Psalm 14; John 6:1-21
“No God”
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?” (John 6:5) On the surface, this verse seems to be about hungry people, about bread, and about what the disciples might do to feed them. Anyway, if our thinking is “inside the box” that may be what we would conclude. Applying it, then, to our lives we might start looking at ways we might feed those who are hungry. But isn’t this verse really about more than Jesus’ feeding a whole lot of people? Sure it is, if we would just get outside of the box.
So, making our way up over the edge of that box, listen once again to Psalm 14, verse 1, as it provides some helpful thoughts: “Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God...”” In other words fools don’t really believe what they say. We have got it all wrong if we don’t trust God to do what God intends to be done.
Pastor Ken Erickson told of his wife cleaning out leftovers from the refrigerator one Saturday. She gave the one remaining portion of pasta to their 6-year-old son, Jeremy. His 8-year-old brother, Matthew, also wanted some of what Jeremy got, so they began arguing. After several unsuccessful attempts to mediate the dispute, Ken decided on a theological approach. Hoping to convince Jeremy to share his portion with Matthew, he said, “Jeremy, what would Jesus do in this situation?”
Jeremy immediately responded, “Oh, Dad, He would just make more!”
Wouldn’t that be a good attitude to have? When it seems like there isn’t enough to go around – enough money at the beginning of the week, enough love in the middle of an argument, enough patience at the end of the day, we would have the faith – to believe, to know, and to trust – that Jesus “would just make more!”
Perhaps the biggest problem facing the church today is a lack of trust? In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” Christ calls us to a fullness of life– a life of abundance, but our mind, fearing there is will not enough to go around, thinks scarcity instead. Still inside the box, there just isn’t any way.
When Jesus asks Philip, “where?” he isn’t asking about where to go to get bread. He is asking us all, “Where do you go when faced with the impossible? When it seems like there just isn’t enough of what is needed to get the job done, what do you do? Where do you go? When we hear ourselves asking, “Where’s the money coming from?” where do we turn? We say we believe in God. We say that, “with God all things are possible.” We say all sorts of things about God. But do we really believe them in our heart? Do we really trust that God can get things done? The psalmist says it is foolish not to. And yet when the Lord looks down to see how we are doing, God sees way too many fools. We still don’t have it right, do we? Where is our trust?
Imagine what that trust might look like. Trusting Jesus to lead this church and provide all that is needed, we could feed the hungry… we could bring people together… we could comfort the lonely, we could free the prisoner, and provide hope… in this community. And, together with churches in other communities, we could be in servant ministry to the whole world. The psalmist speaks, though, of people who are fools because they don’t seem to understand, their trust is not in God but in themselves. And so, their resources are wasted.
What is it that Christ said? “…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20-21) The problem is not our lack of resources, but our lack of trust – which makes us fools, saying one thing but believing another.
In today’s lesson from the Gospel of John, Jesus is on a hillside with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast is only weeks away. He looks up and sees all these people coming up the mountain. Jesus and his disciples are unexpectedly facing five thousand men, and an untold number of women and children dropping in at mealtime. The disciples were ‘beside themselves.’ Suppose we were having a church supper and everyone in town showed up? We would be hurrying around, probably in a panic too, wouldn’t we? But Jesus doesn’t panic. He leans over and says, “Philip, how are we going to buy enough food to feed these people?” It is a test. And Philip, who represents the church, replies the way the church often replies to a crisis or need: “Oh my, we can’t do that – we would have to spend everything we have, and then some, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, speaks up, “Here is a boy with five small loaves of bread and two small fish, but it’s not near enough. As far as the disciples were concerned, the problem was resources. They didn’t have enough. Jesus knew better. The issue wasn’t a lack of resources, the issue was a lack of trust.
