Field of Hope

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 22nd 2007

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Field of Hope”
Jeremiah 32:1-16

To many, Jeremiah was a prophet of doom. He was often in conflict with the royal advisors who always claimed things were going well despite what was really happening on the ground. Jeremiah was such a troublemaker that he was even accused of not supporting the troops because of his doomsday prophecies. In fact, by the time we pick up the story Jeremiah has been beaten, arrested, and placed in the protective custody of the Kings. This was the kings’ way of keeping an eye on this troublemaker.
When we join the story, things are not going well. The end is in sight. While the Egyptians helped by driving the Caldeans back, they are not dependable. Unsure what is going to happen, King Zedekiah comes to Jeremiah and asks him: Why do you keep saying I am going to go into exile? It might be true but that sort of talk undermines the morale of our troops in the field and only emboldens our enemies. In response to these damning charges, Jeremiah ignores the question and instead tells a story about hope.
It is an odd story that sounds like it belongs on the real-estate channel. In meticulous detail Jeremiah shares how he purchased a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanamel. In fact, it is the most detailed account of a business deal anywhere in the bible. But it is not a very good lesson in economics. In fact, it should go down as a lesson in what not to do with your money.
While I am no a real-estate professional, common sense says that purchasing real-estate in an area that is about to be invaded is not smart. Yet this is what Jeremiah does, under God’s direction. Jeremiah does this in an extremely public way so that all will know what he is up to. This foolish action is really a sign of hope in some bad news times.
When Jeremiah takes his cash and buys a field it is a real and symbolic gesture of hope. From this prophet who is often a bearer of doom, this public action says: I trust that there will be a future and that future will be here, in Jerusalem. However, despite this hopeful action, it is not a repeal of the promised exile. That becomes clear near the end of the passage.
In this action, Jeremiah is still proclaiming that the country will loose the war and be exiled. However, all in not lost, God has not abandoned the people. There will be a future. That is why Jeremiah carefully places the deeds to the property in earthen jars. These jars were an ancient form of a safe deposit box where they could be stored until the promised return from exile. It is an action which says the immediate future, the pain of exile, does not have the last word.
It is a bleak present; Jerusalem is under siege, the food supply has run short, and Jeremiah is a prisoner of a deluded King, however, he still takes a symbolic act of hope rooted in his faith in God. Jeremiah’s actions are symbolic and they are powerful. They are powerful because they are hopeful actions that are not built upon a future that is easily foreseeable. It is a hope that God will act even if the current signs are not hopeful. It is a hope that affects the way that Jeremiah lives in the moment of desperate times. It is a way of living which does not ignore the reality of the exile, but does not allow despair to overwhelm.
It is important to notice that Jeremiah does not take this course of action alone. There are many witnesses and even family members who stand with him. If nothing else, it is an important reminder that we cannot remain hopeful without the support of other. In isolation, we cannot sustain ourselves as people of hope. One cannot stand alone as a prophet of hope today because the odds are overwhelming.
If you don’t believe me try this. Seek to make a difference in this world all by yourself. Do not call on friends and family, and do not work with other people who share your vision. The result is predictable… It will not take long before you join the ranks of the hopeless or cynical or even the despairing. To be a person of this sort of hope takes a community. That is why Jeremiah takes public action with others in the court of the King. It is a powerful reminder that in order to bear the message: The King, the empire of Egypt, the empire of Babylon, and all the empires of the world simply do not have the last word; requires support.
To live out this sort of hope over sustained periods requires other of like mind and hope. I believe this simple truth has been captured well by Paul Rogat Loeb in his inspirational book “The Impossible Will Take a Little While.” He writes: “Join with others in pursuit of the impossible, drawing strength from community… Acting together is essential if we are going to keep on… (After all) who wouldn’t choose to join the team that keeps working for change over the team of cynical despair?” These are powerful words which remind us that we are called to be bearers of hope in world drenched in despair and cynicism.
In the symbolic actions of Jeremiah we are reminded of the hope that is at the core of our faith. We join this story as followers of Jesus who know that death does not have the last word, in this life not just the next. Our calling, in this story and throughout the stories of our faith is that we are to be bearers of this hope and tellers of these stories. We live in an age where hope is a precious commodity and as such we have got to get better at sharing our hope.
So as we prepare to break ground, and take a risk for a future which is hopeful but not fully known, let us proclaim boldly that we are the people of hope. That our hope is not bound by the rising and falling of the market, out hope is not tied to our feelings, or tied to the hope of results. Our hope is such that we cannot but help to believe that God has a future for us and that future is here, on the corner of Union and Delmar. Amen.

