One of the ways we talk about the church is as a community of faith, a community that comes together so that we are reminded of who we are and to whom we belong. We are a community of faith that cares for each other, that seeks to follow in the way of Jesus.

Do we have faith that the world can change?

Do we have faith that people will no longer be oppressed?

Do we have faith that people can change?

 

It seems to me that faith is not measured in the quantity that we hold for ourselves, faith is not something that we can store away for a rainy day. Faith, enough faith, is when we act.

 

Where is God calling you to put your faith into action today?

Miracle of Life

the story of the feeding of the 5000 appears in all four Gospels, and it is the only one of the miracles of Jesus that all four gospel writers include, I wonder why?

 

Even people who never have been to church will probably have heard of the story of the feeding of the 5000. In Matthews version there is no little boy, but there are still five loaves and two fish. There are some traditional ways of looking at this reading, one is that there were five loaves and two fish and somehow there was a miracle and those five loaves and two fish fed the multitude. Another way of looking at it is that everybody would have had some food with them, and seeing someone willing to hand over their food to Jesus to share meant others were also willing to share what they had. For Matthew the one who made the world out of nothing was more than capable of multiplying some food, but whether this was a miracle of supply or of sharing, the people who first heard and read the story would have seen something different.

 

Let's think about where this happens, where Matthew has placed this in his gospel. The section just before this is about a birthday party for Herod; the daughter of Herodias danced for him, earning his praise, and led to the death of John the Baptist. Not only was John the Baptist killed, but his head was bought on a platter into the party.

 

At the time, people like Herod had lots of food,  but for most people there was the daily struggle to find enough to eat. Food inequality has been happening for centuries, and food inequality continues to happen today.

The feast of Herod brings about death; yet the fish and bread – subsistence food – is a life giving feast for many.

 

So beyond the bread and fish what might this story have to tell us?

The miracles of Jesus tell us about the nature of God. [i]

remember in chapter 1, Matthew names Jesus, Emmanuel – God is with us.

what do we notice about God in this story?

 

In verse 14 Matthew writes ‘when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.’ [NRSV] Jesus had gone off to find a quiet place to grieve for his cousin, but the crowds followed. Jesus did not send them away, but spent time with them and healed the sick. And then in the evening he made sure they had something to eat.

 

One thing we hear in this story is of the compassion of God for people. By contrast in the two stories of feasting, the feast of the rich which is life denying, and the food of Jesus which offers compassion, is healing and life-filled.

 

People were used to the idea that the gods looked after the rich, or people who was special in some way; but not ordinary people, not slaves, not the oppressed, and not the hungry. Maybe one reason this miracle is in all four Gospels is to remind people that the God of Jesus, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, is not like the gods of Rome or Greece. The God of Jesus does not want human sacrifice. The God of Jesus is not on the side of the rich and powerful, ignoring the needs of the poor and oppressed.

 

In a culture where the Roman Emperor was considered a god, in a time when it was considered subversive not to bow down to the Roman Emperor, a time when gods were seen as harsh and fickle; along comes Jesus, showing that God is compassionate, compassionate to the sick and the poor, the God who is very essence is compassion.

 

Jesus provided food and healing to these people, we live in our society where we have access to food and medical care, some people struggle, but I doubt anyone in this room does not have enough food in a cupboard for a least the next day or two.

 

I wonder what we need from Jesus?

If one of the things that we here in this story is about the compassion of God, what's story would we need to tell today to get that same message across that God is compassionate, not just to some people, but to all people.

 

…….

 

I love this passage from Isaiah, and in thinking about the Matthew reading today I wondered about the questions that are asked:

Why do you spend your money on food that doesn’t nourish?

Why do you spend your hard-earned wages on things that will never satisfy you?

 

what is it that we spend our money on.? Not just food but in general, do we spend our money on that which nourishes our own life, the lives of the people who produce it, and the whole of creation?

Are we like Herod, whose feasting and lifestyle meant death and hunger to other people?

 

Another thing we hear in the story from Matthew, is how Jesus uses the disciples even when they thought they had nothing to give. The disciples saw only five loaves and two fish and a large crowd, and said we can't do anything for all these people send them away.

I wonder when do we see scarcity,

when do we hold on to that which we have, not being willing to share?

 

Sometimes we are called on to give when we don't know if we have any to spare,

sometimes we are called to act when we feel unequipped,

sometimes we are called to speak out and we don't know the words to say. This miracle is for those times. Sometimes we are like the disciples, we doubt our ability, we are pre-occupied with our own concerns, and just like the disciples Jesus comes and shows us that there is more to us and more to life than we ever imagined.

I wonder what we need from Jesus?

Where are we being called to live out a miracle?

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[i] David Lose In the Meantime