Jesus tells his disciples to have the people sit down. The meal – a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread - is blessed, served and eaten (by over five thousand people), and when everyone has had enough to eat, there are leftovers to fill 12 baskets. God provides what is needed and more! Trust God! John tells other stories of Jesus’ abundant grace: when water is turned into wine (and the jars are filled to the brim) at the wedding in Cana; when at the community well in Samaria, Jesus tells a women about living water gushing up to eternal life; or in Jesus’ departure speech when he tells the disciples, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” Jesus message seems always to be one of abundance, of there always being enough when Jesus is in the doing. Whether it is wine at a wedding or rooms in the Father’s house or food at a picnic, there is always more than enough, always an abundant supply of God’s grace to nourish and enrich our lives. It’s not a matter of resources then, is it – it is a matter of trust?
The challenging question the story asks of the church is this, “Do we believe God will provide what is needed to do the ministry God wants done?” Or, “Do we live with an attitude of scarcity? Do we live life in small and safe measures, hoarding, and saving and worrying about what we have or don’t have? Do we pull back when we should push forward? Do we give in to our fear of not having enough rather than exercising faith in God’s abundance? Thinking in terms of abundance brings generosity and hope; thinking in terms of scarcity brings nothing but anxiety and resentment. As Christians we are constantly on call to go places where we have never been, to do things we have not attempted, and to be things we have never envisioned. Such a calling requires faith. It requires trusting God, and doing so abundantly.
The message today isn’t that five thousand people were fed from a few fish and loaves of bread, the message is that we never have to worry about whether what we have — food or energy or money or faith — is enough. We are to trust God that we do. We would be foolish not to.
The psalmist says, “O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people…” God will deliver God’s people and God’s church. Believe it, but most importantly trust it will happen.
Thanks be to God! AMEN
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
July 19, 2009 Message
Psalm 89:20-37; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
“Always Means Always”
In our reading from Mark (6:30-34,53-56), Jesus is concerned about his tired disciples who have returned from having gone out in pairs to put into practice what he had taught them. They were sent into action, to teach, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. (vv. 6-13) Now they have returned energized, and at the same time exhausted. They have come back eager to share stories of everything that has happened but they are worn out. What to do? They deserve a break, so Jesus takes them to an ‘out of the way’ place for some much needed rest and relaxation. This time away with their Lord is a welcomed relief.
But the people won’t let them be. And before long, they show up where Jesus and the disciples have gone. Jesus is concerned for the disciples but he is also compassionate toward the crowd of people that have swarmed after them on foot. Even as the disciples rest, Jesus continues to care for the people who come to him, the sick and the lost, those looking to be healed. He isn’t upset or angry that they keep coming to him for help. Nor does he ignore them. He continues to care for them. It is in Jesus’ reaction to these people that the true nature of God is revealed. God’s love never tires; God’s compassion never takes a break; God’s concern is never held back. God never leaves us stranded or alone. God is always here for us.
It’s like those times when parents are exhausted, but the baby still cries. You don’t ignore the child in need. Responding to a crying baby in the middle of the night when sleep is at a premium is an unconditional, sacrificial kind of love – a God kind of love. That is how Jesus reacts to all the needy people who just kept coming! He continues to be there for them.
God revealed in Jesus Christ is the same God revealed in today’s reading from Psalm 89. This is God who makes David and his descendents, and people like us, someone more than ordinary – someone very special. This is God who finds us, claims us, strengthens us, protects us from our enemies, loves us, and lifts us up. And this is God who promises to always be there for David. Ours is the same promise given David’s descendents – when God assured them, “mess up and there will be consequences (you may not like), but even then, God says, I will not renege on my pledge to you or take back my promises, ever.” “It shall be established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies.” (37)
This psalm was probably written sometime after 587 B.C. as a response to the Israel’s devastating situation. Jerusalem is wrecked, the temple is destroyed, Israel’s leaders are dead or imprisoned, the people are in exile, and hope is hard to come by. For the exiles in Babylon, whose faith in God has been ‘watered down’ and weakened by their situation and who now begin to question God’s promise to Israel to always, always be there for the people. God has not been real to them for some time now, but only talked about. They are losing their faith. Their state of mind is much like that found in “Love Among the Ruins” (a Robert Browning poem from 1855) that speaks of fond memories of what once was and will never be again.
