July 26, 2009 at Saint Mark Church in Norman, OK

2 Kings 4: 42-44 + Psalm 145 + Ephesians 4: 1-6 + John 6: 1-15

Who is the center of this story? I have always wondered about that when reflecting upon it.

Is it Philip with his comment about the obvious? Is it Jesus with his test of their trust? or is it that boy who may have been clever and industrious enough to follow the crowd with his basket knowing that his chance to profit from their hunger would send him home with a pocket full of cash. I have wondered what it might have been like for him to see the crowd grow so large and so hungry; what it might have been like to have those apostles walk up to him and say, “The master needs this.”  In any case, without that boy there would have been no story to tell, so don’t be too quick to sit back and be amazed at what Jesus did.

This Gospel and the next one a week from now speak about food. For John writing this Gospel, there are two kinds of food: physical and spiritual. The people are hungry, but they can’t seem to see the food that is right in front of them. The answer to their hunger is right there: the one who next week says: “I am the bread of Life.” Physical hunger is always conscious of scarcity. Spiritual hunger is always conscious of abundance. Jesus tests those disciples to see if they are catching on to this, and so the story unfolds for the next five weeks in our churches as we ponder John chapter five. I urge you to read the whole chapter in one sitting and not be satisfied with the little sections we shall be proclaiming. The news of this Gospel lies not just in what Jesus is, but in what we become as we grow more like him.

And so there is the boy with his basket standing before Philip and Andrew surrounded by physical hunger and invited by Jesus to give up or offer up his few loaves and fish when he knows what they know. It isn’t enough. It is the moment when physical hunger and spiritual hunger meet. When they do, there is enough for all. A small boy’s willingness to make an offering to God, letting his gift be redirected to the people, trusting that in God’s hands there will be enough for all changes everything. Now instead of worry and concern about scarcity, there is gratitude for the abundance of God’s gift. All the resources needed for this world are here with us. We are simply too concerned about the scarcity and short on gratitude for the abundance. We always think there is not enough, and the only reason to think that way is that we think God has not given enough. Jesus will not give in to that thinking. An extra ordinary response to divine abundance holds the ability to satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Then almost as an aside, Jesus calls their attention to the left-over food with a challenge about wastefulness since we know that the scraps of our tables and unsold market food every day would feed nations. But there is more here than this directive about gathering scraps. Notice carefully the details John provides in his unique version of this event. Here, Jesus alone delivers the food. The disciples gather up what is left lest it perish. This commission to the disciples is more than a caution about food waste. It is not just about food. Nothing is to perish and no one is to perish. The disciples are sent to gather everyone lest someone perish. Something is being said here about who is to share in the abundance of the Kingdom and be fed by Jesus. They are sent to bring everyone to the source of life – the bread of life  – the one takes what we have and gives what we need.

So, on a summer Sunday, Andrew and Philip stand before us to suggest what we shall become. A little boy stands before us to suggest what is asked of us.

July 19, 2009 at Saint Mark Church in Norman, OK

Jeremiah 23: 1-6 + Psalm 23 + Ephesians 2: 13-18 + Mark 6: 30-34

Jesus proposes three things to disciples who get tired, who get weary, and live too fast.

“Come away to a deserted place.” he says. “Rest” “Eat.” And so, he get the in a boat to “cross over.”  Let’s go deeper into these invitations than a shallow imagination of a leisurely picnic in an out of the way place after a boat ride. I believe there are some powerful symbols here suggesting something much deeper. The suggestion of “crossing over” might very well mean crossing over to a new way of thinking – a change of mind rather than a change of scenery. I believe that Jesus is inviting his disciples to experience compassion.

It is an experience that requires a crossing over, a shift from attention and awareness of difference to sameness. What Jesus invites his disciples is to cease noticing differences around them: differences between people and between themselves and take up a new way of thinking about sameness. Only when that happens is compassion possible. The recognition of sameness is the wellspring of compassion.

Once we cross over and recognize our sameness, our actions begin to come from a space of communion. Compassion is not an achievement but the recognition of the deeper truth of solidarity. The mission of faithful people is always about unity as I suggested last week. The prophet, the apostle, the disciple does not divide, separate, polarize and separate. It is healing mission that we are given, and so compassion is indispensable; but to be authentic, it springs from a recognition of our solidarity; the truth that we are all alike once we probe the depth of the human heart.

The consciousness of this truth is a restful place from which actions flow easily, without pressure and pushing, happening more by itself. And so, the invitation to rest is extended to apostolic people. But this “rest” does not mean inactivity. It is more like the Sabbath rest, an invitation to be sustained by the goodness of Creation. It does not mean more time to sleep or play with less work. It means acting in harmony with creation and the Spirit of God. It means not thinking we have to do it all; but realizing that what we do if it is in accord with God’s will is not hard and is always successful. It simply means working with God rather than working alone.

