God fills us with the Bread of Life for our bodies and our spirits
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle B
Theme For The Day: God fills us with the Bread of Life for our bodies and our spirits.
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1--15 (C)
King David has consolidated his power and no longer personally engages in the risky task of doing battle with his enemies. Getting up from his afternoon nap, he surveys his capital from his balcony, when he spies a beautiful woman taking her bath; it is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David's valiant fighters. He has her brought to his palace and has sex with her. When she sends word that she is pregnant, David attempts to cover his sin by having Uriah take a leave from battle, that he might have intercourse with his wife. Uriah adheres to the laws of holy war and refuses to lie with his wife while others are doing battle. David sends a letter to Joab, his general, to put Uriah at the forefront of battle and then withdraw from him, so that he might be slain.
Lesson 1: 2 Kings 2:1--15 (E)
(See The Transfiguration Of Our Lord)
Lesson 1: 2 Kings 4:42--44 (RC)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 3:14--21 (C)
This lection repeats a phrase sounded in verse 1: "For this reason..." Just prior to verse 1, Paul celebrates the fact that Gentiles are incorporated into the family of God. In verse 1, he states that he is a prisoner for the gospel, to make it known to the Gentiles. In verse 14, Paul asserts that for the same reason, he praises the Lord. This passage is a poetic prayer and praise to God that the Christians, to whom Paul is writing, might be firmly rooted in the love of Christ and filled with the Spirit of God.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 4:1--6 (RC); Ephesians 4:1--7, 11--16 (E)
(See Proper 13)
Gospel: John 6:1--21 (C); John 6:1--15 (RC)
This is the first of a series of passages from John 6 which lift up Jesus as the Bread of Life. Jesus miraculously feeds a multitude of people, estimated as 5000 people, using the barley loaves and fishes of a young boy's lunch. The crowd is so impressed by this sign that it wants to make Jesus their king. Jesus withdraws from them to a deserted place. Some interpreters see this story as John's version of the institution of the Eucharist, which was deleted from his passion account. This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Verses 16--21 contain John's version of Jesus coming to his sea--tossed disciples via walking on the water.
Gospel: Mark 6:45--52 (E)
After feeding the five thousand, Jesus dismisses the people, puts his disciples into a boat, and retreats to a hilltop to pray. From this vantage point, he views his boatload of disciples struggling against the wind. He walks toward them on the waves. They react in horror, thinking it an apparition. Jesus immediately reassures them: "Take heart, it is I; have no fear" (v. 50). He boarded the boat and all was calm, but the disciples didn't know what to make of this (v. 52).
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 14 (C) --- "Have they no knowledge, all the evil doers who eat up my people as they eat bread..." (v. 4).
Psalm 114 (E)
Psalm 144 (RC)
Prayer Of The Day
Merciful God, you desire that not only our physical needs be satisfied but that we be filled with the fullness of your love and grace through Christ Jesus our Lord. In the name of the compassionate Christ we pray. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1--15
It didn't just happen (v. 2). The story of David's sin with Bathsheba begins with the words "It happened late one afternoon..." Many times, when a person's adulterous affair comes to light, he responds, "It just happened," as if to suggest that he was not responsible for his actions, that he had no control. While sexual attraction is powerful, it never just happens; we permit it to happen. David could have prevented it from happening if he had turned the other way after seeing Bathsheba or if he wouldn't have sought out her identity or if he had not ordered her up to his palace. Few things just happen; there are causes and choices.
Fatal attraction. The movie Fatal Attraction tells the story of a man who is attracted to a woman who is not his wife and has an affair with her. When he breaks off the relationship, she will not let go. She attempts to destroy both her lover and his family. David's fixation with Bathsheba was a fatal attraction; no, David did not die, but Bathsheba's husband did. This sin would plague David and his household for years to come.