Where the quiet-colored end of evening smiles,
Miles and miles
On the solitary pastures where our sheep
Half-asleep
Tinkle homeward thro' the twilight, stray or stop
As they crop--
Was the site once of a city great and gay,
(So they say)
Of our country's very capital, its prince
Ages since
Held his court in, gathered councils, wielding far
Peace or war.
So psalm 89 is needed in answering the question, “Where is the evidence of God’s steadfast love in the midst of ruin and overturned lives?” Where is God when all seems lost? Where IS God then! Finding T.S. Eliot’s “still point of the turning world” (from “Burnt Norton”) is what all of us must do when faced with the task of finding an answer where…
…Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards;
at the still point, there the dance is,
…Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.
“At the still point, there the dance is,…where past and future are gathered. And there God is also.
Tradition understood this promise to be irrevocable and it came to be represented physically by the temple built by David’s son, Solomon and the earthly place where God resided. The temple had been a constant reminder of God’s promise to preserve and protect God’s chosen people. What do you do when the one place you’ve always been told will last forever lies in ruins? What do you say when the unthinkable has happened? What do you believe when God seems to have left the building and is no where to be found? What then!?
You question the covenantal relationship, don’t you? And that’s exactly what the people of Israel did. There is this huge question in their minds concerning what their future and whether God would be there for them when they most needed help. At the time, it certainly didn’t seem like God was taking care of them. So there had to be a reason. Maybe God was breaking the covenant and calling the whole things off!
Every parent understands unconditional love, but to a child, what does love look like when it seems love’s promises haven’t been kept? It is painful. It hurts. It is a scary feeling of being alone and abandoned. Faith only when things are going well in our lives is too weak to withstand life’s ups and downs and is certain to collapse under the weight of life’s harsh realities. Psalm 89 tries to remind us that the long-lasting and unwavering faith of the Bible has, at its core, a relationship. How we define or understand that relationship is the basis then of what we really believe and trust God will do.
Verse 35 is pretty clear; it says what God will and will not do to David (or to anyone else). God is God. God is truth. Of course God does not or will not lie, which only reinforces the promises God has made to David and his descendents – even if they mess up. God will “not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness.” The same goes for us. There may be some tough times, but God will not be “false to my faithfulness.” God is to be trusted. God does not lie.
And still this statement may not calm our worry or make us any less anxious. There has been for some of us, a time or two, maybe even today, when we have felt God has lied to us. Or we have wondered how our situation, as bad as it is, could possibly have been what God had promised. Be honest. We have thought that, haven’t we? And so God says, through the Psalmist in verses 20-35, “This is what I will do.” and “This is what I will not do.” What God will not do is lie – to any of us. That is the truth.
God promises to be here for us, for me and for you – no matter what. God will do that! Because God will not lie to David and God will not lie to you! That is good news indeed! Trust God to keep God’s word.
“Always Means Always”
In our reading from Mark (6:30-34,53-56), Jesus is concerned about his tired disciples who have returned from having gone out in pairs to put into practice what he had taught them. They were sent into action, to teach, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. (vv. 6-13) Now they have returned energized, and at the same time exhausted. They have come back eager to share stories of everything that has happened but they are worn out. What to do? They deserve a break, so Jesus takes them to an ‘out of the way’ place for some much needed rest and relaxation. This time away with their Lord is a welcomed relief.
But the people won’t let them be. And before long, they show up where Jesus and the disciples have gone. Jesus is concerned for the disciples but he is also compassionate toward the crowd of people that have swarmed after them on foot. Even as the disciples rest, Jesus continues to care for the people who come to him, the sick and the lost, those looking to be healed. He isn’t upset or angry that they keep coming to him for help. Nor does he ignore them. He continues to care for them. It is in Jesus’ reaction to these people that the true nature of God is revealed. God’s love never tires; God’s compassion never takes a break; God’s concern is never held back. God never leaves us stranded or alone. God is always here for us.
It’s like those times when parents are exhausted, but the baby still cries. You don’t ignore the child in need. Responding to a crying baby in the middle of the night when sleep is at a premium is an unconditional, sacrificial kind of love – a God kind of love. That is how Jesus reacts to all the needy people who just kept coming! He continues to be there for them.
