Never Enough

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 26th 2009
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Never Enough”
John 6:1:21

I worried all week long that as I read the scripture this morning that it might feel like Déjà vu. Last week we read in Mark’s Gospel where Jesus feeds the five thousand. This week we read in John’s Gospel where Jesus feeds the five thousand. It may seem less like Déjà vu and more like overkill. Putting these passages back-to-back may seem like I am trying to hammer home a particular point or that because it is summer I am making allowances for a drop in regular attendance. The good news is that neither of these two reasons is correct. The two accounts are about the same event. However, the authors make a point to emphasize enough differences in the stories to warrant a second week on the feeding of the five thousand. And though I support recycling please know that this sermon is not.
There are two major differences that I believe demand our attention. The first of these is the reference to the Sea of Tiberius and the second is the reference to Passover. Let us address these critical, yet passing references which hold so much promise for interpretation. The Sea around which Jesus and the disciples do their ministry is referred to in many different ways: The Sea of Galilee, Lake of Genneseret, and the Sea of Tiberius. Despite the different names it is the same body of water. It might seem strange to do this but it really is not all that odd. A good example of this is the stretch of Interstate/Highway that is currently under construction. When I refer to that road as I-64 people know that I am not a native St. Louisan. That road is, and always will be Highway 40. The choice of referring to that stretch of concrete and asphalt is, at its heart, an expression of history and value.
The same is true for the writer of John’s gospel. That body of water too carried many names. While each could convey a different meaning history and value, it is the choice of Tiberius which happens only twice in the gospel. Since both times John refers to this Sea as Tiberius involves feeding and an invitation by Jesus to trust, we must ask what this is all about.
To get to the heart of this issue we will need to look first at the “other” reference to the Sea of Tiberius. At the end of the Gospel, following the resurrection, the disciples have left Jerusalem to go back to their former lives. After fishing all night, on the Sea of Tiberius, the disciples have come up empty handed. When Jesus comes along and suggests a different course of action, the resist. Finally, they give in to Jesus’ request and learn another lesson about the abundance found in the faithful life. The disciples learn this as they haul in their overflowing nets, from the waters of the Sea of Tiberius. When they get to the shore and eat breakfast with the resurrected Jesus, they are reminded of the time on the mountain when five thousand ate and were satisfied. They are reminded that God can provide and that ministry can be done in what looks to be scarce places and times.
But beyond this connection, why the name Tiberius? Emperor Tiberius was the Roman Emperor at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Tiberius was the sort of leader where people danced in the streets of Rome when he died. He was ruthless and the name Tiberius was a symbol of the excess of power and the underside of the Roman Empire. And I believe the use of this term for the Sea in John’s gospel is no accident. I believe that it is a deeper lesson about living faithfully in the midst of desperate times. We need not believe that even the leader of an Empire as great as Rome has the last word. Remaining faithful in the most desperate situations is at the heart of why these passages take place on the Sea of Tiberius. This brings us to the second difference in these two gospel stories: Passover.
In the Gospel of John some rather important things happen during Passover. The most significant is the crucifixion of Jesus. The entire event happens in the context of Passover. In fact, the Gospel repeats that fact so many times that there is no way we can miss that Jesus is to be seen as the sacrificial lamb. But this is not the only time significant events occur on Passover. However, outside of the final days of Jesus, there are only two references to Passover, both significant events. The first major event is when Jesus drives the money changers out of the temple and the second is our passage from this morning.
These events do not all happen in the setting of Passover in the other gospels. Again we must ask why. What is so important about Passover to the ministry of Jesus? At the heart of Passover is God’s action to release the slaves from the captivity of the Egyptian empire. Passover is about the struggle between the place of slavery and the freedom of Sinai. Passover is struggle for the hearts and minds. It is a struggle between a belief in scarcity and a trust in the abundance of God.
As the Hebrews travelled through the desert faced with a lack of Egyptian cuisine, many hungered to return to slavery. The journey to Sinai was a journey that required trust in the abundance of God. It was a journey which required a new way of seeing the world, one which could see the sustenance of God where others could only see desolation. Jesus’ ministry in John is part of this ongoing struggle. While Jesus becomes the new Passover lamb, the followers of Jesus must journey through the desert places of life seeking God’s abundance where others only see desolation. As disciples when we find ourselves in the desolated places or the places of Tiberius, we need not fear. God is still at work and calling us to step out, serve others, and trust that there will be enough. But there will never be enough if we trust only in ourselves.
I believe that the feeding of the five-thousand in Mark’s Gospel is not about Jesus doing something miraculous. In that version the miraculous action is the sharing of the gathered community. But in John’s version of the feeding of the five thousand there is no doubt the intent is to let us know that God has done something which human beings could not. It is a reminder and an offence to our modern sensibilities. When we believe we have it all figured out and know how the world works, along comes this crazy story about food that has nothing to do with human ingenuity. The truth is that if we rely solely on our human ingenuity there will never be enough. Our six weeks of wages will never be enough, our building project will never be enough, our endowment will never be enough, and our mission work will never be enough. If we do not tap into the deep well of our faith and make it the foundation of our work and ministry there will never be enough. But if we can imagine and believe that God can work beyond our capability, if we can imagine that God can use even us, if we can imagine that there is enough for all, then we will not only get a glimpse of the kingdom of God, we will be part of the kingdom work. And when that happens, look out because our captivity to the ways of scarcity is coming to an end. Amen.