You can't hide from the naked truth. Sin has a way of coming out from underneath the covers, of becoming exposed. David attempted to cover up his sin but one failed attempt led to an even more desperate and heinous attempt to conceal his sin. Then, when he thought he had gotten away with his sin, God exposed the naked truth through Nathan the prophet. David eventually confessed his wrongdoing but it would continue to haunt him.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 3:14--21
The difference between paternity and fatherhood (vv. 14--15). In Paul's prayer for the Church he states that he bows his knees before the Father, "from whom every family in heaven and earth is named." God not only gives us life but he takes an interest in our lives; God invests himself personally in our sustenance and growth. There are many men who take pride in their ability to impregnate a woman but who take little interest in their offspring. Society needs men who not only take pride in paternity but in fatherhood, who give themselves freely to the nurture of their children.
Nurturing your inner being (v. 16). Far too much attention is accorded outward appearance in our western culture. The plethora of products to enhance and change one's outward nature testifies to this obsession. Paul prays that Christians might be strengthened in their inner being (man, anthropos). That which is interior is the wellspring of our being. Our inner being, shaped by our interaction with God's Spirit, is what really matters. Instead of beautifying our bodies, we should be opening ourselves to the strengthening presence of God's Spirit.
Love is the ground of our being (v. 17). God is love and love is the ground of our being. It is this spiritual soil that gives stability and strength to our lives. Many young people have grown wild, like a weed, because they have not been rooted and grounded in love during their formative years.
The infinity of love (vv. 18--19). Paul was so overwhelmed with the magnitude of God's love that he could hardly express it. In reality, he seems to be saying that the love of God in Christ is infinite (surpasses knowledge). He expresses his sense of the Infinite using the words breadth, length, height and depth. God's love is certainly beyond our measuring but not beyond our knowing (experiencing). When we love, we partake of the Infinite.
A really large plate. The word translated width in verse 19 is platos. If you're a big eater and you're going through a really good buffet line, you know the importance of a wide plate. Such a plate can be heaped with good food. This passage attempts to express the exceeding magnitude of God's love, grace and fullness, which he has heaped on our life's plate in Jesus Christ.
Gospel: John 6:1--21
The Lord's Supper (v. 4). John's understanding of the Lord's Supper is grounded in the account of the feeding of the 5000. The mention of the Passover Feast shows an obvious attempt to cast this as a type of Eucharist. Jesus is the master of the feast. John does not emphasize the aspect of forgiveness but highlights Christ's compassionate and strengthening presence.
This is a test, this is only a test (v. 5). Jesus tested Philip by asking him how they were going to be able to buy enough bread to feed the multitude. Philip flunked the test, while Andrew did a little better. Every so often when you're listening to the radio, an announcer will inform the listening audience that there is going to be a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System. Then the airwaves go silent for several seconds, followed by another announcement. The concluding announcement states that this was just a test; had it been a real emergency, you would have been told what to do. The test that Jesus gave his disciples was not the real thing; Jesus knew what he would do. However, Jesus sought to prepare his disciples for the real thing by this test.
The problem of thinking small (v. 9). Andrew was aware of some resources to feed the multitude, the five loaves and two fish, but he minimized them. "But what are they among so many?" Andrew fell into the common trap of thinking small. Thinking small leads to minimizing not only our strengths and resources, but God's. Miracles do indeed happen when we lay our meager resources at Christ's feet.
The profligacy of God (vv. 11--13). The Second Lesson celebrates the extravagance of God's love. The Gospel emphasizes the profligacy of God's grace. Every person at the feast had all he wanted to eat and yet there were twelve baskets left over (also symbolic of the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel). God doesn't parcel out his grace like a penny--pinching miser; he supplies our needs in abundance.
SERMON APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1--15
Sermon Title: Perils Of Prosperity
Sermon Angle: David was at the apex of prosperity and success; his enemies were in check, his capital was established, he had a fancy palace and could now take his ease. As he arose from his nap, he was feeling somehow incomplete. He needed something more to reignite his internal fire. Strolling on his rooftop, he spied Bathsheba and thought that she might fill the empty spaces in his heart. David's heart became possessed with covetousness rather than the Spirit of the Lord. He thought that one more possession, an exquisite work of art, would satisfy his desire. Such are the perils of prosperity.