Finally, there is also that invitation to come to a deserted place and “eat.” Now think for a minute!  A deserted place is not going to have food. If it’s literally a deserted place, there will be nothing there. No food is found in a deserted place. This is symbolic language for simply learning to be fed by God. It is what happened to the Israelites in their deserted place. They learned be fed by God who never failed to give them their daily bread. It was the experience of Jesus in the desert after his baptism by John. He learned to be fed by God. Coming away to that place is means returning to the Source – it means being nurtured by God. In the next couple of weeks, we are going to hear a lot about food and ponder together how it is the God feeds us and satisfies our hungers.

For now, in the middle of summer – that season we thought would give us a break, some rest, and some leisure. It looks to me like we are all just as busy as always, falling further behind and still hungry. For what other reason would we all eat so much and complain about it? Jesus speaks to us all today: not to a select few. As a people, as a church, we are the shepherds, and the only way to imitate the Good Shepherd will be to learn compassion, to look at each other with an understanding that comes from knowing ourselves which is really the secret to knowing another. “Cross over” suggests Jesus. Look at what we have in common, not what makes us different. Work with God. It will require half as much effort and expect God to provide what we need by living in harmony with God’s will.

I believe that these are things he began to teach them, and much more besides.

July 12, 2009 at Saint Mark Church in Norman, OK

Amos 7: 12-15 + Psalm 85 + Ephesians + Mark 6: 7-13

Last week the challenge of rising above the expectations and limitations of others was put before us by Mark and Paul and an Old Testament Prophet. The question of how a carpenter from Nazareth could be anything more than a carpenter from Nazareth was raised and resolved. This week we move a step further. We hear a shouting match between Amaziah a priest of the royal shrine at Bethel in the northern Kingdom as he is throwing Amos a prophet from the southern kingdom out of the country. He tells him to shut up and go home and get a job. Amos responds by simply saying that he is no royal prophet under the employ of the king, but just a shepherd and farmer called by God and free to tell it like it is. It is a tough and personal affront to the pompous royal prophet but a powerful argument for his case by Amos; because Amos is free to tell the truth. Amaziah had better watch what he says if he wants to keep his job and his life.

Now which of these two is really called, and which one of them has credibility: the professional whose future depends upon royal approval, or the farmer who is free to speak what he sees, believes, and trusts? There is the professional with the credentials and authority and the farmer with courage and faith.

 Then comes the Gospel which up until this time has given us an impression of the disciples that is not particularly flattering. Time after time they fail to get the point of what Jesus is about. Their faith is faltering at best, and they never seem to be focused on the meaning of things that are happening all around them. Now Jesus decides to send this bumbling group out on mission.

There is only one reason to proclaim this Gospel today and retell the story of Amos.

It is not to sit back and admire the faith and the courage of the twelve. Nor is it to think about brave volunteer missionaries who have taken faith in Jesus Christ and proclaimed the Kingdom all over this earth. This is about us. Pay attention to the details: twelve were sent out — it’s an important number that says something in Biblical symbols — it means everyone was sent: all twelve participate in the mission to heal and restore this life. The only reason to proclaim this Gospel today is to reassess our own mission and remind ourselves of what we are about and what we are doing here. There cannot be anyone in here who does not have a mission and a call from Christ. It just comes with Baptism, and it is accepted if you’re going take communion in here.

We Catholics see ourselves as prophetic people. Paul writes about that in Ephesians today. Everyone of us has been given the ability to grasp and appreciate and express the plan the Father has for human life. It’s never been a secret. Jesus has revealed the truth. The prophet and prophetic people show the world the values and attitudes that shape a life lived in accord with the mind of God; but the prophet does not “go with the flow” when the flow is contrary to the mind of God. There are times when the prophet takes a stand and calls into question attitudes and values that do not advance a Kingdom of Justice and Peace. There are some who think the church should stay out of politics, and it should when the politics are its own. But separation of church and state does not separate the church from society. The prophet is not quiet in a country where the rate of child poverty is 21%: the highest in the 17 economically advanced countries. We have more people in prison per capita for nonviolent crimes than any country in the world and too many are women. We are in total denial over the collapse of health care while the growing inequality in the distribution of wealth denies the most fundamental principals of justice. This not politics. It is morality. We live in a society that scoffs at international law and justifies torture with the comment: “It works.” Prophets cannot be still. The society in which we live has the biggest arsenal and a standing army that is invincible with no will nor way to feed and house the growing number of poor and helpless people who call this church for help day in and day out. The prophet keeps saying: “Something is wrong.” The prophet does not say: “You are bad.” The prophet simply asks: “Is there a better way?”

