5 Steps to Witness a Miracle

John 6:1-21

Two miracles in one Gospel lesson. Powerful stuff.! So powerful that a lot of folk don't even believe they really happened. I was doing my research on this text and in one of the commentaries I read, the starting assumption was that Jesus didn't REALLY feed 5000 men with just 5 loaves of barley bread and two fish. Jesus didn't REALLY walk on water. “Whatever may have actually happened.” is the phrase that the writer used.

Maybe that's the problem! A lot of folk start with unbelief. We don't want to seem uninformed. We don't want to seem unintelligent so we start where the rest of the world starts: the assumption that it really isn't true.

Jesus asks us to believe!

Matthew chapter 9, “When (Jesus) went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, 'do you believe that I am able to do this?' they said to him, 'Yes, Lord.' Then he touched their eyes saying, 'let it be done for you according to your faith.' and their eyes were opened.” Jesus required that they have faith; that they believe. Then the miracle happened.

In Matthew 22 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And what ever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.”

More left overs than what they started with; Water supporting the weight of a man; Medical conditions instantly cured; a mountain being cast into the sea? These things defy logic. They defy the very laws of physics?

Never mind those things right now. Let's start with something a little easier to chew: You are sons and daughters, adopted by the Lord God! Do you believe that? Does it empower you? Does being a child of God Embolden you to action? What if I said that “You are powerful.” Would you believe it or do you start thinking of ways that you feel powerless. Or perhaps you start thinking of the earthly ways you have influence over others. You are a nation of priests! Do you believe that? Miracles will happen because of what you say and do. Not that the power emanates from us but that because the gathered believers are the body of Christ on earth God will make things happen through us.

We think of mountains being lifted up and cast into the sea and we just keep reading because what does that have to do with me? Jesus walking on water? Nice story. Feeding the 5000? Must be some other explanation. All these have to do with a mindset of faith and trust in God. Don't try to dissect how they happened, know that a crowd of people were hungry and they were fed. Know that the disciples were afraid and in trouble and Jesus came to them in the most unlikely way. Know that those who were blind were able to see. Have you ever been hungry, scared, couldn't see the truth that was in front of your face? I've been all those things. How did you get through? I don't know about you but it is my faith in God that sees me through! It's my faith in God that brings unexpected blessings...miracles.

I've seen God active in this world. I've seen wonderful things happen when His people act in faith. I have yet to see God act outside of the laws of physics though. But that was never the point. Jesus wasn't about “Wowing” a crowd. Jesus was all about getting his disciples to act in faith not fear or doubt.

Miracles can happen in a flash. but a miracle can also be a transformation that takes place over time. You want to change your life? You don't have to change every aspect all at once. But you do have to take a step toward change, as terrifying as that step may be. That's where faith comes in; That's where belief comes in Jesus called us to be his, to follow him and to obey his commands.

Today I want to talk to you about 5 steps that will put you in a position to witness the miracles of God in your life and in the life of this church.

1. Follow Jesus. Not only do we have to intellectually learn Jesus. We have to commune with Jesus. We have for listen for the will of Jesus. We have to have a right understanding of who Jesus is as God's son and that we have salvation through his name. Because Jesus is the only one worthy to approach the throne of Grace. He is the only one with out flaw or blemish. Jesus is the only human to live without sin. So we approach the Throne of grace not in our own name, not in our own righteousness but in the name and the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

The Disciples in today's Gospel reading Jesus went away again to the other side of the sea and the crowd followed him again because he was healing them. Wouldn't you? If you were in the crowd and you saw that people were being healed by this man's touch wouldn't you follow him where ever he went. They were following him not as disciples but as those in need. It's good to come to Jesus with your needs but Jesus calls us to follow him in a different way. Jesus wants us to love him. And if we love him we will obey his commands. If we love him and want to follow him we will live as he instructs us. He went up the mountain that day with his disciples, you know the ones that were really following him in the way he wanted. And when the crowd of people came there he tested Philip with a question about how to feed this big crowd. Philip answered the way many of us would: with doubt. Sure it was a logical assessment of the situation. For all we know Philip estimated the cost of feeding the crowd quite accurately. But that's not what Jesus was getting at. Which brings us to step 2 in putting yourself in a position to witness God's miracles. Step 1 was follow Jesus.