Outline:
1. David had succeeded beyond his dreams but it left him wondering: "Is that all there is?"
2. In looking for something to satisfy his emptiness, he spied Bathsheba.
3. Fulfilling his desire did not fulfill him but brought unhappiness.
4. The pursuit of material success leaves many Americans spiritually impoverished.
5. Fix your hearts on seeking God's will rather than your own desires.
Sermon Title: He Looked, Took and Forsook
Sermon Angle: The above verbs aptly describe what David did when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He was looking from the roof of his palace and saw Bathsheba in all her glory. Lust starts with the look. You can't help but see something at times, but you don't have to continue to look when something arouses your desires. Next, the text says that David sent his servants to Bathsheba and they took her (v. 4). He had no right to take her; she was the wife of one of his own soldiers. This led to adultery, deceit and murder. In committing these sins he forsook the Lord. Fortunately, as we read later in this book, God did not forsake David.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 3:14--21
Sermon Title: How To Strengthen The Inner Man Or Inner Woman
Sermon Angle: The apostle passionately prays that God might strengthen the inner being of his disciples (v. 16). A few people are heavily involved in bodybuilding and many more are seriously engaged in physical fitness. They seek to strengthen the outer man or woman, to condition the physical body. Paul earnestly prays that his followers would permit God to strengthen their inner man or inner woman by the aegis of the Spirit of God and the power of faith (v. 17).
Outline:
1. Americans are obsessed with their outer appearance. (Give examples.)
2. Paul prays for his disciples' inner being (v. 16).
3. How do you strengthen the inner man or inner woman?
- Open your life to God's Spirit (v. 17).
- The Spirit will ground you in God's love and fill you with the fullness of God.
Sermon Title: The Joy Of Being Full
Sermon Angle: Is anything more satisfying after a hard day of labor than to push away from the supper table of your favorite food with a pleasantly full and satisfied feeling? This feeling is intensified in the presence of people whom you love and enjoy. Note, we are not talking about gorging oneself, which leaves you with a sick feeling. Imagine how a persistent, gnawing sensation of hunger must feel, whether it be a hunger of the body or the soul. Paul speaks of the pleasure of being filled with the fullness of God (v. 19), the fullness of his love and grace. Nothing can be more satisfying than that.
Outline:
1. Think of a time when your life was full, complete and satisfying.
2. God wants you to experience that feeling and more (v. 19).
3. Some people gorge themselves with all sorts of things but it doesn't satisfy.
4. The pleasantly full feeling God gives lasts eternally, if we but let his Spirit fill us with his love and grace.
Gospel: John 6:1--21
Sermon Title: A Feast With An Attitude
Sermon Angle: The picnic which Jesus celebrated with the multitude was a simple meal yet a feast, because everyone had plenty to eat and there was a feeling of wonder and community. This was a feast with an attitude: the attitude of gratitude. Jesus had the people sit down in groups, then he took the loaves and gave thanks to God (v. 11). It was truly a Eucharist. Whenever we assemble to give thanks to the Source of all life by breaking the bread of life, it is a Eucharist.
Outline:
1. Most feasts have an attitude - celebration, revelry.
2. Jesus was the host for a feast (feeding the 5000).
3. The attitude of his feast was gratitude (v. 11) for the generosity of God's gifts.
4. This attitude dominates the Lord's Supper and is shown in the name Eucharist.
5. Life with Christ is a Eucharist.
Sermon Title: God Is A Conservationist
Sermon Angle: After the meal was served, Jesus ordered the leftover pieces to be gathered so that nothing would be lost (v. 12). While God is generous with the children of the earth, he does not waste that which he has created. "That nothing may be lost" conveys God's attitude toward his children; he sent his Son to gather in the broken fragments of his human family. God was the original conservationist and it is his will that the church conserve and save that which is the Lord's.
