“Math Test?”

Meditation On John 6:1-21

July 29, 2012

 ***

     “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 towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’

      Jesus 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.

   And when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

      When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.

      But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’

     Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going. (John 6:1-21)

***

     I wish I were good at math.  I am one of those people who not only isn’t good at it, I have math anxiety. I didn’t always feel this way.  I used to like it.

     I developed math anxiety when I took Geometry at Seneca Valley High, a school of more than 3,000 students. The school’s track coach was my teacher.

    He always came to class in a warm-up suit, usually navy blue with a white stripe down the pants and sleeves. He wore a whistle around his neck. He never used it in math class, but there was always the possibility….

   The class was after lunch—when I was at my sleepiest—and it was out in a portable classroom, which meant you had to leave the main building of the school and go outside in all sorts of weather to get to his class.  It seemed to rain a lot that year.

   Once you were there, you weren’t going anywhere until the teacher dismissed you.  There were no bells in the portables.  You were at your teacher’s mercy.  If the students were noisy, sometimes our teacher dismissed us one or two minutes late. That left 2 or 3 minutes to make it to our next class. We had to run—but maybe that was what he wanted.  After all, he was the track coach.

     Now Geometry isn’t for everyone.  It takes a logical mind that can memorize theorems or rules about relationships between sides and angles and shapes. Then you have to apply all that knowledge to word problems and diagrams of shapes with missing measurements or graphs with missing data.  Geometry would have been difficult for me even if I hadn’t had a scary teacher who used to call on me for answers, though he knew I was hopelessly lost. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to think the way he thought. I couldn’t understand what the math questions were asking, let alone the process for finding the answers.

***

     When I read Jesus’ question to Philip in today’s lesson in John, I thought about my struggle in Geometry. I felt compassion for Philip.  He couldn’t think the way his teacher thought, either! No matter how hard he tried and how much he wanted to please Him.

    He hopelessly failed Jesus’ test.  Jesus wanted to know if Philip believed He could feed the multitude, if He wanted to.  He wanted His disciples to understand who He was, that He was the Son of God who had come to take away the sins of the world.  Jesus was ready to show them another sign.

      Jesus would feed the entire world with His body and blood, broken and poured out for humanity’s sake. Jesus reveals His identity later in John 6, “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

     Jesus’ test for Philip and his other disciples was a test of faith.

     But as the great multitude approaches, Philip isn’t thinking about spiritual matters. He doesn’t hear a faith question.  He hears a math question. And he was good at math.

    Listen to the conversation again.

   Jesus to Phillip, seeing a great multitude coming toward them:

    “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’”    

   Philip (eyes wide and mouth dropping open as he watches the great multitude coming toward them):  “Two hundred denarii or 6 months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little!”

     He is thinking “how much and how many?” when Jesus has asked “where.”  “Where are we to buy bread?”

     The disciple’s reasoning is logical.  If they don’t have enough money to buy the amount of food they need, then what difference does it make if they can find a place to buy it?      

      Philip might as well have said to Jesus, “Teacher, it can’t be done. We can’t feed these people today. Not here. Not now. No way.”

 ***

    Of course, Jesus never planned on buying any food anywhere.  He knew God would be the supplier—through His Son. 

   I wish I could have been there to see Philip’s face and feel the joy of those who ate until they were full, maybe some of them for the first time ever.

   Despite the sign, the miracle of the feeding, the crowd didn’t understand who Jesus was and why He had come. They tried to take him by force and make Him their king.

    They were limited to thinking in worldly terms, like some of Jesus’ disciples.  It was simple math.  More than 5,000 people had nothing to eat. They were hungry.  Jesus gave them as much food as they wanted.  And they were filled. They wanted Him to stay and feed them some more.

     They had the sign.  But they didn’t have faith.

     Like the crowd in our gospel lesson, we come to Jesus wanting to be healed and filled. We want His blessings. But like His first disciples, what we really need is more faith, a faith that seeks understanding.  A faith that seeks a relationship with Christ, the source of our faith.

     Ask the Lord for more faith, and he will give you a test.

     Don’t try to solve the problem with your own reasoning. Don’t get stuck in the math!

    Ask Him to guide you and reveal His Will.  Then obey.

    And He will grant you a sign of His loving care and provision for you.

    A sign your faith enables you to see and understand.

   Will you pray with me?

Heavenly Father, Thank you for forgiving us of all our sins and loving us enough to discipline us and teach us Your righteous ways.  Draw us back to You when we begin to slip away.  Give us more faith and patience to endure the trials that strengthen our faith. Help us to see and understand your signs and accept Your salvation in Jesus Christ. Let us be confident about who we are—new creations in Him, ready and able to share the gospel with the world, as you call us to do.  Keep us from foolishly wanting to be independent and fix things our own way, through our own reasoning. Help us to trust You and be Your obedient servants. In Christ we pray. Amen.     

   

“And All Who Touched…..Were Healed”

SERMON for July 22, 2012

(Mark 6:30-34 and 53-56)

     “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

      And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things….

