Pentecost 9 – 22 July 2018 -Year B

Grace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

 The text for this meditation is written in the 6^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 30–44 & 53 to 56:

³⁰ The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. ³³ Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. ³⁵ And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. ³⁶ Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” ³⁷ But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” ³⁸ And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” ³⁹ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. ⁴¹ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² And they all ate and were satisfied. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. ⁴⁴ And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. 

⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. ⁵⁴ And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognised him ⁵⁵ and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶ And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

The Holy Spirit inspired each of the Gospel writers to include an account of the “Feeding of the 5,000”in their Gospel accounts.  So what is it about this event that makes it so important that it gets that kind of attention?  Yes, this a rather spectacular miracle, but not every miracle makes it into every Gospel account.  Why this one? Surely feeding people isn’t as important as healing the sick, or casting out demons.  It surely isn’t as important as raising the dead.  Surely there is a good reason why this account is included in all four Gospel accounts?

Probably the most important reason is that this miracle presents a model for the church.  Here we begin to see the way that Jesus distributes His gifts to His church in this world.  

First Jesus asked the disciples to feed the people. ^{(Mark 6:37)}But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”When you realise that a denarius is an entire day’s wage, you realise that this is the disciples admitting that they are naive … helpless even.  In reality, Jesus does His best work when weare helpless.  It is as the Lord said to Paul, ^{(2 Corinthians 12:9)}“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

It is after Jesus showed the disciples that they were helpless that Heprovided the food.  In fact, the disciples were only talking about bread. Whereas Jesus provided bread and fish.  Furthermore, Jesus provided enough food so that everyone was satisfied and there were leftovers.  The meal that Jesus provided was far superior to the meal that the disciples imagined.

Now here is where we see the model for the church.  Jesus did not go up and down the rows handing out fish wraps to the people.  ^{(Mark 6:41)}Taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.Jesus put His marvellous gifts into the hands of His sinful, helpless, cluelessdisciples.  It was the disciples who set the food before the people.

Now just in case you think I am being a little hard on the disciples, remember who they are.  Remember James and John.  When a Samaritan village did not welcome Jesus they asked, ^{(Luke 9:54)}“Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”Then there was Peter who caused Jesus to rebuke him and say,^{(Mark 8:33)}“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”^{(Mark 9:34; Luke 22:24)}Tell us that the disciples regularly argued among themselves about who was the greatest. Then of course there was Judas to whom Jesus would eventually say,^{(Luke 22:48)}“Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Do we think the food that Judas handed out was any less nutritious because it came from the hand of the one who would betray Jesus?  Of course not.  It is Jesus who made the food.  James, John, Peter, Judas, and the others were merely the servers … waiters, if you will. Jesus made the food and it was perfect … no matter who handled it after Jesus made it.

Do you see the model for the church?  Jesus calls Christian people to be his waiters.  He says, “You give them My gifts … forgiveness, salvation, eternal life.” If it was impossible for the disciples to provide physical food, how much more impossible is it for us mere mortals to provide the eternal gifts?  Of course, Jesus does His best work when we are helpless.  OR, as the angel Gabriel told Mary, ^{(Luke 1:37)}“Nothing will be impossible with God.”

In fact, even as Gabriel spoke to Mary, the Son of God had taken up human flesh in her womb.  He had come down in order to do His best work … the work of salvation.  With His perfect life, He provided the righteousness we needed.  Then with His sacrifice on the cross, He paid our sin debt in full.  With His resurrection, He declared His victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil.

Shortly after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples again. He said to them,^{(John 20:21–23)}“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”With these words, He gave the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation into the hands of these disciples.  With these words these disciples became His sent ones … His Apostles.  With these words, He gave the church the authority to forgive sins.

As the tele – ad man says; “But wait, there’s more!”  Jesus gives the gift of forgiveness in many ways.  Before He ascended, He also said, ^{(Matthew 28:18–20)}“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  With these words, He authorised the church to open up more channels of forgiveness. First of all, there is Holy Baptism … the word of God combined with water according to Christ’s command.  Then there is teaching … Christ’s Church satisfying the hunger of Christ’s people with the study of Christ’s Word.  These are two more gifts that Jesus gave into the hands of His people … the Holy Christian Church.

Finally, there is yet another gift that the Apostle Paul explained to the Church in Corinth. ^{(1 Corinthians 11:23–26)} “I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”Here Paul teaches that Jesus has put His very body and His very blood into the hands of sinful men to be given as gifts of forgiveness to God’s people.  Not only that, but Paul also teaches that these gifts should be handed down from generation to generation.

So it is that, just as Jesus once put bread and fish into the hands of His sinful, helpless, clueless disciples, He still puts the gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life into the hands of His priests who are still sinful, helpless, and yes, often clueless.  Just as the fish and bread that came from the hands of James, John, Peter, and even Judas was just as healthy and nutritious as when it left Jesus’ hand, so also the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation are valid even though your priest, by virtue of his human nature, also sins on a daily basis.

The gifts of God depend on the promise of Jesus Christ and nothing else … not the holiness of your priest… not your holiness … not your faith… or your priest’s faith.  It is the promise of Christ alone that makes these gifts perfect.  Your priest is simply the waiter who serves these gifts according to Christ’s command.  He is the ordained servant of Christ.

So we see how the “Feeding of the 5,000”is a model for the church.  Jesus has prepared His perfect gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.  He prepared them with His holy life and His precious death.  Now that He has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, He gives these gifts to His servants so that they can set them before you, His forgiven brothers and sisters.