Sermon Title: There Is No Hunger Appeal
Sermon Angle: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has an ongoing emphasis on elimination of hunger, called the ELCA Hunger Appeal. The fact is that hunger has no appeal. Voluntary fasting may have an appeal as a spiritual discipline but imposed hunger has no appeal whatsoever. Those who are hungry can think of nothing else than their dire need for food. They cannot appreciate the higher things of the spirit until their basic physical needs are met. Hunger organizations make their appeal to the relatively rich to share some of the scraps of bread that fall from their table. That task seems even more daunting to us than the prospect of feeding the 5000 did to the disciples. We have only five loaves and two fishes. What good are they among so many? Have we lost faith that Christ can still miraculously multiply the loaves and the fish that we possess?
Outline:
1. Hunger organizations appeal for us to help the hungry.
2. Such a pitch is not appealing to many. Why?
- The need is so great.
- Resources are limited.
- The need is not visible to many of us.
- We rationalize the need away - it's somebody else's fault or responsibility.
3. Christ still asks us what we propose to do about the needs of the hungry (v. 5).
4. Possible responses.
- Share what you have.
- Get to know the hungry as persons.
- Rather than only giving them a fish, teach them to fish.
__________
I have just returned from Chicago on a discount airline ticket, sometimes referred to as a "peanut fare," because in order to offer the most reasonable fare possible, peanuts are the only food you will be served. Peanuts have the connotation of being insignificant or of little value. Actually, the peanut is a wonderful little nugget. You may recall from your elementary education the story of George Washington Carver, the great Negro scientist, who discovered at his laboratory at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama over 300 marketable uses of the lowly peanut. The fact that you probably didn't learn at school was that Carver was not only a great scientist but a great Christian who spent two hours every morning communing with God through prayer. He credited his achievements not to his own genius but to his Creator, who gave him the ability to multiply the uses of the peanut over 300--fold.
__________
Be gentle when you touch bread. Let it not be uncared for, unwanted. So often bread is taken for granted. There is so much beauty in bread; beauty of the sun and soil, beauty of patient toil. Winds and rains have caressed it. Christ often blessed it. Be gentle when you touch bread.
- Author Unknown
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1--15 (C)
King David has consolidated his power and no longer personally engages in the risky task of doing battle with his enemies. Getting up from his afternoon nap, he surveys his capital from his balcony, when he spies a beautiful woman taking her bath; it is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David's valiant fighters. He has her brought to his palace and has sex with her. When she sends word that she is pregnant, David attempts to cover his sin by having Uriah take a leave from battle, that he might have intercourse with his wife. Uriah adheres to the laws of holy war and refuses to lie with his wife while others are doing battle. David sends a letter to Joab, his general, to put Uriah at the forefront of battle and then withdraw from him, so that he might be slain.
Lesson 1: 2 Kings 2:1--15 (E)
(See The Transfiguration Of Our Lord)
Lesson 1: 2 Kings 4:42--44 (RC)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 3:14--21 (C)
This lection repeats a phrase sounded in verse 1: "For this reason..." Just prior to verse 1, Paul celebrates the fact that Gentiles are incorporated into the family of God. In verse 1, he states that he is a prisoner for the gospel, to make it known to the Gentiles. In verse 14, Paul asserts that for the same reason, he praises the Lord. This passage is a poetic prayer and praise to God that the Christians, to whom Paul is writing, might be firmly rooted in the love of Christ and filled with the Spirit of God.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 4:1--6 (RC); Ephesians 4:1--7, 11--16 (E)
(See Proper 13)
Gospel: John 6:1--21 (C); John 6:1--15 (RC)
This is the first of a series of passages from John 6 which lift up Jesus as the Bread of Life. Jesus miraculously feeds a multitude of people, estimated as 5000 people, using the barley loaves and fishes of a young boy's lunch. The crowd is so impressed by this sign that it wants to make Jesus their king. Jesus withdraws from them to a deserted place. Some interpreters see this story as John's version of the institution of the Eucharist, which was deleted from his passion account. This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Verses 16--21 contain John's version of Jesus coming to his sea--tossed disciples via walking on the water.