      When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized Jesus, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”  (Mark 6:30-34 and 53-56) 

***

     Sunday, June 24, began joyfully.  We received 3 new members into our flock that morning during worship. 

     That afternoon was a time of rest. Jim and I had a picnic of crackers and cheese in our bedroom, read books, and watched some TV. Ministry had been particularly busy and emotional that week, with the death of our friend Millie, a longtime member of our church.

     Jim’s phone ringing interrupted our rest.  My father had upsetting news.

    My brother Steve had been in an accident on his motorcycle.  His wife, Carina, had called my parents on her way to the hospital in Topeka, about 90 minutes from their home in Overland Park, Kansas. The hospital had just called her to tell her Steve was being treated in the E.R. and would be moved to critical care.

     My mother was packing to drive to Kansas from Maryland with Nicole, Steve’s 23-year-old daughter.  They were leaving early the next day to begin the 19-hour drive.

     Steve’s injuries included broken ribs and shoulder and a punctured lung. He also had to be stitched from forehead to chin. A bone over his eye was broken, as was his nose and thumbs.  Miraculously, his arms, legs, and brain were unharmed.

     As my father continued, I could barely concentrate on what he was saying. I could only think, “How could this happen?!”  

       I hadn’t ever considered the possibility of losing my brother, who is just 18 months older than I.

       I hung up the phone and sat in silence, a sick feeling in my stomach. I felt the Lord’s presence, but it was a long while before I was able to pray.  I know the Holy Spirit interceded for me as I struggled to trust God with the fears I dared not speak. Or even think as silent prayer.

       What I couldn’t say to God was, “Thy Will be done.”

       What if God’s Will wasn’t what I wanted? 

       What if God was ready to take my brother home to Him?

       Finally, I could bear my self-imposed separation from God no longer.

      “Please, Lord,” I prayed, opening my heart.  “Please heal Steve.”

     I needed God’s comfort.  I needed to trust Him so I could be made whole.  

 ***

     In our gospel lesson today, Jesus urges his apostles to take a break from the long days and nights of ministry. Hear the concern in Christ’s voice when he says, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” 

   So they slip off in a little boat. But when they get out of their boat on the western shore, people immediately mob Jesus again. Those who need healing beg to touch him—even the fringe of his coat.    

    And all who come believing in Christ touch the fringe and are healed!  All of them!  Jesus doesn’t turn any of them away.  Not one.

    The healing our Lord offers is twofold—spiritual and physical.  Which is more important?  He asks the religious leaders, at one point.  That I heal their bodies or that their sins are forgiven?

    He teaches us that our greatest need is for our sins to be forgiven. Only then will we be reconciled with God and truly be made whole. 

***

      Steve continues to recover at home. He is doing well, but broken bones will take some time to knit. Thank you so much for your prayers!

      Preparing for our message this week, I thought about my struggle to submit to God’s Will for Steve—without knowing what God’s Will was. 

     I wanted only what I wanted. 

    Then the Lord brought to mind a memory.

     It was the day Moyer Road opened to usher in a new housing development—a freshly laid tar surface where cows used to graze in pastures.  Our driveway was unpaved and covered with large gravel. So Steve and I were anxious to ride our bikes on the new tar road.

     But it had a steep slope.  

     Steve was maybe 8 and had gotten his first 2-wheeler for Christmas.  I was about 6 and a half and still rode a tricycle.

     My father at first said no. Then, he agreed to let Steve go, but only if my dad went with him.

     I cried watching them ride off on their bikes, wishing I were big enough to do all the fun things Steve could do. 

     Soon, I saw Steve and my father heading home, pushing their bikes up Moyer Road—the slope being too steep to ride back. Then I saw blood on my brother’s face and leg. He had fallen when his bike picked up more speed than he could handle. He needed stitches on his chin and knee.

    That night, I was relieved that I did not go with them. Because if Steve had fallen with his big bike, just think what would have happened to me on my tricycle.

   Looking back, I thank God for protecting me from what I wanted.

   The Lord knows what’s best for all.

    We just have to trust Him—no matter what! Trust His love. Trust His faithfulness.

     Go to Him with all your needs and when you are afraid!

     Pray for one another. God will heal all who seek Him in Christ.

     The physical healing may not be immediate. And it may not even come about in this world, not if it is time for the Lord to take us home. But then we will have resurrected bodies that will clothe our souls forever.

     Our spiritual healing is different. We are spiritually healed the moment we reach out to Christ in faith, just like the crowds did in Mark when they touched the fringe of Christ’s cloak, believing in His power to save.

     When we reach out to the Lord in faith, we are forgiven!

     We are reconciled with God!

     And we are made whole.

   

 Let us pray.   Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness to hear our prayers and heal us of our afflictions.  Thank you for your love that remains constant.  Remove all fear from us. Help us to accept and receive the gospel and truly know that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ, who obediently gave up His life for our sakes. But Jesus rose from the dead—and we, too, will join Him with resurrected bodies in Your kingdom. Teach us to trust You always, to pray with confidence, and to walk by faith.  In Christ we pray.  Amen.

