August 9, 2009 Sermon
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Proper 14 - B
August 9, 2009 Emmanuel, San Angelo
Food in the summer time can be especially delightful. Those who have gardens have likely had a bumper crop this year with the rain we have had. For a city dweller like me going to a farmers' market is a high point of my summer vacation. This time we went to four in different places: Santa Fe, at the Indian reservation in Taos, a roadside stand in the Panhandle, and a co-op in Luling. Nothing is better than a sun-ripened tomato off the vine, sweet corn, okra, blackberries picked that morning and on our table for dinner. Onions, radishes, ripe melons. These things conjure up images from my childhood of shelling peas and shucking corn to go along with the trout caught in the Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota. And fresh bread from the bakery. These to me are pictures in my mind's eye of abundance and grace; things ordinary, simple, yet satisfying. If I were writing the Bible today, these are the examples I would use.
Jesus' words about the "bread of life" rang true with his hearers as well, and no doubt stirred up similar images for them of richness and abundance. Over and over again the Hebrew Scriptures speak of God providing his people with the bread of life, Manna in the wilderness. Ancient Jews used the term "bread of life" to mean the word, the wisdom that comes from God:
"Come and eat of my bread; drink of the wine I have mixed."
Proverbs 9:5
"Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Psalm 34:8
Those who long for the knowledge and love of the Lord will find it in abundance. These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
In the summer we can be out of doors more which can make the nature images that much more alive to us. Think of the many moments of abundance and grace: Children playing in the spray of water at a pool; taking your dog on a morning walk, playing an early round of golf, or even sitting on your porch late in the evening. These you can think of and many more. If I were writing the Bible today, these are the examples I would use.
Jesus used the image of the heavenly banquet, the abundance of the fruits of wisdom, and the simple gifts of life to say to his hearers:
Heaven is here now.
You no longer have to wait.
Out of the bounty of creation God provides sustenance in this life.
At times when we feel like we have lost the way, or are not certain what the future holds God speaks to us in the simple things.
"I am the bread of life; whoever eats of this bread will live forever."
What a message of hope this is, and what joy there is in believing.
There is also a call to responsibility, for we do not live our lives in isolation. Picking up with the words of St. Paul, we hear him encourage new believers to show and share that abundance with one another. "Be imitators of God" he says. This is not syrupy piousness, rather a call to conversion and discipleship. If we could travel back in time to Paul's world we would see a Christians living in a world far different than ours. Violence, oppression, constant warfare made life for many a joyless place. Death and suffering were constant companions. Paul's words to the Ephesians were a kind of "spirituality checklist". In all things they were to live life as if it were a gift, and treat others as being a gift of God. As imitators of God their mission was two-fold: first, to grow daily in their faith, and secondly, to transform the world around them. That message is still valid for us today.
I think about our need to be reminded of the simple blessings of God, and our responsibility to serve others with charity and compassion. Pictures of summertime, refreshment, of children laughing; or the Holy Communion, and the words of the Lord's Prayer: these things are a foretaste of the heavenly place we long for. They are also a promise of hope for today. Christ is our comfort and assurance in time of trial. Simply. Lovingly. Here and now, Christ beckons us saying: "I am the bread of life."
Follow the love God has shown you by loving those around you. In this we do his will.
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Revised: 08/18/09