Just How Far Are We Willing to God?

Rev. Ruth L. Lovell
Given at Westminster Presbyterian Church
July 15, 2007
Luke 10:25-37 (The Good Samaritan)
Just How Far Are We Willing to Go?
Whether you associate it with BBQ, the Blues or even Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee is one of those places that visitors and tourism guidebooks alike tend to abridge into one word. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel all over the world. I’ve lived in a couple of large southern cities, including Atlanta. But, Memphis- yet another great city on the Mighty Mississippi like St. Louis, will always be synonymous for me with “home.”
I moved up the river from Memphis and down the street from Westminster to the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis just shy of two months ago. There are a number of things that I noticed immediately about St. Louis that I love.
The Zoo and many of the Art Galleries are free!
While Southern Hospitality is well known, the Mid-Western hospitality I’ve experienced is equally widespread and welcoming.
The summer temperatures have been comparatively comfortable in St. Louis so far. I’m still grateful for air-conditioning, of course, but Friday night I was down near the river watching the weekly weekend fireworks and I almost wished I had a sweater. In July!? Unbelievable! It may got hot in Hot-lanta and humid here, but Memphis has the almost intolerable combination of both heat and humidity that I don’t miss one bit!

There’s another thing I’ve noticed since I’ve moved here, too, that I’d like to be candid about with you as a community of faith. As hard as Memphians of all races have tried to overcome the legacy of segregation and racism our city earned in the mid-twentieth century, Memphis is still a very racially tense city. The echoes from the civil rights marches, movement and riots of my parent’s young adulthood still reverberate off the river bluffs from time to time. I’m not proud of the tension she holds--- no one who lives there is---- and things have noticeably changed a lot for the better even within my lifetime, but more often than not there is a palpable tension in the air. It affects everything from school board meetings to blatantly corrupt, local politicians to property values and healthcare—namely, despite having an internationally known medical community, who gets care and who doesn’t.
There is a tension just below the surface of daily life between the haves and the have-nots, and often between the minority ethnic groups and the majority ethnic group, which I should note flip flop depending on whether you’re in the city proper or the larger Metropolitan area.
But, St. Louis seems somehow different.

Again, I’ve only been here a few weeks and if I’m wrong I hope you’ll help me understand, but despite being a Mid-Western city--- despite being so much larger than Memphis. --- despite being historically hands-off during the race riots of the 1960’s….. Where the differences between people are out there and in your face in Memphis, Atlanta and many other cities I’ve traveled to and lived…. Here, instead, while there are clearly culturally based communities and neighborhoods everyone is so dad-gum polite it’s hard to tell what’s really going on… what people are really thinking.

I commend you, Westminster Presbyterian Church, for being so intentionally multi-cultural.After all, as we all know, mid-morning on Sunday is usually the most segregated part of any given week in the United States.

Here’s what concerns me, though. I’m not saying that tension is a good thing, but honest conversations about what’s really going on in the day to day busyness of life around us are. I haven’t seen much evidence of conversation good or bad concerning diversity and equality here. In fact, aside from an article about School Desegregation on the front page of this week’s West End Word newspaper, I’ve heard very little about diversity- good or bad-- in this community named out loud.