Go Away...

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 19th 2009
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Go Away…”
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The disciples have returned from their journey and shared with Jesus all they had done. He not only sees their excitement but their exhaustion. The need of those they served was so great there was not even enough time to eat. (So we know this is pretty serious.) Jesus reminds the disciples that they cannot continue to serve others if they do not take time for Sabbath and renewal. The disciples go with Jesus to a deserted place to rest.
Despite this passage beginning as an invitation to rest, it is not the primary motivation. As much as I would love to make this a treatise on the importance of Sabbath, it is not. Jesus does invite the disciples to go away with him to a deserted place to rest. But the need of the people keeps this from fully happening. Jesus’ compassion takes center stage as soon as the disciples get to the desert place. While it appears that the time of rest does not happen, it is only Jesus who seems busy with teaching. It is safe to assume that the disciples get at least a little rest while Jesus is at work.
To fully understand the heart of the passage we must move to the end of the day. When the disciples tell Jesus it is time to send the people home things start to get interesting. There is some powerful irony at work in this passage. But to grasp it we have to go back to when Jesus sent the disciples on the journey. When Jesus sent the disciples two by two he gave the following instructions. “He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.” Keep that in mind when Jesus, in this mornings’ passage, asks the disciples: “How many loves have you?” If the disciples listened to Jesus instructions in the first place would not he already know the answer? Was Jesus testing the disciples to see if they followed his instructions? I do not believe Jesus doubts the disciples remaining faithful to his instructions. Instead, there is something else at work.
While it is safe to assume the disciples do not often follow instructions, I believe they did on their mission. On their mission the disciples were required to rely on the hospitality of strangers. They were called to go out with very little even as they brought healing to those in need. Along the way they had to learn to trust that they would find enough for their needs in the journey. I can almost imagine the disciples coming back and telling Jesus… we went with nothing and everywhere we went there was enough to eat! But here in the desert place this lesson was forgotten by the disciples. When Jesus asks how many loves, he is not concerned with distribution but with trust and imagination. There is enough to go around and the disciples need to be reminded of this truth. Scarcity is not the way of God.
Before everyone eats and is satisfied, Jesus does some community organizing. First he orders that people be gathered in groups of hundreds and fifties on the green grass. Another point we ought to notice. If they are truly in a deserted place where did the green grass come from? In the process of being organized, Jesus shows everyone that green grass, signs of life, can come in the most unexpected places. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of this truth.
After gathering everyone into groups, Jesus then moves to a bit of instructive theater. With the disciples around he blesses the bread and fish and lays it before the disciples. Jesus takes what the disciples had gathered on their journey, the fruits of hospitality, and uses it to show that there is enough to go around. Where the disciples believe there is not enough, bread, money, or resources to go around, Jesus shows them there is enough, but only if they share.
The disciples understand and internalized the problem of scarcity. Despite having resources only due to the generosity of others the disciples are unable to imagine that sharing could work with this crowd of five-thousand. So with all the realism they can muster the disciples order Jesus to send the crowd away. But Jesus would have none of it. He has compassion on the crowd and on the disciples. He does not chastise them or berate them. Instead, Jesus reminds them of what they already know: There is enough for everyone.
This is a miracle story. It is a miracle because Jesus shows how generosity and sharing can overcome a belief in scarcity. When the disciples pull out and show what they have been hoarding Jesus takes it and shares it. Likewise, the people who have been organized in groups of fifty and one-hundred, I like to believe, pull out what they have been holding back. And just as the disciples have shared their food and extended hospitality, the crowd, now organized, does likewise. The result is more abundance than anyone could have imagined. There is more than enough for everyone.
Imagining that scarcity does not have the last word is not new in the life of faith. Believing that there is enough is at the heart of much of the bible. When the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt and believe they will die in the desert God shows that there is enough. Manna reigns down from heaven. And even those who are unable to fend for themselves have enough to eat. All ate and were satisfied. In the time of Elijah, a time of famine, the prophet continually showed that there was enough to go around. People were fed. They were able to eat and were satisfied! Jesus reminds the disciples that the old stories of the faith have more power and truth than we can imagine.
I should probably leave well enough alone but today I cannot. So here goes. We are debating the future of healthcare in our country. As I listen to the words of the debate I believe the problem is not ideology or this group or that, but lack of imagination. I do not claim to be an expert on health care policy and the intricacies of the insurance industry. What I hear in those most resistant to providing care for all people is really a lack of imagination. The resistance, as I understand it says: It is too bad that people are suffering, some we are told choose this, but whatever the reason, there is just not enough money to go around. It seems to me, as one who is claimed by these stories of our faith, the real problem is that we lack imagination and put too much trust in the myth of scarcity. I am left wondering where is the imagination and calls for compassion from the followers of Jesus who write public policy? I do know that this is complex but I also know that sometimes what is really missing is a lack of imagination. If we could simply begin with the premise that there is enough for everyone, we could find the resources. The problem is lack of imagination and will. For the disciples of Jesus this is not good enough.
At the heart of most struggles, in political life, in community life, and in many of our relationships is a belief that there is not enough for everyone. But as followers of Jesus we are called to be the people who claim this promise. In order to reclaim and nurture this belief we will have to go away to the desert places. We will have to go away to learn the important lessons that come when everything is stripped away. Only then we will have the clarity and the openness to see the green grass where others see only desert. So find a place to go away… to a deserted place and rest for a while. Then we can remember that even grass can grow up in the cracks of the sidewalk. There is enough for everyone. It is my prayer that God will help us nurture our imaginations so that we will believe this to be true. Amen.

