Abundance Pastor Barbara's Sermon for 7-30-06
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
My first joke this morning is one that the Rev. Billy Graham tells on himself. Early in his ministry he arrived in a small town to preach a revival meeting. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the church this evening, you can hear me give directions on how to get to heaven.” “I don’t think I’ll be there,” the boy replied. “You don’t even know how to get to the post office.” You know preachers preach what they need to hear just like teachers teach what they need to learn. Today’s topic of Abundance is something that I do okay with understanding most of the time; however, there are many things in this sermon today that I need to be reminded about.
You know I find myself very fortunate in being your minister as you have been so very supportive of me; very few of you have ever given me a hard time, been mean or insulting or expected that I could do miracles; however, this is not the case in most churches. The Search committees are always looking for a perfect pastor so they were all quite excited with the headline that announced: Good News! After hundred of years of ministers, a model pastor has been found—one who will please every church member. He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is tall, short, thin, heavyset, and handsome. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with older folks. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing the lost, and is always in the office when you need him.
We have two scriptures today that go so well in describing abundance. In Ephesians Paul describes a world of endless possibilities with a God that is always “more” than we can imagine, a God that calls us to imagine great thins and to bring them about in our daily life, a God that says that the love of Christ surpasses all knowledge so that we may be filled with the fullness of God. And then we have the story of Jesus feeding 5000 men plus the women and children with five barley loaves and two fish and after all had eaten their fill, there were leftovers enough to fill 12 baskets. Both of these scriptures remind us that in each moment of our life, we can choose between scarcity and abundance both in our attitude toward the world and our resources. How can this be? Do you believe there is such a choice? The answer to this is found in our view of the world, our vision of reality as well as our willingness to trust God and others to supply our deepest needs.
Let’s look a little closer at our gospel lesson. This feeding of the 5000 is the only parable that is found in all 4 gospels. As some of you may know the gospel of John is usually quite different than the other 3—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—which we call the synoptic gospels because they are so similar. John’s story on today’s story differs enough that Biblical authorities believe he heard it from an independent oral tradition, not just copied it from one of the gospels or their source.
Many people who interpret the feeding of the 5000 say that many of the families there that day had lunch pails with them. When the small boy was willing to give up his lunch, that inspired the others to share what they had. His gift awakened others’ trust in God’s ability to supply their needs and inspired them to share their meals with their neighbors. On the other hand it is possible that this scene was the location of one of Jesus’ greatest miracles, that Jesus could activate deeper laws of nature that creatively transformed these elements into enough food to feed a multitude. Bruce Epperly[1] writing at the Center for Process Theology says, “While this interpretation {or the miracle}stretches our imagination, such bursts of energy are possible in the world described by quantum physics and process-relational theology.” I recently saw the movie, “How in the *&bleep*% did that happen” that points out many possibilities governed by quantum theory that makes these miracles seem perfectly possible. Epperly ends his semon with this quote, “Process-relational theology invites us to imagine a world of abundant possibilities one moment at a time. Grounded in the interconnectedness of life and the infinity of God’s possibilities, we will experience God’s abundant life and become God’s messengers of abundance to a world too often dominated by scarcity.”
In this time of Jesus’ ministry there was much abundance; so many signs Jesus was doing; so many in the crowds that followed him; so many pieces of bread leftover. Where Jesus’ disciples saw scarcity, Jesus saw and brought about abundance. John’s gospel is filled with “I am” statements about Jesus. Here Jesus says a little later that he is the bread of life which definitely fits with the Ephesians statement that through Christ we will be filled with the fullness of God. No scarcity here. What causes the disciples and so many of us to see scarcity and not abundance? Could it be fear? Fear notices scarcity and says, “There’s never enough, certainly not enough for everyone.” Fear makes us think that we are in danger; it makes us grab on to the wrong things; as a nation it makes us arm ourselves to excess and challenge, even preemptively attack other countries because we are afraid they will attack us. It makes us as a church cut out programs in the budget because there are not enough pledges to balance the budget.
Do you know that after every feeding story there is a boat story in our gospels? In John’s story today the disciples see Jesus walking on water and are afraid. At first they do not recognize him. We can be so scared that we can’t even see the hand that reaches out to us; we can’t even hear the voice of the Lord saying do not be afraid, to know that God is God and we are God’s beloved. To understand this parable—including the boat on the stormy sea is to know that wherever we may be, Christ our Lord is within easy walking distance and we are not alone. Love surpasses all knowledge Paul tells the Ephesians. Love that feeds hungry crowds can’t be explained; love that turns no one away but reaches out to all can not be explained; love that causes one to sacrifice for another can not be explained. To understand about the multiplication of the loaves means that we begin to realize that first and always that Jesus is with us no matter how bad the storm, no matter how far we are from shore. This story helps us to understand that everything God gives us is the gift of the relationship with God, our parent, the divine Spirit. The story of the loaves means that Jesus feeds us, not only bread to eat but the gift of Christ himself, a gift that is never withdrawn, never lost, never overpowered. This, my friends, is ABUNDANCE.
