Sermon for Sunday, 2 August 2015: 10th Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon for Sunday, 2 August 2015
10th Sunday after Pentecost
The Rev. Carrie Ballenger Smith
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Grace and peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “Do
not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal
life.”
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| The brownies that never endure for long in my household ...baked by my son, Caleb |
These are powerful
words to hear in this community, where so much feels temporary and nothing
seems to endure for long. Once again this
morning we must say farewell and godspeed to a friend, Trena, just one week after sending off our intern Rachel and
her family, and one week before
saying goodbye to a church council member, Dan. These farewells are always
difficult, even when we know they’re coming.
I’m often
asked by clergy friends what the toughest part of ministry is in this context.
I imagine they’re expecting a reply about the complex interfaith and political
environment in Jerusalem, but I always say the toughest part of ministry here
is figuring out who the congregation
is! The Redeemer Lutheran Church of this week is never the Redeemer Lutheran
Church of next week. We are a temporary community of faith, but at the same
time we are a community which endures across time and miles. Whether you’re here
for a week or a year or longer, and no matter where you go next, through our
Lord Jesus you are always one bread and one body with us. As it says in the Ephesians
reading for today: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”
Hear again
the words of Jesus, who said: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for
the food that endures for eternal life.”
These
powerful words speak to us especially in this place rich with ancient history
and stones that have endured for centuries, but where nearly everything else seems
temporary – friends, work contracts, addresses, permission to cross borders, the
lives of Palestinian teenagers (and even toddlers), roadmaps to peace, cease
fires.
Even the bread
here is temporary.
This has
been a topic of much frustration in my household recently. I realize I’m coming
from an American culture which is rich in preservatives and prides itself on
manufacturing foods with a long shelf life (we love to tell jokes about how a
Twinkie will last through the apocalypse, for example) but after one year in
Jerusalem I am still having trouble with bread that perishes.
Bread is
abundant here, of course. Fresh hubbez
or kaayik appears on every table, along
with salads of every kind, hummus, olive oil, and za’atar.
But of
course, being an American, this is not
the bread I’m used to. Sometimes, I want a sandwich! So I seek out bread
which is square instead of round, and sliced instead of covered in sesame
seeds. I buy cheese and lunch meat and pickles and hope for the best.
And two days
later, without fail – the bread is furry and green.
In my house
we’ve had many discussions about the problem of the perishing bread. Maybe we
need to shop in a different place, or shop more often. Maybe we need to store the
bread in the refrigerator. Maybe we need to bake it ourselves! (This last
suggestion was not welcomed
enthusiastically by the other members of my household).
The other possibility,
the one which up to now we haven’t fully embraced, is that perhaps we’re simply
hungering after the wrong bread.
Like the
crowds who went looking for Jesus, hoping only to fill their bellies, we are
also seeking the bread we think we want—bread which even perishes before we can
eat it—while abundant, satisfying bread is right in front of us.
For Jesus
said, “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.”
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| Kaayik and other breads laid out for the breaking of the fast during Ramadan in Jerusalem Photo by Carrie Smith |
This is the
2nd of five bread-themed Sundays in the lectionary. Last Sunday we
heard about the miraculous feeding of five thousand people with just five
loaves and two fish. That event certainly got the attention of the hungry
crowds, so much so that they wanted to capture Jesus and make him into a king. But
being CEO of a bread multiplying company wasn’t on Jesus’ agenda, so he secretly
went off by himself, away from the crowds. Sometime in between, he also
happened to walk on water and reveal
himself to the disciples as being the great “I AM”, calming both the waters and
their fears before they reached the shore.
And it was
there on the shore, on the other side of the sea, where the crowd caught up
with Jesus. They had no idea about the walking on water business. They had no
knowledge of the revelation to the disciples. They just had the memory of that
abundant bread, a growing hunger, and the hope that Jesus would feed them
again.
“Rabbi, when
did you come here?” they asked him. And 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.”
And then, Jesus
said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
This whole
conversation seems a little unfair. Why scold hungry people for wanting bread,
and then turn around and tell them that you are….bread? Isn’t that a little confusing?
But we know without
a doubt that Jesus cares for our legitimate physical needs. After all, he fed
five thousand hungry people until they had their fill! We know Jesus is always
concerned about the hungry—and especially about how those of us who have bread
respond to those who don’t.
No, this scolding
is not about our hunger. It’s not about our need for bread, or for Jesus. But
it is about how we seek to fill not
only our empty bellies, but our aching hearts.
Jesus knows
that just like the crowds, we come to him hungry. We’re hungry for love,
acceptance, and forgiveness. We’re hungry for an end to poverty and occupation and
racism. We’re thirsty for an end to terrorist attacks which kill toddlers and
burn churches, and acts of retaliation which only increase the sorrow. We are
empty, and longing for something to fill our emptiness.
And this is
the problem—for when we are desperate to fill our bellies or our hearts, we
will accept any meal. We’ll even eat moldy old bread. We’ll gratefully reach
out to those offering us the bread of hate. The bread of war. The bread of
violence. The bread of endless division. The bread of religious purity. The
bread of prosperity at the expense of our neighbors.
This is why
so many are drawn to the so-called “prosperity gospel” and other distortions of
the Good News. And this is the situation today in the Middle East, where
extremism is growing among Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. People who are desperately
hungry for change are being peddled the bread of fundamentalism, hatred,
violence, and quick-fixes. And sadly, they are eating it.
But this
bread will never satisfy! This bread perishes, and quickly! Even when such
meals are offered up on plates which bear God’s name, and are served with a
side of holy scripture, they will never nourish our souls. They will never lead
us to life.
The crowds
came to Jesus because they knew he could multiply bread. We, too, come to Jesus
because we are hungry, and we know he can work miracles. But our Lord Jesus
Christ, by virtue of who he is, and not
what he can do, fills not only our bellies but our souls. Jesus, our
brother, walks with us through the transitions of life. Jesus, crucified, stands
in solidarity with all those who suffer. Jesus, raised from the tomb, gives us
hope even in the midst of terror and death. Jesus, our teacher and friend,
shows us that the Way to life and peace is always non-violent and
self-emptying, for the sake of the other.
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| Josie, eating extra communion bread after service at Redeemer Lutheran, Jerusalem Photo by Carrie Smith |
Yes, Jesus
is bread for all the hungry! Jesus is
the bread that endures! As Christians, we must reject the bread that perishes,
and cling to the words he said to the crowd and which he proclaims to us today:
“I am the
bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes
in me will never be thirsty.”
Sisters and
brothers, this revelation about who Jesus is gives us nourishment in these
difficult times. And thanks be to God, we don’t have to just believe it. We don’t
have to just “understand” it on a spiritual level. Our Creator knows we have
stomachs. And Jesus sees our hunger! So by God’s goodness, we experience the love
and life of Jesus through bread and wine. We are strengthened and nourished every
time we come to the table and hear the words “This is the body of Christ, given
for you.”
In a world
where everything seems temporary and the things we love perish, this is the
bread that endures.
For this we
give thanks. And with the hungering crowds, wherever we are, we pray to Jesus: “Sir,
give us this bread always.” Amen.
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