God revealed in Jesus Christ is the same God revealed in today’s reading from Psalm 89. This is God who makes David and his descendents, and people like us, someone more than ordinary – someone very special. This is God who finds us, claims us, strengthens us, protects us from our enemies, loves us, and lifts us up. And this is God who promises to always be there for David. Ours is the same promise given David’s descendents – when God assured them, “mess up and there will be consequences (you may not like), but even then, God says, I will not renege on my pledge to you or take back my promises, ever.” “It shall be established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies.” (37)
This psalm was probably written sometime after 587 B.C. as a response to the Israel’s devastating situation. Jerusalem is wrecked, the temple is destroyed, Israel’s leaders are dead or imprisoned, the people are in exile, and hope is hard to come by. For the exiles in Babylon, whose faith in God has been ‘watered down’ and weakened by their situation and who now begin to question God’s promise to Israel to always, always be there for the people. God has not been real to them for some time now, but only talked about. They are losing their faith. Their state of mind is much like that found in “Love Among the Ruins” (a Robert Browning poem from 1855) that speaks of fond memories of what once was and will never be again.
Where the quiet-colored end of evening smiles,
Miles and miles
On the solitary pastures where our sheep
Half-asleep
Tinkle homeward thro' the twilight, stray or stop
As they crop--
Was the site once of a city great and gay,
(So they say)
Of our country's very capital, its prince
Ages since
Held his court in, gathered councils, wielding far
Peace or war.
So psalm 89 is needed in answering the question, “Where is the evidence of God’s steadfast love in the midst of ruin and overturned lives?” Where is God when all seems lost? Where IS God then! Finding T.S. Eliot’s “still point of the turning world” (from “Burnt Norton”) is what all of us must do when faced with the task of finding an answer where…
…Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards;
at the still point, there the dance is,
…Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.
“At the still point, there the dance is,…where past and future are gathered. And there God is also.
Tradition understood this promise to be irrevocable and it came to be represented physically by the temple built by David’s son, Solomon and the earthly place where God resided. The temple had been a constant reminder of God’s promise to preserve and protect God’s chosen people. What do you do when the one place you’ve always been told will last forever lies in ruins? What do you say when the unthinkable has happened? What do you believe when God seems to have left the building and is no where to be found? What then!?
You question the covenantal relationship, don’t you? And that’s exactly what the people of Israel did. There is this huge question in their minds concerning what their future and whether God would be there for them when they most needed help. At the time, it certainly didn’t seem like God was taking care of them. So there had to be a reason. Maybe God was breaking the covenant and calling the whole things off!
Every parent understands unconditional love, but to a child, what does love look like when it seems love’s promises haven’t been kept? It is painful. It hurts. It is a scary feeling of being alone and abandoned. Faith only when things are going well in our lives is too weak to withstand life’s ups and downs and is certain to collapse under the weight of life’s harsh realities. Psalm 89 tries to remind us that the long-lasting and unwavering faith of the Bible has, at its core, a relationship. How we define or understand that relationship is the basis then of what we really believe and trust God will do.
Verse 35 is pretty clear; it says what God will and will not do to David (or to anyone else). God is God. God is truth. Of course God does not or will not lie, which only reinforces the promises God has made to David and his descendents – even if they mess up. God will “not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness.” The same goes for us. There may be some tough times, but God will not be “false to my faithfulness.” God is to be trusted. God does not lie.
And still this statement may not calm our worry or make us any less anxious. There has been for some of us, a time or two, maybe even today, when we have felt God has lied to us. Or we have wondered how our situation, as bad as it is, could possibly have been what God had promised. Be honest. We have thought that, haven’t we? And so God says, through the Psalmist in verses 20-35, “This is what I will do.” and “This is what I will not do.” What God will not do is lie – to any of us. That is the truth.
God promises to be here for us, for me and for you – no matter what. God will do that! Because God will not lie to David and God will not lie to you! That is good news indeed! Trust God to keep God’s word.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
July 12, 2009 Message
Psalm 24; Mark 6:14-29
“Who Is God? Who Are We?”
