Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Savior, the Bread
of Life, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Well, I was trying to fall asleep last night…so I watched a
documentary. The problem is, I love
documentaries. This one was done by PBS,
whose documentaries are always excellent, and it was called “This Emotional
Life”, a three-part serious on the psychology and sociology of human
emotions.
And in it I was reminded once again of that famous study
they once conducted on chimps – poor chimps – they took baby chimps away from
their biological mothers, and installed two “fake mothers” in their habitats –
one made out of metal wire, who had food, and the other made out of fluffy warm
fur, who had no food. Which “fake
mother” do you think the baby chimps picked?
Every time those little babies opted for the comfort and
warmth of the fluffy fake mother figure, which the scientists concluded suggests
that emotional nourishment might just be
a higher priority than even physical nourishment.
It reminds me also of one of these backstories I’ve heard
while watching the Olympics. (Heather
and I have just loved watching the Olympics this year.) And I’m not sure if you heard the backstory
on swimmer Missy Franklin: Apparently she
opted out of moving away to be coached and trained at some highly advanced
facility with the greatest coach in the universe (some “wire structure with
milk”), and said she’d rather stay close to her friends and family, have a
normal high school experience, and be on the high school swim team. And I heard her say in that interview, “You
know, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I had left because I just wouldn’t
have been happy, and all that affects my performance.”
The people in our Gospel text today are tailing Jesus again. He just fed them, all 5000 of them, but
they’re back. (Reminds me of my kids, “I
just fed you, but you’re back!”) Of
course they’re back: one miraculous meal doesn’t cut it. They’re looking for daily bread. “Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus, we need to keep eating and one amazing
meal, just doesn’t cut it. We too are
looking for daily bread. Lord, give us
this bread always.
And, in the Gospel of John, when the people come clamoring
for a sign, when they have rejected the fake, metal structures of this world,
things that might provide a little immediate sustenance or pleasure, but no
long-term, emotional or spiritual nourishment, when the people come clamoring, Jesus
gives them…HIMSELF.
“I am the bread of
life. Come and believe in me,” he says…
Jesus is the Bread of Life.
So that even friends and family to provide everything we need, comes up
short. Let’s remember, not everyone has
friends and family. There are orphans in
this world of all sorts, solitary types, with no one to write in as their
emergency contact. Not everyone is as
lucky as Missy Franklin or you, perhaps, nurtured and nourished by a loving
home. So that illustration falls short.
For this Gospel, this Jesus, this Bread of Life is for
everyone, not just those who can relate to a loving home and a big loving and
supportive family! Christ gives the true
and greatest nourishment, relieving all hunger and quenching all thirst.
So, I don’t know about you, but I hunger and thirst for
peace in this world, for an end to violence, for our children to stop
pretending to shoot one another, for our soldiers to come home from war, for
our homes to be safe and warm, free of abuse and domestic fighting.
That’s just one example of what I hunger for…and Jesus says,
“I am the Bread of Life.” In other words
Jesus offers himself, when I come clamoring and hungry. “Look to me,” Jesus says, “follow me, eat me
– my body my blood – and peace will come – maybe not in the way you first want,
but rather it starts from within—that peace you desire—and it sends you out. I am the bread of life,” Jesus says.
For what do you hunger this day? I’m anxious and restless about a lot of
things, so am I able to hear Christ’s gentle words? “I am the bread of life, given for you, even
and especially now.”
Today we also get Part 2 of David and Bathsheba…[retell the
story]
“How could someone do such a thing!” David says in
self-righteous judgment. Do you ever
catch yourself sounding like David here?
“How could someone do such a thing!” we can say in self-righteous
judgment. I probably sound like David in
this great story, every time I watch the news.
“But I’m talking about you,” Nathan responds. “But I’m talking about
you,” the prophet responds. And then he
realizes it. Can we too realize
it? – the trash on the ground, the trash in the air and in the water, the
violence all around, the recklessness and selfishness and entitlement and fear
of our nation and our world and our own psyches? It’s on us, just like David, it’s on us as a
human family – it’s the world, the culture we’ve created, with trash and
violence, it’s a reflection of our own broken, sinful and violent natures. We are the ones, like David. You are the one, like David. The prophet just holds up the mirror.
And that’s a hard word to hear. “I don’t like this prophet! Telling me that I’m responsible for this
mess!” That’s why we always kill the
prophets, or at least dismiss, the prophets as “out-of-touch” or “unrealistic”. Crazy old man, Nathan!
And here’s where the great and fallen King David is so
instructive, such a gift to us on our journeys:
David manages in all his pride and recklessness, from his seat of power
and privilege, David manages to open his ears to the prophet’s words, to see
the mirror the prophet holds up, and then he melts, and then he repents.
Not only is David’s sin one of the greatest in the Bible, so
is his admission, confession, and his repentance: “I have sinned against the
Lord,” he says, bowing his head in humility and shame. May we too have that kind of honesty before
God.
And here’s what happens next (for some reason it’s left out
of our assigned reading for today): Nathan’s response to David. “Now the Lord
has put away your sin. You shall not
die.”
David was able to receive both the God’s words of conviction
and then God’s words of forgiveness.
There is Christ.
There is daily bread.
Forgiveness.
No other bread will do – not the bread of money, not the
bread of success, not the bread of arms and security, not even the bread of
family and friends. They all come up
short…
Eat of this bread of forgiveness that is Christ. Eat of this bread of truth that is
Christ. Eat of this bread of peace that
is Christ. Eat of this bread of life that is
Christ. AMEN.
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