Category: Year A

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The Feeding of the Five Thousand, by John Reilly (1928-2010)

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (New International Version)

Miracles still happen

I know of a woman who once brought a pan of lasagna to a community meal at her church, thinking that only 25-30 people would be fed. However, 70 people showed up. Her immediate thought was to go buy more, but she didn’t have the time.

So, here is what the dear woman did: She looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and started dishing out the lasagna – until every last person was fed. She confided in me that “every time I put my spatula down there was food to put on it!”

The story of Jesus feeding thousands of people is not just a nice account that happened a long time ago; Jesus is still in the miracle business. Christ can take our meager resources and turn them into something with a large impact on a lot of people. 

For this to happen, all we need to do is follow our Lord’s simple instructions: “You give them something to eat,” and, “Bring them here to me.” Jesus, using a simple act of obedience by the disciples, did one of the most famous miracles in history.

The message of the story is simple, but profound: Jesus can multiply whatever little we have, to accomplish his kingdom work, through us. Jesus could do miracles without us, but he wants us to participate in the work. We only need to bring our few loaves and fish to him.

The compassion of Jesus is the motivation for miracles

Jesus withdrew to a solitary place. But the crowd did not leave him alone. Rather than be annoyed by the situation, Jesus looked at the large group of people and his heart went out to them. So, he went about the work of healing the sick. Please know that God does not begrudgingly deal with you, as if you were an interruption to his day; he has compassion.

The desire of Jesus is for us to participate in the miracles

After a full day of healing, Christ’s disciples came to him as if he was unaware of the people’s need for food. They gave a very rational and realistic answer to the problem of hunger: Dismiss them so they can go out to eat. But Jesus said, “They don’t need to go away; you give them something to eat.” 

I detect maybe a hint of sarcasm in the tone of the disciples reply: “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.” But their math was way off because they did not count Jesus.  “Bring them here to me,” Christ replied. If we have ears to hear, Jesus is still saying this today: bring them here to me. Through simple prayer and active obedience, we give Jesus what we have, no matter how little or insignificant it seems to us.

Much of what we do in the American church is a reasonable and rational ministry; it has little to do with the impossibility of faith and seeing God work in ways that are incomprehensible to our modern sensibilities.

A Chinese pastor once visited the United States. After seeing our vast resources of money, buildings, and ministries. He said, “This is amazing! It’s incredible what you American Christians can do without God!” 

In reality, we need God – who is in the business of taking our simple obedience and humble participation, and doing the miraculous. And it has always been this way. For example….

Elisha Multiplies the Widow’s Oil, from  L’histoire dv Vieux et dv Nouveau Testament, 1670

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” (2 Kings 4:1-7, NIV)

You want me to do what?

What if we were to operate as if God were truly in the business of doing miracles?  Would it impact the way we pray, and the way we act?  What if we understood just enough of Jesus and what he can and wants to do that we would be bold to say: “This might sound crazy, but what if we….”

  • found out everyone who needs food in this community, go love on them, and feed them…
  • used our property to create a community garden and seek to help people grow their own food…
  • came up with a God-sized plan to reach our community…
  • prayed to see a hundred people come to Christ through this church… 

Most of our plans don’t require us to do anything impossible, so we simply settle for the possible.

We too often do nothing out of a sense that God either cannot or does not want to use me or what I have. But it just won’t do to stand afar off and expect God to work without us giving what we have – whether that something is time, money, conversation, food, hospitality, or whatever. 

Our limitations mean nothing to Jesus, so he doesn’t hear us when we say:

  • my home is too small, and it’s not clean enough
  • I don’t have enough money,
  • I’m not smart enough
  • my schedule won’t allow it
  • I don’t have enough resources

You don’t need much – only the willingness to be part of the miracle Jesus is doing.

Conclusion

You want me to do what? Feed thousands? Lead someone to Jesus? Pray in front of others? Work for justice?

Sometimes, the greatest miracle is for people to be open, real, and transparent enough to believe that Christ can do a miracle through confessing my sin, participating in a ministry, or having a spiritual conversation with an unbeliever. 

The question is never, “Can God use me?” It is, “What miracle does God want to do through me and through this church?”

It is no accident that when Jesus distributed the bread that it sounds a lot like communion. The Lord’s Supper may seem irrelevant, as if it is merely remembering Jesus. However, God’s design is much bigger: The Lord wants to do a miracle. 

