God’s Will / Based on John 6:1-21 / Delivered on July 29, 2018 to CCH in Hudson WI

God’s Will / Based on John 6:1-21 / Delivered on July 29, 2018 to CCH in Hudson WI

Hymns 119 Make Me a Channel of Your Peace,  90 Trust and Obey , 102 We Are Called

John 6:1-21

6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.

6:2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.

6:3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

6:4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

6:5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"

6:6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

6:7 Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."
6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
6:9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?"
6:10 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.
6:11 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.
6:12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost."
6:13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.
6:14 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."
6:15 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.
6:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
6:17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
6:18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
6:19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.
6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Good morning and happy Sunday to you.  I am Darci Strutt McQuiston, one of the Lay Servants from the United Methodist Church up on the hill from here.  It is my joy to be with you today.

There were many great scriptures to choose from the lectionary for this Sunday.  I’m going to pull in the Old Testament reading from 2 Kings as well.  It’s obviously selected for this Sunday as a companion for the Gospel lesson from John.

2 Kings 4:42-44

4:42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat."
4:43 But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So he repeated, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and have some left.'"
4:44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the LORD.

I don’t remember hearing that passage before so wanted to share it.

The three ideas I’ve chosen for today are:

The Importance of Hospitality

Keeping your eye on the destination
Following Jesus’ example

The Importance of Hospitality

Jesus wasn’t at home when the people came, but he knew they had come to visit with him.  I believe their presence gave him the opportunity to teach a lesson about hospitality.  Jesus knew as Elisha knew, “They shall eat and have some left.”  God had taught the importance of hospitality throughout the Old Testament and Jesus continued to express the importance of both giving and receiving it throughout his ministry.  

When he sent out his disciples by twos to travel and do God’s will he told them;

 Luke 10:4-12

Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.  Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.  “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.  Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’  I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

They were to see acts of hospitality as demonstrating respect for God’s work.  It was showing they were willing to do God’s will.

Heb 13:2

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

The Hebrews scripture may have been recalling Abraham’s visit with three strangers who turned out to be angels promising his wife Sarah would have a child.

It doesn’t say what nationality the 5,000 people were or what religion they followed.  I’m going to go out on a limb and imagine they were very mixed.  They were brought together because of what they heard.

6:2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.

Jesus didn’t say to separate them in any way.  He told them to have them sit down in the grass and wait.  All of them were treated like Jesus’ guests equally.  Providing hospitality was acting according to God’s will, and God’s love doesn’t judge between people.

Keeping your eye on the destination

The passage from John goes right into a second story.  The people were so impressed by being all fed that they wanted Jesus to be king.  He had just demonstrated he could provide for his people.  Jesus knew that wasn’t the type of king God called him to be so he left.

His disciples went on ahead in the boat.  I’m assuming they were accustomed to storms since many of them were fishermen.  Their fear wasn’t about the weather this time.  It was seeing Jesus walking to them.  This was not normal accepted behavior!

6:18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

6:19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.

They wanted him to be more normal so tried to get him into the boat, but instead Jesus just skipped them all forward to their destination.

6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Jesus didn’t attempt to meet their expectations.  He focused instead on the destination.

Following Jesus’ example

As I sat with these lessons I pondered what they meant for my life.  The teachings of hospitality came forward strongly.  I’ve been experiencing more conflict around me in recent years.  There is more separation of us and them.  That separation has been one of race, politics, socioeconomic situation, education…you name it!  It is a tension that has separated people that otherwise loved each other.

The feeding of the five thousand reminds me of the importance of seeing all who come into my life as worthy of my hospitality.  I’ve heard this scripture before, and the lesson brought out was to be like the little boy and bring what you have to Jesus.  This week as I meditated I felt the lesson was instead to be like Jesus and Elisha and respect the importance of hospitality.  God gives to all.  We are called to give to all.  That means giving to people that disagree with me as well as those who agree with me.  I don’t have to change my belief or stop working for my sense of what is right, but scripture is clear on this.  It is God’s will to love and show hospitality to those that come to me.

Jesus had his eyes on the destination always.  When the people tried to push him toward a different goal he shifted away from them.  When the disciples wanted him to act more “normal” he just brought their destination to them.  People, waves, wind, and even well-meaning disciples didn’t cause him to veer from his destination.

He focused on following God’s will despite all distractions.  I believe he knew in detail what his life purpose was.  I’m not quite as sure about the detail of my life but I know Jesus taught to live in love.

Mat 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Being able to love someone you disagree with isn’t an easy thing.  The greater the emotion involved, and the more ways you differ, the harder it is to show love and hospitality.  It isn’t an easy thing, but I think it is God’s will.  We will soon pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  We are called to care for each other in whatever ways we can.  It would be great if being with me brought another person understanding to my way of viewing the world, but a far better goal is to have my companion see God’s way of viewing the world. 

It may feel like any act of love or hospitality we can offer is small compared to the needs of our troubled world, but God does amazing things when we align with His will.  Just five barley loaves and two fish were beyond enough for over five-thousand.  We have a calling to be God’s people.  I pray we each offer what we can.

Amen