Gospel: Mark 6:45--52 (E)
After feeding the five thousand, Jesus dismisses the people, puts his disciples into a boat, and retreats to a hilltop to pray. From this vantage point, he views his boatload of disciples struggling against the wind. He walks toward them on the waves. They react in horror, thinking it an apparition. Jesus immediately reassures them: "Take heart, it is I; have no fear" (v. 50). He boarded the boat and all was calm, but the disciples didn't know what to make of this (v. 52).
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 14 (C) --- "Have they no knowledge, all the evil doers who eat up my people as they eat bread..." (v. 4).
Psalm 114 (E)
Psalm 144 (RC)
Prayer Of The Day
Merciful God, you desire that not only our physical needs be satisfied but that we be filled with the fullness of your love and grace through Christ Jesus our Lord. In the name of the compassionate Christ we pray. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1--15
It didn't just happen (v. 2). The story of David's sin with Bathsheba begins with the words "It happened late one afternoon..." Many times, when a person's adulterous affair comes to light, he responds, "It just happened," as if to suggest that he was not responsible for his actions, that he had no control. While sexual attraction is powerful, it never just happens; we permit it to happen. David could have prevented it from happening if he had turned the other way after seeing Bathsheba or if he wouldn't have sought out her identity or if he had not ordered her up to his palace. Few things just happen; there are causes and choices.
Fatal attraction. The movie Fatal Attraction tells the story of a man who is attracted to a woman who is not his wife and has an affair with her. When he breaks off the relationship, she will not let go. She attempts to destroy both her lover and his family. David's fixation with Bathsheba was a fatal attraction; no, David did not die, but Bathsheba's husband did. This sin would plague David and his household for years to come.
You can't hide from the naked truth. Sin has a way of coming out from underneath the covers, of becoming exposed. David attempted to cover up his sin but one failed attempt led to an even more desperate and heinous attempt to conceal his sin. Then, when he thought he had gotten away with his sin, God exposed the naked truth through Nathan the prophet. David eventually confessed his wrongdoing but it would continue to haunt him.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 3:14--21
The difference between paternity and fatherhood (vv. 14--15). In Paul's prayer for the Church he states that he bows his knees before the Father, "from whom every family in heaven and earth is named." God not only gives us life but he takes an interest in our lives; God invests himself personally in our sustenance and growth. There are many men who take pride in their ability to impregnate a woman but who take little interest in their offspring. Society needs men who not only take pride in paternity but in fatherhood, who give themselves freely to the nurture of their children.
Nurturing your inner being (v. 16). Far too much attention is accorded outward appearance in our western culture. The plethora of products to enhance and change one's outward nature testifies to this obsession. Paul prays that Christians might be strengthened in their inner being (man, anthropos). That which is interior is the wellspring of our being. Our inner being, shaped by our interaction with God's Spirit, is what really matters. Instead of beautifying our bodies, we should be opening ourselves to the strengthening presence of God's Spirit.
Love is the ground of our being (v. 17). God is love and love is the ground of our being. It is this spiritual soil that gives stability and strength to our lives. Many young people have grown wild, like a weed, because they have not been rooted and grounded in love during their formative years.
The infinity of love (vv. 18--19). Paul was so overwhelmed with the magnitude of God's love that he could hardly express it. In reality, he seems to be saying that the love of God in Christ is infinite (surpasses knowledge). He expresses his sense of the Infinite using the words breadth, length, height and depth. God's love is certainly beyond our measuring but not beyond our knowing (experiencing). When we love, we partake of the Infinite.
A really large plate. The word translated width in verse 19 is platos. If you're a big eater and you're going through a really good buffet line, you know the importance of a wide plate. Such a plate can be heaped with good food. This passage attempts to express the exceeding magnitude of God's love, grace and fullness, which he has heaped on our life's plate in Jesus Christ.