God wants the practice of our communion together to bring healing and wholeness that the world cannot give. It might be unrealistic to expect that Jesus can use a Table to feed and reach thousands, but we don’t serve a God who is limited to work through rational means.

Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe, for you give us food to sustain our lives and make our hearts glad. We thank you for your countless blessings, especially for the gift of your Son, for the Church, for our faith, and now for this meal we are about to participate in, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

On the Lam(b) (Genesis 31:1-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Jacob Flees Laban, illustration from Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us, by Charles Foster, 1897

Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, “Jacob is now a rich man, and he got everything he owns from our father.” Jacob also noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before. One day the Lord said, “Jacob, go back to your relatives in the land of your ancestors, and I will be with you.”

Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to meet him in the pasture where he kept his sheep, and he told them:

“Your father isn’t as friendly with me as he used to be, but the God my ancestors worshiped has been on my side. You know that I have worked hard for your father and that he keeps cheating me by changing my wages time after time. But God has protected me. When your father said the speckled sheep would be my wages, all of them were speckled. And when he said the spotted ones would be mine, all of them were spotted. That’s how God has taken sheep and goats from your father and given them to me.

Once, when the flocks were mating, I dreamed that all the rams were either spotted or speckled. Then God’s angel called me by name. I answered, and he said, “Notice that all the rams are either spotted or speckled. I know everything Laban is doing to you, and I am the God you worshiped at Bethel, when you poured olive oil on a rock and made a promise to me. Leave here at once and return to the land where you were born.”

Rachel and Leah said to Jacob:

There’s nothing left for us to inherit from our father. He treats us like foreigners and has even cheated us out of the bride price that should have been ours. So do whatever God tells you to do. Even the property God took from our father and gave to you really belongs to us and our children.

Then Jacob, his wives, and his children got on camels and left northern Syria for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took along all his flocks, herds, and other property.

Before Rachel left, she stole the household idols while Laban was out shearing his sheep.

Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean by not saying that he intended to leave. When Jacob crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead, he took with him everything he owned. (Contemporary English Version)

Moving and changing are a part of life. Change and movement are built into all creation, from the seasons of the year to our physical bodies over time. Some changes and moves we deem as good, and others, not so much. Yet, whether good or bad, any switch or shift in life can be difficult to cope with.

Whatever the circumstance, God stands behind everything, working out good and divine purposes. There are times and seasons in our lives where we can get lost in our own stories. Ultimately, however, our transitions from one place to another are really about our individual stories fitting into the larger story of God.

Whenever we are unable to see how our own story and the story of God fit together, it’s an opportunity to exercise faith and trust in God. Listening to God, and responding to God’s call to move and change, will at times be difficult, due to the uncertainty of our future.

Jacob Urges Leah and Rachel to Flee from Laban, by Pieter Symonsz Potter, 1638

In today’s Old Testament lesson, Jacob has served his father-in-law Laban for twenty years. Now, he hears the call of God to move – and that move is both good and fraught with anxiety. Jacob and his family are on the lam, literally moving their lambs and sheep and everything they own to avoid pursuit and confrontation.

The principal actor and center of the story is not Jacob, but God. The narrative is primarily about God, with Jacob as the supporting actor in the story.

God was watching over and protecting Jacob. The Lord was following through on a promise of land and descendants given to Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham – to make him into a great nation so that all people-groups on earth would be blessed. 

So then, the story of Jacob is merely one piece in the grand unfolding drama of God’s redemption. This drama would eventually and ultimately find its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

Jacob had in-law issues. His relationship with his father-in-law had always been tenuous, and was morphing into trouble. Laban’s attitude had changed toward his son-in-law, probably due to Jacob’s increasing wealth, and Laban’s decreasing assets.

So, God showed up and told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers. Along with the call to make a change came a promise of God’s continued presence with Jacob. The grace given to Abraham when calling him out of Ur was renewed with more grace when calling Jacob back to the land of his father and grandfather.  It is in God’s nature to be gracious and to heap grace upon grace.

Jacob heeded call of the Lord and began laying plans to move back to Canaan. But how to tell his family about this? What are his wives going to say? After all, he’s talking about moving away with teenagers still in the tent.