2. Look for the faintest possibility of a course of action. As Philip was doing his calculations and explaining why they wouldn't be able to feed the crowd a little kid probably approached the disciple Andrew and offered his food that he brought with him. It wasn't much but he offered it. Andrew could have patted the boy on the head and dismissed him as often happens to people who don't come up with the solution that those in charge are expecting or wanting. But that didn't happen. They had nothing to feed the crowd and this boy had a little. And so Andrew offered it to Jesus. It wasn't a solution but it was something. We don't always have to know the whole solution to take a step toward solving a problem.
3. Take a step toward solving the problem/changing the circumstances. They had 5 loaves of Bread and two fish to work with. They started distributing food. Everyone had what they needed. We may be tempted to try to explain this miracle. Some have suggest that once the boy shared his food, every body that brought food started sharing theirs as well and found that with that supply there was enough. But the text doesn't give us that option of interpretation. “So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves where left by those who had eaten.” The fragments were from the 5 loaves. It was a miracle. The people were so impressed, the text reads, “Therefore when the people saw the sing which he had performed, they said, 'this is truly the Prophet who is come into the world.' so Jesus perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make him king, withdrew again tot the mountain by himself alone.” This takes us to the next step:
4. Stay on course. It wasn't about the miracle! Jesus wasn't about impressing people. Jesus intent was to teach his followers to trust in him. Trust that if they act in faith that they can do all that Jesus did while he was on this earth. Jesus offers us rest. But Jesus does not offer a life of comfort. The crowd was looking for comfort. They wanted to make him king so that all their problems would go away. But this was not Jesus intention. Jesus teaches trust and faith in Him, not reliance and a dependance on miracles. We have to stay on course. Wonderful things happen in the life of faith. One of the challenges we face is being distracted by the mean rather than focusing on the end. Feeding 5000 people is a good and necessary. Jesus commands us to feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty and to clothe the naked. But that is not the end. The end is to have and to teach faith in Jesus Christ. Which brings us back to our final step in putting ourselves in a position to witness God's miracles in our life and in the life of the church.
5. Make Sure Jesus is in the Boat with you. When Jesus was on that mountain the disciples went on ahead without Jesus. I don't know what they were thinking. Maybe they figured they had it all figured out on their own and they didn't need to bother with Jesus any more. Maybe they got tired of waiting for Jesus. But when they got a good distance away from Jesus that's when they got into trouble. That's when they got scared and were crying. And Jesus came to them on the water. Now are we going to worry about the details of how this happened or are we going to understand that in the disciples time of trouble Jesus came to them where they were even though they left him behind!

So how is it with you today? Are you chasing Jesus looking for a miracle or are you positioning yourself to be the miracle? 

Interconnected

Mark 6:14-29

I was re-watching one of my favorite episodes of a web based show that's about a couple living in a tiny apartment in New York City. In this episode one of the two main characters has insomnia. He gets up and starts playing with his collection of action figures. He is an adult and he is making his toys speak and interact all the while disturbing his wife who is tying to sleep in the other room. There is a progression of different scenarios and scenes that he acting out until the ultimate in absurdity, he is actually playing with action figures that have not been taken out of their original packaging. At this point his wife comes out to see what all the noise is all about and sees him creating scenes with these unwrapped action figures and his angry wife comes out of the bedroom and asks “are you playing with boxes.” he tries to defend himself by explaining that they could become priceless collectors items some day as she walks away irritated. Realizing he is being cut short he he says, “it doesn't have anything to do with you!”