So, as much as it saddens me to call a place “home” that isn’t always a place of neighborliness and love, at least most Memphians tend to wear their true feelings on their heart sleeves. You can often tell quickly whether someone likes you or not--- even if it is for a reason as superficial as the color of your skin or the zip code on your driver’s license--- and you face it.
But, here--- and I think St. Louis is a microcosm of most of the Western world in this aspect---- there’s this don’t ask, don’t tell, laissez-faire, pretend really hard to get along with everyone attitude that feels so strange to me. “Who is your neighbor?” Why, everyone, of course, but don’t ask me to tell you her name, or what he’s passionate about, or where they’re from….. those people and their life is none of my business.

Really? (Asked with a tone of disbelief.)

While the Gospels only record a relatively small time frame of Jesus’ life on earth, I think it’s probably pretty safe to say that Jesus never said: “Those people are none of my business.” I could be wrong, but…. “none of my business” and “love your neighbor” seem awfully incompatible to me.
Memphis has her unofficial segregation and strife.
St. Louis has her silence.

You see, and I think this was a key part of Jesus’ message in today’s parable, friends, the opposite of loving your neighbors isn’t hating them.
A well-meaning, traditional “bless her heart”, if you’re from the deep South, or perhaps a soft-spoken “I don’t want to bother anyone”, if you’re from the Mid-West, are both just Good old-fashioned ways of spelling something we don’t want to admit we participate in daily:
A-P-A-T-H-Y.
You see, the opposite of love isn’t hate…. The opposite of love, which our friendly neighborhood Levite and Priest reminded us of concretely in today’s text, is apathy.
In other words, our apathy clearly speaks louder than any words: “I don’t care enough about you,” apathy seems to say “to care about you enough.”