With some anxiety, Jacob called his wives, Rachel and Leah, out to the fields to talk. Jacob laid out the story of himself and Laban, which he framed more as a contrasting story between God and Laban:

  • Laban’s attitude changed, whereas God’s attitude does not change. God is not fickle.
  • Laban was unreliable, reneging on promises, but God is reliable and trustworthy, keeping divine promises.
  • Laban kept changing his mind, yet God stays the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
  • Laban saw only self-interest; however God sees everyone and shows solidarity with the oppressed.

This same God is concerned for us and will not renege on promises. God is providentially working out a good  agenda and concern for this earth, and we can bank on it.

The response from Jacob and Rachel to Laban was some tricky thievery. Jacob stealthily took his family and ran away from the situation. Rachel straight up stole Laban’s household gods.

(Note: Old Testament narratives do not usually tell us whether something is bad or good but instead allows the story to unfold and speak for itself so that we can see the ethics working out). 

Jacob and Rachel had a less than stellar response to God’s grace. We do not know exactly what the household gods are, or why Rachel stole them. What we do know is that there was a bit of pagan practice mixed in with worship of the one, true God.

Our circumstances will forever be changing, and God may ask us to move and go do something somewhere else. Yet, no matter the situation, and how different our surroundings may become, God does not change, and is here with us; and, at the same time, is continually moving to accomplish good purposes.

Loving God, you have made the whole of human life in your image; each one of us shaped in love. Your goodness is ever-present within us all. Yet, there is so much evil and pain in our world; it comes at us from every direction.

Teach us how to rediscover your love within us and to use that love as a force for good. Help us to turn our hearts toward the world in hope, praying for each other and regarding each other as a treasure, so that we might be the light which darkness can never overcome, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Who’s In Charge? (Romans 9:6-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

I am not saying that the promise of God has failed; for not all the people of Israel are the people of God. Nor are all of Abraham’s descendants the children of God. God said to Abraham, “It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised you.” This means that the children born in the usual way are not the children of God; instead, the children born as a result of God’s promise are regarded as the true descendants. For God’s promise was made in these words: “At the right time I will come back, and Sarah will have a son.”

And this is not all. For Rebecca’s two sons had the same father, our ancestor Isaac. But in order that the choice of one son might be completely the result of God’s own purpose, God said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” He said this before they were born, before they had done anything either good or bad; so God’s choice was based on his call, and not on anything they had done. As the scripture says, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.” (Good News Translation)

My friend, I want to break this to you as gently as possible yet as straightforward as I can: Neither you nor I are in control or in charge! 

Any semblance of control we think we have is merely a delusion. Now, before you push back, its important to make the distinction between control and responsibility. We are to own our decisions and take responsibility for their outcome. The Bible describes this as “self-control.”

God’s saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people. It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. (Titus 2:11-12, GW)

Attempting to control others is not our job – never was, isn’t now, and never will be – that’s God’s business. 

God makes choices. This was the Apostle Paul’s point to the church at Rome. The congregation was a volatile mix of Jew and Gentile. There was some bad history between them that stretched back centuries. Yet, here they were together in one church worshiping Jesus. 

Paul made a responsible choice to step into the mess between them and let each group know something important: It is neither their choice about who’s in and who’s out as God’s people, nor their choice about how someone gets in to start with. Those sorts of decisions are God’s choice. 

The Jews needed to know that Gentiles are in the kingdom because God does the work of choosing, calling, and including Gentiles just as much as Jews. 

The Gentiles needed to know that they were not replacing Jews as chosen people. The point? God chooses whomever he darn well pleases to choose, and the choice is not up to you or me.

This speaks on so many levels about how to conduct ourselves with one another in the church. The foundation of all good church dynamics is the recognition that God is the one who calls and gathers people together. That always needs to be the starting point in our relations with each other. The church is not a random collection of persons who happen to be in the same place at the same time. God puts us where we are.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV)

The Church is a covenantal community. Believers in Jesus are receiving the blessings first promised by God’s covenant relationship with Abraham in the Old Testament that all nations would be blessed by grace through faith. God is committed to acting on their behalf through election, adoption, and redemption. The new covenant community, the Church, receives the promises of God and exists to follow Jesus Christ in all things. 