Two weeks ago, we drove out to Colorado for a family vacation in Estes Park. It had been twenty plus years since the last time we made the trip together, only this time, rather than being in the back seat, our son was in the car ahead of us on I-80 and our daughter in a third car coming from Arizona. And with them, this time, were their children and spouses. Everything about the trip was great - our going, our time there, and our return home. And everywhere I found myself to be, I continually witnessed evidence of God’s creation – in the plains and rivers along the I-80, in the transitional sand hills and foothills of western Nebraska and northeastern Colorado, and in the tree and snow covered mountains of the Rockies. There was an underlying realization that all of this was God’s – not mine or anyone else’s. There was a sense of timelessness, and man’s inability to exert control over anything in a lasting way. God’s hand was in everything - even in the family that had grown over time from four to eleven. Perhaps you have had similar experiences during your times away.
The psalmist, today in Psalm 24, sings a song of praise, remembering that God created everything, and having done so, everything – the whole earth and everything on it – belongs to God.
The granite mountains, flowing rivers, flat plains and rolling hills are all God’s. The bountiful crops grown in rich, black or irrigated, sandy soils are God’s as well. The gardens we plant, tend and come back to are Gods. Everything in the world we think is ours IS all God’s. Even us, and those we love, are God’s. Everything belongs to God. And because it does, nothing is beyond God’s power or outside God’s control.
If we believe the earth is the LORD'S and everything in it, then how could on this earth ever be ours? If God is the owner of everything, how could God not be the owner of everything we have – rather than us? That is true of what everyone has – whether it is a little or a lot: it all belongs to the Lord and not to any of us.
The people of ancient Israel understood this; when they came to Jerusalem to worship, they would remember God’s ownership of the creation. They acknowledged that everything— including all of the stuff they possessed—was not ultimately theirs to do with as they wanted. It all belonged to God. And they were accountable for using God’s stuff in ways that were pleasing to God.
Is that our understanding of God and things? Or, has our God changed? Became less powerful? Incapable of creation? No longer Lord of all (and owner of all that is)? I don’t think God has changed. God’s people understood themselves not as owners, but as stewards of all that God had entrusted to them. Don’t we, as Christians, believe that despite what our culture tells us, we don’t really own this stuff that is ours? But instead, are accountable before God for how we use the resources God has entrusted to us?
As stewards, we are to manage these resources for the owner’s benefit. They belong to God, not us. It's our job to find out what the owner wants done with them, and then do it. God has entrusted to us a lot of things to take care of. What we might ask ourselves is: what does God want me to do with these things that are not really mine? What am I to use them for? And, we need to ask that about everything.
We need to ask this about all the ‘stuff’ we have. How much of God’s stuff am I or my family entitled to when it all belongs to God and has only been entrusted ti our care? How much am I to keep for myself?
We need to ask this about our money. What does God require of my giving to the church? Am I giving in a way God wants me to? What does justice demand of me when it comes to the poor and needy?
We need to ask this about ourselves – our time, our gifts and talents. All these belong to God as well and God has entrusted them to our care. Am I managing the time and gifts I have the way God wants me to?
And we need to ask this about our church as well. It belongs to God also and has been entrusted to our care. We need to ask: are we managing it the way God wants us to? Is the church able to do or be involved in what God has intended for it or is it being held back or misdirected by our negligence instead?
It is tough knowing if we are doing the right things or managing things the way God wants us to. And yet, the apostle Paul provides some very good direction when he says, “So… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) Of course, to manage everything for the glory of God means we no longer manage everything for our sakes and our glory and our pleasure and our advancement and our enjoyment.
There is only one king. “The King of glory, the Lord, strong and mighty.” Psalm 24:7-8
Sometimes, like Herod, we get it all wrong. We think only about ourselves and holding on to what we have. We don’t like what we have done but still we go on as we have. Herod thought there should be only one king, one person in control, one person who owned everything – him. He really never understood the kingdom Jesus taught about or “the king of glory, the Lord, strong and mighty” of which the psalmist sang.