One of the things I’ve experienced in my life often enough to adopt as truth is that there is no such thing as a coincidence. So, for instance, while some historians may claim that it was happenstance that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last speech in a church, the Mason Temple in Memphis, TN, rather than a secular venue, I think it was always in God’s hands.
Some may find it chance that a man whose life developed into one centered on the Civil Rights movement, crusades against poverty, helping one’s fellow man and equality gave his last speech, his last sermon, on of all scriptures Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Again, I don’t believe in coincidences.
This speech was given the night of April 3, 1968 and Dr. King was murdered around dinner time the next day. Still some may say that the very last line of his last public speech, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!” was simply an ironic twist of fate. I don’t think so…… It all sounds like providence, God’s handiwork, to me.
So, what did God have to say about the Good Samaritan through Dr. King’s sermon that stormy night in Memphis? Through what is now known as his “Mountaintop” speech, Dr. King walked the congregation of over 2,000, most of whom were Sanitation Workers on strike, that night through all kinds of scenarios concerning perfectly good reasons why the Priest and Levite might not have stopped to help the robbery victim on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho.
We’ve thought of these, too…. After all, we are all experts these days at rationalizing what we will or won’t do…. so imposing that mentality on these important religious leaders isn’t too much of a leap for us.
Perhaps they were late to a meeting, Dr. King surmised. Perhaps they thought it would be better to help the root of the problems that led to this man being robbed in the first place from a systemic perspective rather than just focusing on one individual? Perhaps they were concerned about their own safety on this steep, curvy, dangerous road.
Who knows? Why they didn’t help isn’t at the heart of Christ’s story. The point is that the Samaritan, a man Jesus described as being from “another race” deliberately, did stop. The man from Samaria helped. He did what he could with what he had and he made a difference.
Or, as Dr. King suggested in his sermon: The Samaritan asked the right question.
Rather than “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” Dr. King imagines with the congregation that late night in April 1968, in the middle of the sanitation worker’s strike and what would prove to be very real death threats on his life and those around him, that the Samaritan must have instead altruistically wondered: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
Just how far are we willing to go? Just how selflessly are we willing to engage in the dialogues of the day? Not as residents of St. Louis or Memphis or even as Americans, but as Christians- as the body of Christ-- just how boldly are we willing to push even the comfort levels of the questions we dare ask?
In this world of information overload…cell phones that cost more than two weeks worth of work at minimum wage that enable us to have the Internet in our pockets and… modern technology that daily attempts to convince us--- not unlike the serpent tempted Adam and Eve--- that God’s world is a little bit smaller than we thought and therefore somehow more manageable and within our control….. In this world of pretending to be “in the know” 24/7 are we willing to accept the fact that maybe we just don’t get it--- at least not yet?
Even in the church we think we know everything…. We think we’ve learned it all…. Many of us think that even Christian education and preaching are just friendly mini-refresher courses, because we’ve heard it all before. Love God. Go to church. Tithe. Pray. Read the Bible. Play well with others.
That I-know-everything-already attitude is what Jesus was talking about when he shared this story with the well-educated lawyer in the first place. Jesus wants to make sure we realize that we’re missing an essential message of the Gospel. Whether it’s about the power of mustard seed faith or being a precious lost sheep God values and adores, the parables Jesus shares educate us. They shine light on facets of God’s grace we had not yet seen before. The parables, parallels to God if you will, enable the Word of God to come to life so that we too might more clearly understand the power of God’s Kingdom.
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Today.
What a radical concept: To live as though the kingdom of God is here now.
So, it’s not surprising to me that in today’s scripture there is a kaleidoscope full of lessons for us to catch a glimpse of--- and like all scripture lessons--- through the power of the Holy Spirit every time we hear this story there’s a huge possibility that we’ll see or hear or experience something like never before.
So, despite how many times you’ve heard this parable before….Let us consider what informs us as we hear this text on the 15th day of July in the year of our Lord 2007:
Our nation is at war.
Last night in our own neighborhoods children went to bed hungry.
Like the Lepers Jesus healed, even as faithful as we believe we are, 90% of the time or more- we too forget to say “thank you.”
I feel confident in claiming that more children in America today know the words to the OREO cookie theme song than “Jesus Loves Me.”
Racial tensions in neighborhoods, schools, community swimming pools, restaurants, the mall, the workplace and politics are real and much more complicated than simply black and white.
In the name of God, right wing Christian fundamentalists are drawing lines about who is “in” and who is “outside” of the protection of God’s grace.
An African American and a woman are running for President of the United States, yet the fact that both Obama and Clinton are more commonly known for these physical characteristics than their characters or platforms is still somehow socially acceptable.
It is not uncommon for eleven and twelve year olds to be sexually active.
Our nation, founded on the principles of freedom and equality, is spending millions of dollars to build a wall to keep people out rather than on improving the education and healthcare available to the children who are already within her borders.
Friends, the opposite of love isn’t hate. The opposite of love is apathy.
So, what would happen if we took seriously Jesus’ claims that the Kingdom of God is here… NOW…. ? “Go and do likewise.”
Not someday.
Not when it’s comfortable.
Not when we’re crystal clear about what it is that we’re supposed to be doing.
Not when it’s safe.
Not when it’s familiar.
Not when the building renovations are completed.
Not when we feel like it.
Christ said, “Go and do likewise.”
The Son of God didn’t pronounce “go and do for them.”
The Light of the World didn’t declare, “go be nice to nice people.”
The Carpenter’s Son didn’t say, “just be extra friendly to people who are different from you so you don’t accidentally hurt someone’s feelings or come across as insensitive or racist or homophobic or snobby or prejudice.”
The Rabbi didn’t even advise that we should, “take time to do a visionary study within decent and ordered committees concerning to whom our neighborly good will might be most beneficial.”
Our friend Jesus simply answered the young lawyers question through a memorable, timelessly applicable story. And, then, to make sure listeners for generations fully understood the message he summarized it once more: “Go and do.”
Wherever, whenever, for whomever God calls you to be in relationship with… just “Go and do.” In fact, he said: “Do this and you will live.”
Like the young lawyer who stood up and open-mindedly asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” we all surely recognize the rote Sunday School answer the lawyer gives. “Love the Lord your God…and your neighbor as yourself.” Unlike the young lawyer, who is blatantly testing Jesus, however, few of us intentionally annoy God by asking seemingly dumb questions like: “And who is my neighbor?”
Either alongside children or grandchildren, or for some of us as children ourselves, we’ve watched Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer…. We know who are neighbors are as intimately as we can sing our ABC’s. Don’t we?
Or, instead, are we perhaps even less spiritually mature than the young lawyer for it doesn’t even occur to us that we should ask God for this clarification.
As beloved children of God who affirm as a part of our faith the essential belief that everyone is a child of God just like us, that Jesus lived, died and rose again for our salvation, perhaps the question for us shouldn’t be “who is our neighbor?” but instead a rhetorical, “Well, who isn’t?” And perhaps the question shouldn’t be a fearful “just how far are we willing to go to embody the love of Christ to neighbors?” but instead an amazed, “How far will the love of Christ carry us as we go and do today?”