When Those in Power Notice... Look Out

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 12th 2009

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“When Those in Power Notice…Look Out”
Mark 6:14-29

They were riding high after all the healing and casting out of demons. The disciples had been sent out and for the first time had a taste of the power of God which was at work in their ministry. But the excitement of those days lost its’ luster when Herod had heard of it. When King Herod got wind of the things Jesus and the disciples were doing we find out about the trouble that follows.
“King Herod heard of it.” Those words hang in the air like the beginning of the book of Exodus. In case you do not have that memorized let me refresh your memory. After the list of genealogy it says: “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” This new king in Egypt comes to power who had not heard of Joseph. Joseph was the favored Hebrew son who rose to power and saved Egypt from famine. However, the new King had not heard about Joseph. Instead, this new king had heart that the Hebrews in his land had grown strong and numerous. Fearing their power, and forgetting Joseph’s legacy he subjects them to slavery and death. Like the words which open Exodus, “King Herod heard of it” is meant to elicit a fearful response from the hearers.
This may seem like a tenuous connection but this passage which recounts the death of John the Baptist is so full of allusions to the Old Testament that we must ask why. But before asking why, we ought to identify those connections. This first statement appears to be more rhetorical than theological in nature. It helps to gather us in and hear this story with different ears. When we hear the words: “King Herod heard of it…” they are meant to grab our attention and let us know trouble is stirring.
Herod is not the only person to hear about what Jesus and the disciples have been doing. “Elijah has returned!” “The prophets of old have returned!” “John the Baptist is back from the dead!!!” These messages were all over the tabloids. But the rumor mill was more than just that. Jesus’ ministry is clearly part of the great tradition of God’s work throughout history, even as it is so much more. Yet before we get to the more, we need to go back, back in the stories of our faith to which this passage is pointing.
Many people have been claiming that Elijah has returned. Since John has died many now assume that Jesus is the new Elijah. Jesus will put this controversy to rest in chapter nine of Mark’s gospel by identify John as Elijah returned. John is the messenger who has come to announce that “the day” has come. This role and work of John is vital but often forgotten. For when Elijah returns, the prophet Malachi proclaims, the Day of the Lord is upon us. The “great and terrible day of the Lord” is a theme that runs through many of the Old Testament prophets. That day is a day when justice will roll down like waters. The prophet Amos has much to say about that day.
Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of the nations… and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (Amos 6)