Gospel: John 6:1--21
The Lord's Supper (v. 4). John's understanding of the Lord's Supper is grounded in the account of the feeding of the 5000. The mention of the Passover Feast shows an obvious attempt to cast this as a type of Eucharist. Jesus is the master of the feast. John does not emphasize the aspect of forgiveness but highlights Christ's compassionate and strengthening presence.
This is a test, this is only a test (v. 5). Jesus tested Philip by asking him how they were going to be able to buy enough bread to feed the multitude. Philip flunked the test, while Andrew did a little better. Every so often when you're listening to the radio, an announcer will inform the listening audience that there is going to be a test of the Emergency Broadcasting System. Then the airwaves go silent for several seconds, followed by another announcement. The concluding announcement states that this was just a test; had it been a real emergency, you would have been told what to do. The test that Jesus gave his disciples was not the real thing; Jesus knew what he would do. However, Jesus sought to prepare his disciples for the real thing by this test.
The problem of thinking small (v. 9). Andrew was aware of some resources to feed the multitude, the five loaves and two fish, but he minimized them. "But what are they among so many?" Andrew fell into the common trap of thinking small. Thinking small leads to minimizing not only our strengths and resources, but God's. Miracles do indeed happen when we lay our meager resources at Christ's feet.
The profligacy of God (vv. 11--13). The Second Lesson celebrates the extravagance of God's love. The Gospel emphasizes the profligacy of God's grace. Every person at the feast had all he wanted to eat and yet there were twelve baskets left over (also symbolic of the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel). God doesn't parcel out his grace like a penny--pinching miser; he supplies our needs in abundance.
SERMON APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 11:1--15
Sermon Title: Perils Of Prosperity
Sermon Angle: David was at the apex of prosperity and success; his enemies were in check, his capital was established, he had a fancy palace and could now take his ease. As he arose from his nap, he was feeling somehow incomplete. He needed something more to reignite his internal fire. Strolling on his rooftop, he spied Bathsheba and thought that she might fill the empty spaces in his heart. David's heart became possessed with covetousness rather than the Spirit of the Lord. He thought that one more possession, an exquisite work of art, would satisfy his desire. Such are the perils of prosperity.
Outline:
1. David had succeeded beyond his dreams but it left him wondering: "Is that all there is?"
2. In looking for something to satisfy his emptiness, he spied Bathsheba.
3. Fulfilling his desire did not fulfill him but brought unhappiness.
4. The pursuit of material success leaves many Americans spiritually impoverished.
5. Fix your hearts on seeking God's will rather than your own desires.
Sermon Title: He Looked, Took and Forsook
Sermon Angle: The above verbs aptly describe what David did when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He was looking from the roof of his palace and saw Bathsheba in all her glory. Lust starts with the look. You can't help but see something at times, but you don't have to continue to look when something arouses your desires. Next, the text says that David sent his servants to Bathsheba and they took her (v. 4). He had no right to take her; she was the wife of one of his own soldiers. This led to adultery, deceit and murder. In committing these sins he forsook the Lord. Fortunately, as we read later in this book, God did not forsake David.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 3:14--21
Sermon Title: How To Strengthen The Inner Man Or Inner Woman
Sermon Angle: The apostle passionately prays that God might strengthen the inner being of his disciples (v. 16). A few people are heavily involved in bodybuilding and many more are seriously engaged in physical fitness. They seek to strengthen the outer man or woman, to condition the physical body. Paul earnestly prays that his followers would permit God to strengthen their inner man or inner woman by the aegis of the Spirit of God and the power of faith (v. 17).
Outline:
1. Americans are obsessed with their outer appearance. (Give examples.)
2. Paul prays for his disciples' inner being (v. 16).
3. How do you strengthen the inner man or inner woman?
- Open your life to God's Spirit (v. 17).
- The Spirit will ground you in God's love and fill you with the fullness of God.
Sermon Title: The Joy Of Being Full
Sermon Angle: Is anything more satisfying after a hard day of labor than to push away from the supper table of your favorite food with a pleasantly full and satisfied feeling? This feeling is intensified in the presence of people whom you love and enjoy. Note, we are not talking about gorging oneself, which leaves you with a sick feeling. Imagine how a persistent, gnawing sensation of hunger must feel, whether it be a hunger of the body or the soul. Paul speaks of the pleasure of being filled with the fullness of God (v. 19), the fullness of his love and grace. Nothing can be more satisfying than that.