My prayer for us today is that we may see that perhaps we don’t know everything. We are human after all and that’s been one of humanity’s problems since time began in the Garden, sometimes we just need reminders that God knows so much more than we can ever imagine.
God knows when the wars are going to cease…. And they will.
God knows when our dependence on foreign oil and non-essential material goods and non-biodegradable plastics will end… And it will.
God knows when all children will know unconditional love…. And they will.
God knows when the homeless and poor will experience a liberation akin to sleeping in a suite at the Chase Park Plaza and being able to order freely from the menu at J. Buck’s or The Melting Pot….And someday, just as the lamb will lie down with the lion, they will.
God knows when all of humanity will interact with others by the content of our character and not the color of our skin…. And, with God’s help, someday we will.

Jesus called a community of equals--- nationality, gender, physical health, financial status, skin color, age, religion of origin, martial status, length of residency and chosen profession aside. God intends for the Kingdom of God to be a reflection of divinely inspired diversity and equality---- And it is.
My prayer for Westminster, as you “Go and Do” out in God’s world, is that your church family will continue to fulfill the calling God has put on your hearts… God has called you to the corner of Delmar and Union Ave. in the heart of Saint Louis, MO. I pray that with God’s help and through one loving relationship at a time, someday you too, like the Good Samaritan in today’s story, will be recognizable to neighbors far and near by sacred, brief, descriptive phrases:
Saint Louis’ loving home.
A place with Open Doors.
The House of Holy Jazz.
Who knows, perhaps your community of faith, as you listen to God’s call, may in time even become known as “Graceland” herself?

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…. Alleluia. Amen.