It doesn't have anything to do with you is where he got it wrong. He was so into what he was doing. He thought he was being judged for what he was doing when in actuality, she was just angry because he was keeping her awake.

God's will for his people, for us, it to be an interconnected community. We are called to care for each other to bear on anther's burdens; to celebrate one another's victories and to mourn each others losses.

The Thing is, we are interconnected whether we intend to be or not. Our actions have an effect on the world around us. When we understand this and keep it near the front of our attention, our actions will surely reflect more clearly what God intends for us."It doesn't have anything to do with you" is not a way we are called to live.

Jesus, when he was teaching his disciples, would use the actions of others as an examples. When he saw a farmer planting seed, he used that as a metaphor on the different spiritual paths people take in this world. Some seed falls on the path, some seed falls on shallow soil, some seed grows among the weeds, but some seed falls on fertile soil. Another time Jesus points a widow putting her last two cents into the temple treasury and explains how that small amount of money was significant because it was all she had and not what was left over. These two people mentioned in scripture may never have met Jesus. They may never have been aware that they were in the presence of the very incarnation of God, yet by their example, as recorded in scripture,they have had an effect on the culture of the wold for the past 2000 years.

You may know your purpose in life and are living it out. You may have such a close walk with God that in every moment you know what God's will for your life is. Even so God is using you for purposes that you are not aware of. By your example people know your heart. It's not just the kind word that you speak to the one that needs to hear it, it is the witness to that moment that is also blessed. It is the encouragement that is passed on from person to person that started from God and passed through your lips.

There is another side to this as well. Because you bear the name of Jesus Christ there are many in the world who think that know your heart. For those of us who have experienced the living Christ within us can, in moments of clarity, recognize the Christ residing in each other. But for those who have not experienced this and have no interest in experiencing this, of those people, there are some who will judge you negatively and put you into a certain category in their mind so they don't have do deal with you. They may speak disparagingly about you. They will say all sorts of things about you. They might even ask you to not be so “Christian” in the way you speak.

But wait! We want to protest. My faith has has nothing to do with them! We want to be connected to God by his grace. We just want to love God and our neighbors and be obedient disciples. Why should anyone care or have anything to say about the way we live our life?

It's because we are all interconnected whether we want to be or not. My faith and your faith has an effect on the world around us.

In the Scripture lesson today we see a great example of this. If you remember from last week Jesus went to his home town and healed a few sick people but couldn't do as much as he normally did because of their lack of faith. He sent out his disciples to bring the Good News about the the Kingdom of God and they were, in fact, very successful. “They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”

This is where our scripture lesson for today picks up. King Herod heard of it, for Jesus name had become known. Some were saying “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” but others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “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.”

Then there was a flash-back. The writer of the gospel tells the tale of how John the Baptist met his end. I wont tell the story again. We have already read it. But it is a story of selfish desire, of revenge, of ridiculous abuse of power which ulimited in the death of a man who's only crime was speaking the truth. Herod was at the center of it. It was his actions, his decisions and ultimately his direct order that lead to the death of John the baptist. He knew it was wrong, but he did it anyway.

Like in television the flash-back is intended to give us some background on the current scene. This flash-back was so long that oftentimes when I read it I forget what was for. The current scene is that King Herod is hearing about Jesus and what is happening in his kingdom. And Herod in his guilt over what he did to John the Baptist is thinking that John has been raised from the dead. He made this assessment when he heard of the success that Jesus and his disciples were having in their ministry.

Can you imagine? As you are being obedient to Jesus someone that you have never met nor will likely ever encounter being affected by what you do? The disciples were sent out in pairs by Jesus and their success makes a guilt ridden king think that one that he unjustly executed has come back to life? What they were doing had nothing to do with Herod.

This is God at work in the world using our actions beyond what we intend. We are interconnected whether we intend to be or want to be. The love of God is so powerful and so real that it intimidates people. Jesus' radical, sacrificial love is a standard which we can never reach but one for which we should continually strive. When faced with the reality that, in the presence of His magnificent Love, we cannot go away unchanged, some prefer to stay in the dark rather than enter His light. By our presence and our willingness to be temples of the Holy Spirit the presence of God in known in the world. The presence of God shines a light on all that is unholy and that makes some people uncomfortable.