The people were talking about the new teacher in town. Some said, “It is John the baptizer, raised from the dead, working in him.” Or, “It is Elijah?” Or, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” (Mark 6:14-16) Herod feared the power and control he might lose, never realizing the kingdom to which all, including him, were being invited.
We are God’s creation, God’s children. We belong to God – all of us. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;” Psalm 24:1 And yet, we fall short. We seem so far from God. We think of what God has done and of God’s power, and we wonder how anyone might consider us God’s children; or how we could ever be close to God. We do our best to live good lives and be good people, but we know we fall short - compared with God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness, God’s holiness.
And still, God invites us here to worship. That is the good news – and still… God invites us to open our hearts to welcome God into our lives. And still, God invites us into God’s kingdom to live the life we were intended to live. God is the King of Glory, the Lord of all. Jesus was right. The kingdom is near. It’s as near as the next moment and only as far away as our last breath. The kingdom is ours if only we would reach out and embrace it. Or as Thom Shuman writes in his prayer for today:
Every moment, we have the chance to breathe in your goodness and grace;
every hour, we have opportunities to share your love and hope;
every day, we have occasions to rest in the comfort of your heart.
In you, we discover the fullness of time, Delight of the Ages.
In every challenge we face, we can find the strength to persevere;
in every person we meet, we can find the blessing you have sent;
in every need we encounter, we can find the help you would have us offer.
In you, we discover the fullness of life, Companion of our days.
In every conflict of our lives, there is your healing we can offer;
in every brokenness we experience, there is that reconciliation we can receive;
in every difficulty which makes us stumble, there is that dance of hope you would teach us.
In you, we discover the fullness of faith, Promised Spirit.
God in Community, Holy in One, in you we discover the fullness we long for.
Today’s scripture teaches this about God: God is Lord; everything is God's; nothing is ours. There is only one king – one person in charge – (and it’s not Herod or any of us). God provides what we have and entrusts it to us to use for God’s glory, not ours. May we generously and joyfully use God's gifts to do God's work through this, God’s church.
“Who Is God? Who Are We?”
Two weeks ago, we drove out to Colorado for a family vacation in Estes Park. It had been twenty plus years since the last time we made the trip together, only this time, rather than being in the back seat, our son was in the car ahead of us on I-80 and our daughter in a third car coming from Arizona. And with them, this time, were their children and spouses. Everything about the trip was great - our going, our time there, and our return home. And everywhere I found myself to be, I continually witnessed evidence of God’s creation – in the plains and rivers along the I-80, in the transitional sand hills and foothills of western Nebraska and northeastern Colorado, and in the tree and snow covered mountains of the Rockies. There was an underlying realization that all of this was God’s – not mine or anyone else’s. There was a sense of timelessness, and man’s inability to exert control over anything in a lasting way. God’s hand was in everything - even in the family that had grown over time from four to eleven. Perhaps you have had similar experiences during your times away.
The psalmist, today in Psalm 24, sings a song of praise, remembering that God created everything, and having done so, everything – the whole earth and everything on it – belongs to God.
The granite mountains, flowing rivers, flat plains and rolling hills are all God’s. The bountiful crops grown in rich, black or irrigated, sandy soils are God’s as well. The gardens we plant, tend and come back to are Gods. Everything in the world we think is ours IS all God’s. Even us, and those we love, are God’s. Everything belongs to God. And because it does, nothing is beyond God’s power or outside God’s control.
If we believe the earth is the LORD'S and everything in it, then how could on this earth ever be ours? If God is the owner of everything, how could God not be the owner of everything we have – rather than us? That is true of what everyone has – whether it is a little or a lot: it all belongs to the Lord and not to any of us.
The people of ancient Israel understood this; when they came to Jerusalem to worship, they would remember God’s ownership of the creation. They acknowledged that everything— including all of the stuff they possessed—was not ultimately theirs to do with as they wanted. It all belonged to God. And they were accountable for using God’s stuff in ways that were pleasing to God.