Go Outside

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 8th 2007

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Go Outside”
Genesis 18:1-5

From our perspective the future does not look good. Despite having heard the vision of a community busting at the seams and a vision of decedents too numerous to count and even a promise of being a blessing to the world, it simply does not add up. Hasn’t anyone noticed that they are too old to have kids? It is time to face facts. The promises and visions are well and good but simple reality says you cannot take that stuff to the bank. Abraham and Sarah are too old to be parents it is just not going to happen. At least that is the view from where we stand.
Yet, right in the midst of our very realistic perspective the promise comes anyway: Follow me to a land you do not know. You will have more descendants that the stars. You will be the mother and father to many generations. You will bless all nations. As the promise is spoken deep down we want to join with Sarah who laughs at the ridiculous claims. But like it or not, we find ourselves right in the midst of God’s ridiculous promises. Abraham and Sarah are on a journey which does not seem to make any logical sense.
Abraham is sitting, in the heat of the day at the base of a tree. All of a sudden three people appear in the distance. Without a moments hesitation Abraham runs to meet them. It is a scene which, given what surrounds the passage, could be dismissed as merely a transition to more important passages. However, we should not move forward to quickly or we will miss this rich message.
If anyone ever asks you to explain biblical hospitality this passage could serve as the Cliff’s Notes version. (Ok, I know that would never come up in conversation but it if does you will be prepared.) Abraham is resting comfortably under the trees during the heat of the day. When the three visitors appear in the distance he springs to action. While we know that these three are from God, Abraham is not completely sure. But despite this he begs them: Let me bring you water to wash your feet. Rest here for a while, and let me bring you bread. Once they accept his hospitality, Abraham brings in his whole household; and his prize resources to care for these people he does not even know. He goes well beyond the basics of hospitality asking nothing in return. Abraham does not ask about their politics, or how they feel about Egypt or even if they worship the same God. It is a short course in biblical hospitality.
One of the amazing truths about this passage is that Abraham would have never heard about the promised birth if he did not offer hospitality. In the story we see how the very presence of God is connected with the practice of hospitality. God would not have been present if Abraham had not offered hospitality. This passage is one of many which points to the central place which hospitality must have in the lives of the faithful.
There is an ancient rabbinical saying which goes: “Hospitality to wayfarers is greater than welcoming the divine presence.” It is a powerful commentary which shows that welcoming others is at the heart of our faith. However in a time where hospitality is a multi-billion dollar industry we should be more specific when we talk about it. Esther de Wall in Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict does a masterful job of getting to the heart of biblical hospitality. She writes:
There is a knock at the door and I have to respond; as I lay four extra places for supper I know that soon four people will be sitting round the table sharing the meal. If I am actually afraid and defensive (or aggressive, which is much the same), anxious and insecure about the impression that I shall be making, I may offer a glass of sherry or a bowl of soup but any real hospitality of the heart will be lacking; I shall merely have fulfilled the social expectation. I cannot become a good host until I am at home in my own house, so rooted in my centre… that I no longer need to impose my terms on others but can instead afford to offer them a welcome that gives them the chance to be completely themselves.
Hospitality begins with being secure in ourselves as children God welcomed by the promise and then extending that welcome with all.
If we are to take any cues from this passage in our life together I believe it is found in the issue of location. You might be wondering what location has to do with hospitality. Well, consider this; what would have happened if Abraham had remained inside his tent? The visitors would have passed by and Abraham and Sarah would have never heard the outrageous news. If he had not moved outside the tent what would have become of the promise. Ok, maybe that is stretching the text but it is worth considering. As we prepare to update our building we must not become so enamored with our insides that we forget that God is at work outside our building.
In fact, I believe that our vitality and our future lie in moving beyond our beautiful building and looking for places to extend hospitality to those outside. This week as I sought to point to some grand program I was reminded that it does not have to be complicated. In fact, it really can be as simple as spending some time outside this building talking to strangers. God’s messengers may just be passing outside our door while we wait for them to come inside.
This week Mary Ann Shaw shared a story about the time she spends making sure the outside looks so beautiful. Almost every time she works in the gardens people stop and talk with her. Now it may seem rather simple but what a witness it is to extend a smile and a word of welcome in our world so hungry for both. I believe we all ought to spend more time in our gardens doing the same thing. Now, I know that each one of us may not be up for digging in the dirt. But in reality, there are plenty of opportunities for each one of us to extend hospitality and share the welcome that Westminster has to offer in Jesus name. We only have to get out, maybe even sit under a tree and open our eyes for the messengers God is sending our way. Amen.

Not Enough to Share?!

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 1st 2007
Communion Sunday
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Not Enough to Share?!”
Mark 6:30-42