We cannot choose the actions that will have an effect on the world. We can only be obedient Disciples of Jesus Christ and let God pass out the blessings. When we look for thank and praise for ourselves, we may find it. When we submit ourselves to God's holy word we will be used in powerful ways to transform the world.

So how is it with you today? I what ways can you give yourself more completely to God? In what ways will you submit your agenda to Gods plan for you?

The photo from above is from The Tiny Apartment Show http://vimeo.com/21133949 Warning:  Explicit Content.  Not appropriate for anyone really, but it's pretty funny. 

  

What Story are You Living?

 We love and and our love deepens for that which we spend our attention and energy. Marital relationships weaken when the attention of one or both partners is diverted to something or someone else. Relationships suffer when we focus our attention on ourselves and our own pleasure. Television, Movies and other electronic media are not necessarily bad in and of themselves but when they become a substitute for life, and relationships with real people, they become and insidious evil.

I used to be a big fan of NASCAR.  In the late 1990s stock car racing almost became my religion. I faithfully watched every race on Sunday afternoon. I rooted for the heroes and I anguished over the victories of the villain. The tracks around the country seemed to me to be hallowed ground. The retired and deceased legends of the sport were the saints to be venerated.  The Daytona 500 was the high holy day of this religion that started the racing season.  From then  I knew all sorts of stats and standings as they progressed through the season.  I did this for a few seasons.  Then a measure of perspective came into my life. The champion of any given year is only champion until the beginning of the first race of the next season. And ultimately it is a bunch of cars continually turning left.

The thing is, NASCAR was the story I was living. The story of NASCAR is one of striving for excellence, of pushing oneself to the very edge of performance. Its about getting the best team around you that is possible. In NASCAR it isn't that you have to win every race but you have to consistently do well to be a champion. Striving, trying, excelling. I could sign onto a life like that. And I did, but it was exhausting and ultimately unfulfilling, because, like NASCAR no matter how many victories you have you are only one crash away from unhappiness.

Be strong.  Serve God only.  Know that if you do, beautiful heaven awaits.

The Story that we live matters. Many people don't know that they are living a story, but we are. To get a clue what story you are living (if you don't know) figure out what movie is your all time favorite. Not the one you tell everyone because it makes you sound cool, but the one that you watch over and over again. What is it about that movie you love. You love it because it resonates with your spirit and it is likely telling your story; the story that you are likely living out every day.

It is well known fact in my household that I love stories where the hero of the story sacrifices him or herself in the end. A couple of the movies I love are Gladiator and The Professional. In both the hero of the movie dies in the end. It is not a giant leap to connect this with the story of the Christian faith. Jesus is the prime example of self-sacrificing love. This is the story I strive to live. I fail at it miserably. I am often selfish rather than self-sacrificing. I cling to the material world like a drowning man would cling to a life preserver. However, in those moments when I get it right, I find peace. Nothing like the hollow victories of earthly goals. Not like the unfulfilled striving,and performance based living. When I lose myself in the purposes of God, when I suspend my sense of self, that is when The beauty of this life unfurls before my very spirit.

So what holds your attention? What you spend your attention matters. Spending time with God matters. It is in this that your true purpose will be revealed. Go and be with God in prayer. It is not something to perform or to prove excellence. It is a place to go. It is truly a process of deepening love.   

Oh yeah and now I couldn't care less about professional racing or any other professional sport.  Life is to short and precious to live through other people's victories and failures.  I am reminded of a line from the band Arrested Development in their song Mr. Wendal, "Be strong. Serve God only.  Know that if you do, beautiful heaven awaits."  You may want to argue some minute theological point in this but the point is to wake up to what is important in life and to quit living with our head in the sand.