  

      

“The Right Thing to Do”

Meditation for July 15, 2012

      “King Herod heard of Him, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’

     But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her.

     For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard John, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.

       But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter, named after her mother Herodias, came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’

      And Herod solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’

     So Herodias went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’

     Her mother replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’

      Immediately, the daughter rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’

       The king was deeply grieved.  Yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then Herodias gave it to her mother.

     When his disciples heard what had happened, they came and took John the Baptist’s body, and laid it in a tomb.” (Mark 6:14-29)

***

     David, the boy who killed Goliath with a slingshot, became king of Israel.  He grew to be a man after God’s own heart—divinely chosen for great things. 

   And then one afternoon, he rose from his couch and took a stroll on the flat roof of his royal palace.

   Looking down, he saw the beautiful Bathsheba. He wanted her.

   But she was already married.

   Her husband, Uriah the Hittite, was one of David’s officers in his army.  He was off battling for the kingdom while the king couldn’t stop thinking about his wife.    

   He sent for her. Then, he lay with her.

   She got pregnant and David did what he could to cover up their sin.

   He sent for Uriah and made polite conversation, asking,

   “How is the war going? How are the troops?”   

   Then he told Uriah to go down to his house and bathe his feet. He would send him a present.  David wanted him to go home and sleep with his wife so Uriah could be tricked into believing that he was the father of David and Bathsheba’s baby.

     But Uriah didn’t go home.  He slept at the entrance to the palace with the other officers.

    When David asked him why, Uriah answered, “How can I go home and eat and drink and sleep with my wife when my master Joab and Your Majesty’s men are camped in the open? As you live, by your very life, I will not do this!”

      So David tried again to cover up his sin.  He coaxed Uriah to drink with him; then he sent him home drunk.

    But Uriah didn’t go home. He again slept at the palace entrance. 

    David tried a third time to cover up his sin.  He wrote a letter to Joab asking him to place Uriah on the front line where the fighting was the fiercest.

    Joab did what David requested. Uriah was killed in battle.

    When Bathsheba’s period of mourning ended, David sent for her to be his wife.

     The Lord was displeased with David, just as He is saddened when we fall into sin, seeking to satisfy our own wishes, without thinking how we may hurt others.  How we may hurt God.

    The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to confront David.

    At first, the king was angry.  But then, he was ashamed. Deep down, he was still a man after God’s own heart.

   He repented, though it meant his reign would be forever marked by his sin with Bathsheba.

   “I stand guilty before the Lord,” he confessed, accepting the consequences. 

    It was the right thing to do.

***

   We hear about another sinful king of Israel in today’s gospel reading.  

   Herod of Antipas wanted the beautiful Herodias. He took her and married her, though she was his brother Philip’s wife.

   John the Baptist confronted him. It was illegal and immoral.  It was sin.

   Now Herod had great ambitions. He wanted to restore the Temple to its former splendor and be forever remembered as the most righteous king of Israel.

   John’s words disturbed him. He believed John the Baptist was truly a righteous and holy man.  He was drawn to him, but feared him, too. He tried and failed to protect him.

    At his birthday party, his lovely daughter enticed him into publicly bragging that he would give her anything. She requested John’s head.

    Herod was sorry to kill John, but it grieved him more to commit political suicide.

    He was haunted by his decision. So when he heard about Jesus—his miracles and his message—he was convinced John the Baptist had risen from the dead.

   Herod knew what he had done was not the right thing to do. 

***

   We can learn from these two men of the Bible. Both struggled with sin.  But only David is remembered as righteous, despite his many weaknesses. Only David found the courage and humility to repent and turn back to the Lord when confronted with his sin.

   Friends, the Bible tells us we are all sinners.  And every sin of thought, word and deed would condemn us if God had not provided us with a Savior.

   Christ’s death paid the price for all the sins of the world. He took the punishment we deserved. Our faith and not our good works has made us right with God. We have the assurance of eternal life with Him.

    But, sometimes, longtime Christians, those who have heard the Good News many times, may take God’s forgiveness for granted. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ no longer moves them to gratitude. May it never be so with us!

    Let us never presume that God’s unconditional love is a green light to keep on doing what we know is wrong. God has given us His Spirit to show us the righteous way He wants us to live. The Spirit reveals our sin to us and gives us the power to turn away from it.

     David’s story reminds us that it doesn’t work when we try to cover up our sins or hide from God—we end up sinning even more.

      Friends, seek the Lord when you realize you have fallen into sin. You will know when you have fallen because you will lose your peace.

    Do not fear that God will reject or abandon you. God loves you!

    Trust that He will forgive you and grant you the courage and humility to turn away from any sin.

     He will give you the strength to do the right thing.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you alone are righteous and holy!  We confess that sometimes we don’t want to do the right thing.  Forgive us when we have fallen into sin and told ourselves that we don’t need to repent—because you love us and have forgiven us, anyway.  Give us hearts of gratitude for what you have done for us through the sacrifice of your only Son.  Humble us and help us be your faithful servants, turning away from sin and turning towards You for strength and purpose.  Guide us to the righteous path.  In Christ we pray.  Amen.