It is a joyous scene. The disciples have returned triumphantly from their first solo mission of teaching and healing and casting out demons. After hearing of their experiences Jesus invites them to go away for a time of rest and reflection. However, the crowd has other plans. Seeing Jesus and the disciples, the crowd beats them to the other side of the lake. The vacation plans have to be put on hold.
When Jesus gets off the boat, he sees the crowd and responds with compassion. The Greek word literally means to have his guts ripped apart. It is a powerful emotional response which leads him to teach the crowd. As the hour gets late, the disciples tell Jesus to send the crowd away to so that the crowds may get something to eat in the surrounding villages. Oddly, the request from the disciples to Jesus is in the form of a demand. It leads me to wonder if the disciples are more concerned about getting away to rest than sharing real concern for the crowd. Once again, Jesus uses this opportunity to teach the disciples and the crowd about the sharing of resources with a powerful illustration.
“You feed them!” Jesus says to his now stunned disciples. I can only imagine what the disciples must have been thinking. It would take 200 denarii to feed this many people, they say. And, two hundred denarii is two hundred times the average daily wage. Jesus has stepped over the line. While he can credibly heal, cast out demons, and teach, it is clear he has no grasp of simple economics. However, what has really happened is that Jesus has exposed the disciples’ limited vision.
Jesus is challenging the disciples to see that the economic claims of the day do not trump the claims of faith. Ultimately, Jesus could have said, just share what you have, but instead he takes the long way around because there a number of lessons to be learned. When faced with this overwhelming challenge, the disciples immediately focus on what they do not have. Instead, Jesus teaches the disciples to begin with what they have. He does not challenge them or criticize; he asks them what food they have among themselves.
The tone of the disciples’ response is unclear. However, I imagine it might have been something like: “Jesus may be God’s son, but you have to be a fool to think that five loves and two fish is enough to feed this crowd.” If they share their limited resources, they will go hungry or worse die in this wilderness place. So, the prudent course of action would be self-preservation and let the crowds fend for themselves. In other words, there is not enough to share what they have.
But, before the disciples can straiten Jesus out, he has them organizing the crowds in groups of fifty and groups of a hundred. It is an odd action which ends up changing the entire gathering. Before this happened, the crowd is a mass of unconnected people. But now, they are in groups where people would begin to interact and get to know one another better. All this organization helps as Jesus prepares his final lesson for the day.
Once the crowd is organized Jesus begins with the resources they have. The first thing he does is look to heaven and gives thanks for what they have not complaining for what they do not. Then, Jesus shares it with the disciples. If we are not careful, we miss the amazing thing that is happening. The miracle in the story is not simply that Jesus feeds the people but that he shows them how to feed one another through the sharing of resources. Since we know that the disciples brought food with them, it is not a stretch to believe that many in the crowd had brought food as well. But when the crowd is unorganized and uniformed they will hoard and some will go hungry while others eat well. However, when Jesus organized them in groups they learned that pooling their resources and sharing what little they had created an unexpected surplus.
As we as a community of faith think about and plan for our future I believe this passage can serve as an important guide. While there is much we could focus on, I believe three things warrant our attention:
1) The first is how to respond when challenges arise. Instead of continuing to focus on what we do not have, the faithful response is to begin what we do have. Then, we should give thanks for those resources of people, time, and money which enable us to be more faithful servants. This simple practice has the amazing ability to create abundance in places where we so often see scarcity.
2) We should follow the lead of Jesus ordering our discipleship in ways which bring us closer together. There is no doubt in my mind that we are a welcoming place. Our calling is to go deeper than we have before. After all, when the crowd in the passage became organized 15,000 people learned the power of shared resources. What this means for us is that we should consider the following questions: Who do we spend most of our time with? Who do we speak with on a Sunday morning? Who to we invite first to participate in activities? And, Who is it that we invite into our homes to fellowship with informally? If we are really interested in growing more welcoming we must expanded our small circles of friends to include new people. Make it a habit of always including someone you do not know well when you seek out people to chat with, participate in activities and even when you gathering informally. In doing this simple action we will be a much more welcoming part of the body of Christ.
3) In the passage we have no record of Jesus’ teaching. However, the enduring impact is what he did to teach the disciples and crowd. In like manner, our community can teach most powerfully when people witness our beliefs in practice. For our corporate witness as a welcoming and inclusive community to have integrity our words must meet our actions, including when we are dealing with issues of economics.
So, as we gather at this table today let it be a sign of our commitment to embrace these three practices. 1) Begin with what we have not with what we don’t. 2) Expand our circle of friends inside and outside the congregation. 3) That we will live out our words in all we do. May God lead us in our continued commitment to more fully embrace the vision for the future of Westminster. Amen.