What does all this mean to our church here in Deering, NH? Do we think too small? Are we dominated by the bottom line? By tight budgets and shrinking memberships? One of the authors that I read said that new ideas for ministry are strongly encouraged to follow these 3 steps:1. the idea; 2. who will do it; and then 3. how will it be financed. If the idea is a good one it will be funded some how: from the general budget, from a special offering, from user fees, from individual gifts, from the endowments. He said that a third of their programs are funded outside the budget. Our Chicken BBQ is a good example. This year we were hoping to have $ in the budget to fund it, but had to cut it out. We considered taking up a special offering; we didn’t want to charge a fee but would accept food dishes from those who wanted to bring them. And a few very generous members make special gifts as part of their donations to the church. We must be sure to not stop good ideas just because “We can’t afford it.”
What do these two scriptures mean to us? What can we expect? Do you ever start your day with an affirmation similar to “This is the day that God has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” What about adding, “What great thing does God call me to do this day? Who knows what it might be? Can we be open and available to whatever opportunity comes our way? Bob Deffinbaugh says that there are some principles to be learned from Jesus’ miracles and I want to share a few of them. First, Jesus teaches us to do more than we are humanly able because with his help we can. The disciples think feeding the crowd is impossible; however, with Jesus power they can do it. 2) The magnitude of the task should not be used as an excuse for not attempting it, especially when it’s God’s command, such as love your neighbor as yourself or love your enemies. 3) Those of us God uses to minister to the needs of the crowd are those who gain the most from serving others. “As we give ourselves in the service of others , God cares abundantly for our own needs.” (Deffinbaugh) 4) “When we face difficulties, we should be careful not to limit the ways we expect God to minister through us.” God delights in doing the unexpected.
In ending let’s look again at the Ephesians scripture. Paul says God’s great power lies within us. He says we have “the power to grasp the length and width, and height and depth of the love of God for us.” This power helps us grasp the vastness of God’s love for us. We can than do far more than we ever could think or imagine or even ask from God. What is this spiritual abundance? We may get our core values and principles form the Bible and theological teachings, yet the Power within us is God. Paul writes, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; not I but Christ who lives in me.” Inside us is the power of God. John writes that the power of Christ shall dwell in us always. This power is the true abundance. With this power our life will be abundant, filled with the fullness of God no matter what our standard of living. Praise be to the Power that’s available to us all, the power that makes Love our home. Amen
[1] Bruce Epperly is director of continuing education and associate professor of practical theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary and writes for Process and Faith at http://www.processandfaith.org/
My first joke this morning is one that the Rev. Billy Graham tells on himself. Early in his ministry he arrived in a small town to preach a revival meeting. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the church this evening, you can hear me give directions on how to get to heaven.” “I don’t think I’ll be there,” the boy replied. “You don’t even know how to get to the post office.” You know preachers preach what they need to hear just like teachers teach what they need to learn. Today’s topic of Abundance is something that I do okay with understanding most of the time; however, there are many things in this sermon today that I need to be reminded about.
You know I find myself very fortunate in being your minister as you have been so very supportive of me; very few of you have ever given me a hard time, been mean or insulting or expected that I could do miracles; however, this is not the case in most churches. The Search committees are always looking for a perfect pastor so they were all quite excited with the headline that announced: Good News! After hundred of years of ministers, a model pastor has been found—one who will please every church member. He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is tall, short, thin, heavyset, and handsome. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with older folks. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing the lost, and is always in the office when you need him.
We have two scriptures today that go so well in describing abundance. In Ephesians Paul describes a world of endless possibilities with a God that is always “more” than we can imagine, a God that calls us to imagine great thins and to bring them about in our daily life, a God that says that the love of Christ surpasses all knowledge so that we may be filled with the fullness of God. And then we have the story of Jesus feeding 5000 men plus the women and children with five barley loaves and two fish and after all had eaten their fill, there were leftovers enough to fill 12 baskets. Both of these scriptures remind us that in each moment of our life, we can choose between scarcity and abundance both in our attitude toward the world and our resources. How can this be? Do you believe there is such a choice? The answer to this is found in our view of the world, our vision of reality as well as our willingness to trust God and others to supply our deepest needs.
Let’s look a little closer at our gospel lesson. This feeding of the 5000 is the only parable that is found in all 4 gospels. As some of you may know the gospel of John is usually quite different than the other 3—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—which we call the synoptic gospels because they are so similar. John’s story on today’s story differs enough that Biblical authorities believe he heard it from an independent oral tradition, not just copied it from one of the gospels or their source.
