When I attended seminary there was a required course on homiletics. You would probably agree, there is nothing worse that sitting in a church, synagogue, temple, mosque or even work and have to listen to someone droning on and on. I am reminded with today's passage of two things they taught us with regard to preaching. One is this, 'if you don't strike oil in the first 5 minutes, stop boring'. The second is, there is no need to convey all your learned wisdom as well as your life story in each and every sermon you offer.
There is so much in today's passage, my mind is a twitter over what to say, how to limit my thoughts and absolutely, do not try to say it all! So much neat information from how this fits in with the synoptic Gospels and the attending interpretations all the way to 'food that does not perish'. I'll choose the latter.
When I was a young newlywed we were poor. We were so poor we collected soda cans on the beach for the 5 cent refund so that we could make a large pot of chili, enough to last through the week. Poor and dependant on the generosity of family and friends. Even then though, I think we both knew we had nothing to worry about. Times may have been lean but there are far important things we could have worried about. The lessons about what to worry about have only been compounded and reinforced through the years. I recently read a novel in which a character states that worrying is just praying for something bad to happen. I'd add that it is misspent time and energy.
What really gives us sustenance is God. As Americans we probably are out of touch with how little food we really need to survive. We live in a defacto world of big macs and happy meals. Everything is oversized - as are most of us. When I lived in the Dominican Republic, even for that short time I became embarrassed by the way we live in the United States. This was an honest self reflection. I have come to know what little we need in the way of real food and how much more we absolutely need in the way of God. Sadly we can easily make food our God and that is a real abomination. Appreciate? yes. Worship, gluttony? No.
What do you need to sustain you? What false foods do you consume?
John 6:16-27
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’
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