The Church is not a voluntary society, like every other human institution. Rather, the Church is the divinely called community of the redeemed whom God has joined through the Spirit to Christ. Therefore, an individual, theologically speaking, does not join a church; instead, God joins the Church to Jesus.

The Nicene Creed (325 C.E.) describes the Church with four identifying marks:

  1. The Church is one.  The unity of the Church comes from God’s covenant people being in fellowship with the Lord through Jesus in the Spirit. This unity is expressed through the bond of love and a common worship that includes the spiritually forming practices of preaching, liturgy, and sacraments.  Since believers serve a triune God of Father, Son, and Spirit who exists in unity, so Christians are to work toward maintaining their unity through the bond of peace.
  2. The Church is holy.  The Church is holy by virtue of Christ’s finished work. Therefore, the members of the Church are saints, called by God to live in holiness and participate with him in carrying out his purposes on earth. As God is holy, so believers are to be holy in all they do. Since Christians are holy through God’s justification in Christ, so the Church as saints must uphold justice in the world.
  3. The Church is catholic.  This means that God’s people are found in all parts of the world throughout all times in history, including every race, class, gender, and ethnicity. Since the Church includes all kinds of people from different cultures, these believers must work together. The Church, across all kinds of denominations, ought to minister together to the total life of all people through gospel proclamation and good works done in the Spirit.
  4. The Church is apostolic.  Apostolic means “to be sent.” The Church is not only a people who are gathered for worship and teaching; they are also sent into the world as salt and light to those who are in darkness. Where the Church goes, the rule and reign of Jesus goes with them so that the gospel is spread to all nations.

Sovereign God, you choose whomever you want to include in your kingdom. Allow me to see Jesus in each person you call and save so that I can love and encourage them in the faith which is mutually and graciously given to us all; through Christ our Lord, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Generosity is Finer Than Frog Hair Split Three Ways (Philippians 4:10-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. (New International Version)

In the English language, the words “you” and “your” can be either singular or plural. Unless, of course, we go with the southern “y’all.” But for a northerner like me, I’ve got to determine the singular or plural by looking at the context that it’s in – which is maybe why we pitch so many hissy fits about Bible interpretation.

In the language of the New Testament, Greek, we definitely know which words are singular and which are plural because, well, they’re different words which aren’t spelled the same. It’s important to know that in the book of Philippians all of the “you” pronouns are plural. Turns out that “y’all” is a lot more biblical than you thought, and that the sun doesn’t come up just to hear some opinionated individual crow.

That’s important because the theme of unity and solidarity runs affectionately throughout the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi. In fact, for Paul, the reason he jabbers on so much about joy in his letter is because it’s only realized when unity is around. Unity really dills Paul’s pickles.

The entire Philippian church – and not just those two really caring parishioners like Uncle Bundlejoy and Cousin Cozysweet – shared in Paul’s troubles with him. The whole kit-and-caboodle partnered with him through financial resources, prayer, and ministry. Paul had confidence that every need the Philippians had would be supplied just as sure as God put worms in sour apples.

They learned a valuable lesson from Paul: that unity through generosity brings contentment in all circumstances and eases anxieties. The Philippian believers got a glimpse of the paradox that through giving they become rich. When tightwad believers are around, a church frets so much they could worry the horns off a billy goat. But when generosity settles in, people are more content than a flea on a pup.

Folks who only care about their personal needs and independent wealth aren’t right in the head – their cornbread’s not done in the middle. God wants everyone to know the blessing of working together in a worthy common cause. Generosity and contentment go together like bacon and eggs. 

A charitable spirit in a group of people leads to more joy and happiness than a gopher in soft dirt. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin,’ and then you need to start givin.’

Hoarding makes a church more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. If we want to be free of backbiting and worry, then we need to be wild about generosity. Give like the sun and the whole world grows tall. 

Believe it, or not, some folks have enough money to burn a wet mule. So, be generous with your money, generous with your words of encouragement toward others, and generous with your gratitude to God. After all, as long as you have a penny, you’ll never be broke.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, and speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Besides, giving is more fun than a sack full of kittens. And if you give till you laugh, maybe you’ll see good ol’ Paul standing there grinning like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater.

Generous God, your storehouse of grace and mercy is infinite and unending.  Help me to partner with you in a way that makes my generosity flow in the same direction yours does so that Jesus Christ is glorified, and his church is edified through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.