Prophets formed by Jesus have nothing to lose because they take nothing with them.

Prophets formed by Jesus do not polarize and divide people into conservatives and liberals. The whole and single work of a prophet is to unite. Missionary journeys are never solitary adventures. They do not go out with a bag of tricks and book of arguments to prove their viewpoint. They go out to “share the gospel”. The verb share implies an exchange, a give and take, the acceptance of another because they understand that God’s power works through mutuality. This is why they must stay in one home to deepen relationships, listen, and grow.

There is something profound here being said about our faith and our responsibility for it. We are not empowered to condemn or demonize other people. We are called to share the news that forgiveness heals, that justice unites, that violence destroys, that life is a gift from God and through life, all and every life, God remains present to us. The destruction of any life destroys God’s presence. We do not have to go far to share what has been entrusted to us: to work, to the store, to the bank or just next door. Kindness and respect, patience and a willingness to listen, a desire to understand and be understood, openness and a hunger for the truth are all qualities of the prophets Jesus sends on mission. Sustained by these insights and instructions, disciples called, chosen, and commissioned by Jesus will be able to continue what he has begun until he comes again.

July 5, 2009 at Saint Mark in Norman, OK

Ezekiel 2: 2-5 + Psalm 123 + 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 + Mark 6: 1-6

This short little story starts with astonishment and concludes with amazement. The hometown folks are astonished at what the local boy can do. He is amazed at their failure see what it’s all about. They think in terms of “ordinary” and “extraordinary”. They think that God only works through special people, learned people, important or official people. The local boy is a carpenter’s son. The comment is probably not a compliment. To them he is not eligible. He ought to know his place. “Who does he think he is?” they wonder.

He is amazed that they remain so ignorant and fail to see what is going on. He thinks if God can work through him, one of them; God can work through all of them.”

Mark explores for us with this simple story the plan of God for us. He touches on an attitude and confronts a way of thinking that is a serious obstacle to the fulfillment of God’s plan and the coming of God’s Kingdom.

There is probably not anyone in this church who has not suffered from and had to overcome the burden of other people’s expectations and negative comments. A bitter and angry high school teacher once told me that I was a “C” student and ought to quit wasting my time with thoughts of college. It took me a long time to get over that. An unskilled perhaps well-meaning coach once told a thirteen-year-old with size twelve shoes he was too clumsy to play basketball. Fifteen years later with even bigger skies clamped to those size twelve feet he could ski most any mountain in the west and smile all the way down black diamond trails.

Young people look at their parents, shake their heads and think “what do they know?”

And with it, a whole life of wisdom and love is refused and maybe lost for a time. Parents forget that in the simple openness and curiosity of their children there is fresh face on the future and new opportunities for excitement and curiosity. All of us live with limitations we place on each other, and those boxes into which we force others do not so much restrain the other as stifle the work of God who continues to work and be revealed in people just like us.

I stand here week after week and share with you a lifetime of study, prayer, and reflection on the Word of God knowing that the most Spirit-packed words can fall lifeless to the earth because it is up to believers to create and bring into the present the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Justice, Love, and Peace. I never assume that it is going to happen because I talk about it. I believe that what is spoken here is less than half the sermon. What you do is the greater half and far more. In an atmosphere that welcomes the Word, the poorest effort can ignite a great flame. I believe that this place would packed wall to wall with people singing the praise of God and bringing their gifts for the mission of the church if the whole sermon was preached and lived. It isn’t up to me to bring people to Christ, to communion and celebrate the forgiveness of sins. It is up to you; and that starts when all of us begin to recognize and realize what it is we are all called to become.

The people of Nazareth couldn’t believe that they were capable of great signs and wonders, capable of revealing the presence of and doing the work of God. Their problem with Jesus was really a problem with themselves. They had been put down by others who said that “nothing good come from Nazareth”. Living with limitations and expectations that they were inferior, incompetent, and insignificant led to their loss of Jesus who refused to think that of himself, not because he thought he was God; but because he knew he was called and chosen.

So are we all called and chosen, blessed, enlightened, empowered by God to do great things in the name of the Lord. The more that truth dawns upon us and awakens us to the new day that has begun in Jesus Christ, the nearer will be the Kingdom of God not because of a carpenter’s son in a tiny insignificant town in the corner of the Roman Empire; but because that carpenter’s son awakened in us the power of the Spirit, the Love of God, and a passionate desire to live together in Joy. What an amazing and astonishing day that will be. When that happens, come early because there will not be room in here – the crowd will be greater than in that stadium on Jenkins Street not because there is a good sermon or good music, but because there are good people living in the Kingdom of God.