Many people who interpret the feeding of the 5000 say that many of the families there that day had lunch pails with them. When the small boy was willing to give up his lunch, that inspired the others to share what they had. His gift awakened others’ trust in God’s ability to supply their needs and inspired them to share their meals with their neighbors. On the other hand it is possible that this scene was the location of one of Jesus’ greatest miracles, that Jesus could activate deeper laws of nature that creatively transformed these elements into enough food to feed a multitude. Bruce Epperly[1] writing at the Center for Process Theology says, “While this interpretation {or the miracle}stretches our imagination, such bursts of energy are possible in the world described by quantum physics and process-relational theology.” I recently saw the movie, “How in the *&bleep*% did that happen” that points out many possibilities governed by quantum theory that makes these miracles seem perfectly possible. Epperly ends his semon with this quote, “Process-relational theology invites us to imagine a world of abundant possibilities one moment at a time. Grounded in the interconnectedness of life and the infinity of God’s possibilities, we will experience God’s abundant life and become God’s messengers of abundance to a world too often dominated by scarcity.”
In this time of Jesus’ ministry there was much abundance; so many signs Jesus was doing; so many in the crowds that followed him; so many pieces of bread leftover. Where Jesus’ disciples saw scarcity, Jesus saw and brought about abundance. John’s gospel is filled with “I am” statements about Jesus. Here Jesus says a little later that he is the bread of life which definitely fits with the Ephesians statement that through Christ we will be filled with the fullness of God. No scarcity here. What causes the disciples and so many of us to see scarcity and not abundance? Could it be fear? Fear notices scarcity and says, “There’s never enough, certainly not enough for everyone.” Fear makes us think that we are in danger; it makes us grab on to the wrong things; as a nation it makes us arm ourselves to excess and challenge, even preemptively attack other countries because we are afraid they will attack us. It makes us as a church cut out programs in the budget because there are not enough pledges to balance the budget.
Do you know that after every feeding story there is a boat story in our gospels? In John’s story today the disciples see Jesus walking on water and are afraid. At first they do not recognize him. We can be so scared that we can’t even see the hand that reaches out to us; we can’t even hear the voice of the Lord saying do not be afraid, to know that God is God and we are God’s beloved. To understand this parable—including the boat on the stormy sea is to know that wherever we may be, Christ our Lord is within easy walking distance and we are not alone. Love surpasses all knowledge Paul tells the Ephesians. Love that feeds hungry crowds can’t be explained; love that turns no one away but reaches out to all can not be explained; love that causes one to sacrifice for another can not be explained. To understand about the multiplication of the loaves means that we begin to realize that first and always that Jesus is with us no matter how bad the storm, no matter how far we are from shore. This story helps us to understand that everything God gives us is the gift of the relationship with God, our parent, the divine Spirit. The story of the loaves means that Jesus feeds us, not only bread to eat but the gift of Christ himself, a gift that is never withdrawn, never lost, never overpowered. This, my friends, is ABUNDANCE.
What does all this mean to our church here in Deering, NH? Do we think too small? Are we dominated by the bottom line? By tight budgets and shrinking memberships? One of the authors that I read said that new ideas for ministry are strongly encouraged to follow these 3 steps:1. the idea; 2. who will do it; and then 3. how will it be financed. If the idea is a good one it will be funded some how: from the general budget, from a special offering, from user fees, from individual gifts, from the endowments. He said that a third of their programs are funded outside the budget. Our Chicken BBQ is a good example. This year we were hoping to have $ in the budget to fund it, but had to cut it out. We considered taking up a special offering; we didn’t want to charge a fee but would accept food dishes from those who wanted to bring them. And a few very generous members make special gifts as part of their donations to the church. We must be sure to not stop good ideas just because “We can’t afford it.”
What do these two scriptures mean to us? What can we expect? Do you ever start your day with an affirmation similar to “This is the day that God has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” What about adding, “What great thing does God call me to do this day? Who knows what it might be? Can we be open and available to whatever opportunity comes our way? Bob Deffinbaugh says that there are some principles to be learned from Jesus’ miracles and I want to share a few of them. First, Jesus teaches us to do more than we are humanly able because with his help we can. The disciples think feeding the crowd is impossible; however, with Jesus power they can do it. 2) The magnitude of the task should not be used as an excuse for not attempting it, especially when it’s God’s command, such as love your neighbor as yourself or love your enemies. 3) Those of us God uses to minister to the needs of the crowd are those who gain the most from serving others. “As we give ourselves in the service of others , God cares abundantly for our own needs.” (Deffinbaugh) 4) “When we face difficulties, we should be careful not to limit the ways we expect God to minister through us.” God delights in doing the unexpected.
In ending let’s look again at the Ephesians scripture. Paul says God’s great power lies within us. He says we have “the power to grasp the length and width, and height and depth of the love of God for us.” This power helps us grasp the vastness of God’s love for us. We can than do far more than we ever could think or imagine or even ask from God. What is this spiritual abundance? We may get our core values and principles form the Bible and theological teachings, yet the Power within us is God. Paul writes, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; not I but Christ who lives in me.” Inside us is the power of God. John writes that the power of Christ shall dwell in us always. This power is the true abundance. With this power our life will be abundant, filled with the fullness of God no matter what our standard of living. Praise be to the Power that’s available to us all, the power that makes Love our home. Amen
[1] Bruce Epperly is director of continuing education and associate professor of practical theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary and writes for Process and Faith at http://www.processandfaith.org/
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 1:18 PM
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