On that day, says the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day. (Amos 6)
That day is a day that is not a day to look forward to if you were one who attended King Herods’ parties. If Elijah has returned King Herod has reason to fear. But King Herod does not believe the rumors and instead believes that John the Baptist has returned. This is not any better news since he was responsible for his death.
The day of John’s death was a party in the places of leisure. Wine flowed freely from bowls. Songs of leisure were being sung. In the midst of this party the King promising half the kingdom to his daughter who had pleased his guests. “Half my kingdom…” These words hang in the air and take us back to the book of Esther in a time when another King who was easily caught up in his life of leisure. That king finds himself pleased by Queen Esther and offers her half his kingdom. The result on that day was not beheading but many lives saved. However, they both serve as telling reminders that ways of kings never change.
On another day King Ahab, in the book of Kings, uses his power to steal land from a subject. King Ahab was part of the faith community, just like King Herod, and he should have known better. Ahab had listened to the faithful words of Elijah and was moved. Yet he was not committed so when the opportunity for this land grab arose he signed off on the plan. After all, what are a few displaced people when there is opportunity for development?
Herod too had listened to John and was moved, yet he too was not committed. It was not lawful to have this woman in marriage but he did not heed the words. Herod was intrigued, interested and moved by this wilderness prophet. He was fascinated by his words even as the stung. So for a time John was safe even if that meant imprisonment. But on that night of ease everything changed. Herod’s ego went overdrive and at the end of the night John is executed so that the king will save face with the most important citizens.
So what are we to make of this? This passage seems to be so full of Old Testament allusions that we can get bogged in the details. If we really try to examine each one we will find ourselves confused and even frustrated. And it is in that confusion and frustration where there is contemporary relevance. Trying to keep up with, let alone truly understand, the ways of our political and business leaders these days can leave us confused and frustrated. I find it terribly difficult to stay current on every King Herod whose ego sacrifices the lives of the innocent. Who is not tired of hearing about every King Herod who leads their lives built upon hunger for more of everything that does not belong to them? And worse yet, who is not confused, frustrated and even angry by the contemporary king Herods who are part of the faith community and trade on it for personal gain? There are many who are interested but not converted? But all this still does not get at the “so what” for us, at least not entirely.
Being a follower of Jesus means we are called to follow and serve in the midst of all this “stuff.” It means that our faith is never disconnected from the confusion and craziness all around us. It means that we are not immune from making the same mistakes as Herod either. Instead, it serves as a reminder that the life of faith is going to be messy. It means that our service and calling to bring healing to a broken world might just put us at odds with whatever the most recent King Herod has in store.
But the good news is that we are not the first people to deal with kings who act this way. We have a great cloud of witnesses who have faced the previous editions of King Herod and done so as faithfully as they knew how. It is for this reason that we need not worry when Herod takes notice or when Herod begins to act in this way. It is not the first time and it is not the last. But our call is to remain faithful and keep working for the healing and wholeness of all God’s children, excluding no one. So when the powerful notice what we are up to… do not worry. We know these things for sure: They are not the first to take notice, they will not be the last to take notice, but they also do not have the last word. Amen.