Is that our understanding of God and things? Or, has our God changed? Became less powerful? Incapable of creation? No longer Lord of all (and owner of all that is)? I don’t think God has changed. God’s people understood themselves not as owners, but as stewards of all that God had entrusted to them. Don’t we, as Christians, believe that despite what our culture tells us, we don’t really own this stuff that is ours? But instead, are accountable before God for how we use the resources God has entrusted to us?
As stewards, we are to manage these resources for the owner’s benefit. They belong to God, not us. It's our job to find out what the owner wants done with them, and then do it. God has entrusted to us a lot of things to take care of. What we might ask ourselves is: what does God want me to do with these things that are not really mine? What am I to use them for? And, we need to ask that about everything.
We need to ask this about all the ‘stuff’ we have. How much of God’s stuff am I or my family entitled to when it all belongs to God and has only been entrusted ti our care? How much am I to keep for myself?
We need to ask this about our money. What does God require of my giving to the church? Am I giving in a way God wants me to? What does justice demand of me when it comes to the poor and needy?
We need to ask this about ourselves – our time, our gifts and talents. All these belong to God as well and God has entrusted them to our care. Am I managing the time and gifts I have the way God wants me to?
And we need to ask this about our church as well. It belongs to God also and has been entrusted to our care. We need to ask: are we managing it the way God wants us to? Is the church able to do or be involved in what God has intended for it or is it being held back or misdirected by our negligence instead?
It is tough knowing if we are doing the right things or managing things the way God wants us to. And yet, the apostle Paul provides some very good direction when he says, “So… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) Of course, to manage everything for the glory of God means we no longer manage everything for our sakes and our glory and our pleasure and our advancement and our enjoyment.
There is only one king. “The King of glory, the Lord, strong and mighty.” Psalm 24:7-8
Sometimes, like Herod, we get it all wrong. We think only about ourselves and holding on to what we have. We don’t like what we have done but still we go on as we have. Herod thought there should be only one king, one person in control, one person who owned everything – him. He really never understood the kingdom Jesus taught about or “the king of glory, the Lord, strong and mighty” of which the psalmist sang.
The people were talking about the new teacher in town. Some said, “It is John the baptizer, raised from the dead, working in him.” Or, “It is Elijah?” Or, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” (Mark 6:14-16) Herod feared the power and control he might lose, never realizing the kingdom to which all, including him, were being invited.
We are God’s creation, God’s children. We belong to God – all of us. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;” Psalm 24:1 And yet, we fall short. We seem so far from God. We think of what God has done and of God’s power, and we wonder how anyone might consider us God’s children; or how we could ever be close to God. We do our best to live good lives and be good people, but we know we fall short - compared with God’s goodness, God’s faithfulness, God’s holiness.
And still, God invites us here to worship. That is the good news – and still… God invites us to open our hearts to welcome God into our lives. And still, God invites us into God’s kingdom to live the life we were intended to live. God is the King of Glory, the Lord of all. Jesus was right. The kingdom is near. It’s as near as the next moment and only as far away as our last breath. The kingdom is ours if only we would reach out and embrace it. Or as Thom Shuman writes in his prayer for today:
Every moment, we have the chance to breathe in your goodness and grace;
every hour, we have opportunities to share your love and hope;
every day, we have occasions to rest in the comfort of your heart.
In you, we discover the fullness of time, Delight of the Ages.
In every challenge we face, we can find the strength to persevere;
in every person we meet, we can find the blessing you have sent;
in every need we encounter, we can find the help you would have us offer.
In you, we discover the fullness of life, Companion of our days.
In every conflict of our lives, there is your healing we can offer;
in every brokenness we experience, there is that reconciliation we can receive;
in every difficulty which makes us stumble, there is that dance of hope you would teach us.
In you, we discover the fullness of faith, Promised Spirit.
God in Community, Holy in One, in you we discover the fullness we long for.
Today’s scripture teaches this about God: God is Lord; everything is God's; nothing is ours. There is only one king – one person in charge – (and it’s not Herod or any of us). God provides what we have and entrusts it to us to use for God’s glory, not ours. May we generously and joyfully use God's gifts to do God's work through this, God’s church.
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