Outline:
1. Think of a time when your life was full, complete and satisfying.
2. God wants you to experience that feeling and more (v. 19).
3. Some people gorge themselves with all sorts of things but it doesn't satisfy.
4. The pleasantly full feeling God gives lasts eternally, if we but let his Spirit fill us with his love and grace.
Gospel: John 6:1--21
Sermon Title: A Feast With An Attitude
Sermon Angle: The picnic which Jesus celebrated with the multitude was a simple meal yet a feast, because everyone had plenty to eat and there was a feeling of wonder and community. This was a feast with an attitude: the attitude of gratitude. Jesus had the people sit down in groups, then he took the loaves and gave thanks to God (v. 11). It was truly a Eucharist. Whenever we assemble to give thanks to the Source of all life by breaking the bread of life, it is a Eucharist.
Outline:
1. Most feasts have an attitude - celebration, revelry.
2. Jesus was the host for a feast (feeding the 5000).
3. The attitude of his feast was gratitude (v. 11) for the generosity of God's gifts.
4. This attitude dominates the Lord's Supper and is shown in the name Eucharist.
5. Life with Christ is a Eucharist.
Sermon Title: God Is A Conservationist
Sermon Angle: After the meal was served, Jesus ordered the leftover pieces to be gathered so that nothing would be lost (v. 12). While God is generous with the children of the earth, he does not waste that which he has created. "That nothing may be lost" conveys God's attitude toward his children; he sent his Son to gather in the broken fragments of his human family. God was the original conservationist and it is his will that the church conserve and save that which is the Lord's.
Sermon Title: There Is No Hunger Appeal
Sermon Angle: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has an ongoing emphasis on elimination of hunger, called the ELCA Hunger Appeal. The fact is that hunger has no appeal. Voluntary fasting may have an appeal as a spiritual discipline but imposed hunger has no appeal whatsoever. Those who are hungry can think of nothing else than their dire need for food. They cannot appreciate the higher things of the spirit until their basic physical needs are met. Hunger organizations make their appeal to the relatively rich to share some of the scraps of bread that fall from their table. That task seems even more daunting to us than the prospect of feeding the 5000 did to the disciples. We have only five loaves and two fishes. What good are they among so many? Have we lost faith that Christ can still miraculously multiply the loaves and the fish that we possess?
Outline:
1. Hunger organizations appeal for us to help the hungry.
2. Such a pitch is not appealing to many. Why?
- The need is so great.
- Resources are limited.
- The need is not visible to many of us.
- We rationalize the need away - it's somebody else's fault or responsibility.
3. Christ still asks us what we propose to do about the needs of the hungry (v. 5).
4. Possible responses.
- Share what you have.
- Get to know the hungry as persons.
- Rather than only giving them a fish, teach them to fish.
__________
I have just returned from Chicago on a discount airline ticket, sometimes referred to as a "peanut fare," because in order to offer the most reasonable fare possible, peanuts are the only food you will be served. Peanuts have the connotation of being insignificant or of little value. Actually, the peanut is a wonderful little nugget. You may recall from your elementary education the story of George Washington Carver, the great Negro scientist, who discovered at his laboratory at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama over 300 marketable uses of the lowly peanut. The fact that you probably didn't learn at school was that Carver was not only a great scientist but a great Christian who spent two hours every morning communing with God through prayer. He credited his achievements not to his own genius but to his Creator, who gave him the ability to multiply the uses of the peanut over 300--fold.
__________
Be gentle when you touch bread. Let it not be uncared for, unwanted. So often bread is taken for granted. There is so much beauty in bread; beauty of the sun and soil, beauty of patient toil. Winds and rains have caressed it. Christ often blessed it. Be gentle when you touch bread.
- Author Unknown