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 5th 2009
Communion Meditation
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Who is This?”
Mark 6:1-13

Jesus could do no deeds of power! It is the only time in his entire ministry where he is unable to do deeds of power. We should be shocked. Jesus is God in the flesh and is unable to do deeds of power. What does this say about God’s power? It is nothing less than a scandal.
What are we supposed to do with Jesus’ lack of power in his hometown? The heart of this trouble is actually two things. The first has to do with familiarity and the second has to do with the nature of God. Let us start with the nature of God.
The God we know in Jesus is not powerless. However, the nature of God’s power is unique. God’s love is not something which God forces upon anyone. Anything or anyone which portrays God’s love as forceful, coercive, or demanding is misguided and disingenuous. Instead, the love of God always comes as an invitation. We are invited to accept, to follow, and to participate in God’s new reality. But we are never coerced by God’s love. It is for this reason that Jesus can do no deeds of power, except for a few minor healings. The invitation of Jesus offered to his hometown has been denied.
The denial of Jesus by his hometown is fascinating. Before coming home, Jesus has been healing and teaching in synagogues. He has drawn huge crowds preaching the good news. Jesus was even able to go into Gentile territory, foreign lands, and bring healing to one thought beyond all hope of salvation. But in his hometown, he could do no deeds of power. While he has faced rejection before, the resistance of his own people is new, and disturbing.
It is the Sabbath. As was his custom, Jesus is in the synagogue and he is teaching. At the conclusion of his teaching the crowd soundly rejects his message by attacking the messenger. If they can discredit the messenger, the message can be ignored. It is an age old tactic that is being perfected by the likes of MSNBC and Fox News. Who is this? Who does he think he is?
Where did this man get this? What is the wisdom he has been given? What deeds of power are done in his hand? Astounded at the truth Jesus has spoken, they seek to discredit him. Isn’t this guy just a carpenter? And he is just like us. Nothing is more offensive than when one of our own speaking an uncomfortable truth or ‘airing dirty laundry.’ When it is someone from the outside they are easily dismissed but when it is somebody from the neighborhood it is easy to get offended. But this story is more than just about a local boy that has made good. It is more about the problem of familiarity.
In Jesus hometown the difficulty of doing deeds of power is the problem of familiarity. Gathered in the synagogue on that day are people that think they know Jesus well. He grew up in the midst and labored among them. His family lives next door. These are Jesus’ people. And that is the problem.
While Jesus has been traveling, sharing the good news of the Gospel, healing and calling others to follow, his people were not making the journey with him. They saw Jesus fixed at a point in time. His people had not grown with him along the journey. So when he comes home and shares the same message that has been drawing crowds elsewhere, Jesus faces utter rejection. Why couldn’t he just be like he used to be? He was such a nice boy with a steady income and now here he is causing all sorts of trouble. The heart of the problem is assumed familiarity. When this assumption proves false it opens up the flood gates of resistance and keeps Jesus from deeds of power.
This day of rejection, where Jesus can do no deeds of power, is a vital lesson to the disciples. On the heels of the hometown rejection, Jesus calls the disciples to go and do deeds of power. Go, two by two, taking only your faith and relying on the hospitality and generosity of others. And when, notice that it is when not if, you are rejected do not become enraged or embittered or seek revenge. Let it go, shake the dust off your feet and move on. Leave it alone and move on. Having been rejected by his own people and facing the same inclination, Jesus knows that his followers must learn this lesson well. What better way to learn it than to go out and rely on the generosity and hospitality of others.
For those of us who have grown up in the faith community, of which I count myself in this number, we are at risk for the same assumed familiarity that caused Jesus to be rejected. We have grown up with Jesus. We know his family; they taught us Sunday school and sang in the choir. We are his people and that places us at great risk of forgetting the sorts of trouble this carpenter can cause. Yet, too often it is the community of faith, the church, which stands squarely in the way of Jesus doing deeds of power. So we must figure out a way to overcome our assumed familiarity of this local boy made big.
So, unlike in the past, I actually have a suggestion on how we might do this. To overcome this familiarity, to find out who this local boy is, we are going to have to figure out what it means to rely on the generosity and hospitality of others. To find out what this local boy has been up to, we must move out of our places of comfort. Give up the extra staff, and bag, and tunics and move into unfamiliar territory. Where did this man get this? What is the wisdom he has been given? What deeds of power are done in his hand? If we haven’t been moved to ask “Who is this?” recently, then we might have become too familiar with this local boy who is God among us. Amen? Amen.