Our presence here, in this place, can do nothing for God.  It is as He told the psalmist,^{(Psalm 50) 12}“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. ¹⁰For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” Instead, we come before God in this place because, although God is truly everywhere, this is where He has promised to reveal His presence and give His gifts to us.  We come because he has called us with His Gospel and enlightened us with His gifts.  We come because it is God’s delight to pour out His gifts on us, and it is His gifts that make us part of his family forever. Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Pentecost 7 – 8 July 2018 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and        our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text for our meditation is written in the 6^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 1 – 13:

He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ² And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard himwere astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? ³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴ And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” ⁵ And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And he marveled because of their unbelief. 

And he went about among the villages teaching. 

⁷ And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— ⁹ but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. ¹⁰ And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. ¹¹ And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

Going on a journey requires some planning. Carol and I are going on a road trip on our motorcycle on Monday. On this long trip through far West Queensland we have to plan each day carefully. I have maps for each section that indicated fuel stops. I have worked out the travelling time carefully for every day, and booked accommodation in advance. I have town maps directing us to the accommodation, and have worked out the budget for fuel, food and lodgings. I also have to know where the reliable bike parts and service agents were along the way. We also carry some equipment in case of emergency and sufficient clothes (especially Carol) to cater for the variance of weather. We really did spend some time in preparation; but this makes us feel much more prepared and confident for the trip ahead. 

In our text from the Gospel of St. Mark; It says: "Calling the Twelve to Him"— "Him" being Jesus — "He sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits." Jesus sent out His disciples on a very important journey ahead of Him to prepare the way, to prepare the people for His coming, to talk to the people, to warn the people about their sin and the deadliness of sin, to call upon the people to repent. He sent them out to tell the people the good news about a God of love, a God of forgiveness, a God of hope, a God of peace, a God Who had sent His own Son into this world to be their Saviour. Jesus sent out His disciples with a very big task. Our response would be ‘give me a week to pack and get ready’. The Disciples probably said the same!

     This was not Jesus plan; He told them they did not need a lot of stuff. Our text says, "These were His instructions: ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff — no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.’ ”

     As I thought about how empty-handed it seemed these disciples were, I thought about the children of Israel when they left their captivity in Egypt and went out into the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. On that journey the Israelites ate manna and quail for forty years, until they came to the land that was settled. God provided for them! It's interesting about that manna that God provided. He provided it each day. He gave very specific instructions to the people: they could gather only enough for one day at a time, except on Friday, when they could gather enough for two days so that they would not have to work on the Sabbath. The Lord gave specific instructions: one day at a time.

     Why did He do that? It sounds a bit like an Army survival course! Why did Jesus send out His disciples on this important journey seemingly unprepared, left to their own devices? No food. No clothing. No money. Friends, He sends them out and they're going to learn an important lesson, an important lesson about which King David writes in the thirty-seventh Psalm. He says, "Trust in the LORD and do good."

     "Trust in the Lord" — that's a tough lesson to learn, isn't it, for us? It was certainly a tough lesson for the Israelites to learn out there in the wilderness, that they needed to trust in the Lord. Time after time after time they saw such huge obstacles ahead of them; either that, or they saw nothing. Over and over again their trust seemed to waiver and they complained and bickered.
     "Trust in the LORD and do good." It was a lesson that the disciples, too, would need to learn. Jesus one day would leave them. He would go to a cross, He would suffer and die. Yes, He would rise again and He would come back to be with His disciples, but only for forty days. Then He would give them a huge assignment, the same assignment you and I have: "go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Just think about that scene: twelve men — eleven; Judas is gone — and they are to make disciples of all nations. With what? They had little money. No tertiary degrees, just Jesus promise “I will be with you always”. 

Their task was big, but it came with a big reassurance - trust in Me. In today’s text, in this mission, Jesus is preparing the disciples for that time after His ascension when they would need to truly trust in Him.

     It was a tough lesson for the Israelites, a tough lesson for the disciples, it's a tough lesson for you and me, as well, to really trust in the Lord as we should, to trust in the Lord, to commit our journey in this life to obeying His will and doing what He wants us to do. It's so easy, I think, sometimes to place our trust in "money and things" we can see them, we can feel them, we can hold them. It's so difficult to embrace a God Whom we don't see and yet are called upon to trust implicitly. The Bible calls upon us to live by faith and not by sight. "Trust in the LORD."
     Jesus tells His Disciples, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town." Let’s imagine turning up here in Mackay on a mission to proclaim the Gospel, no money, no bags, no food, totally dependent upon people to care. A Parish member kindly offers, "Hey, come and stay at my place and I'll feed you. I'll give you a place to sleep." Then, as the days wear on, there is another gracious invitation from another Parish member; now your host only has a narrow little cot and serves up lentils and stew, but the alternate offer includes prime steak and seafood.         What do you do?" Human nature being what it is, you might want go over to the other house. But what would that do to the ministry? Jesus wants to prevent anything from getting in the way of the ministry. So, He tells His disciples, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there" — don't shop for better deals — "stay there until you leave that town." "Trust in the LORD and do good." St Paul tells us in Philippians that if we want peace in our life’s journey we should be content with what God provides. "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation."
     Jesus gives His disciples instructions. They are not to take a lot of stuff with them. They are to be content wherever they end up staying while they are doing the mission work that He sends them out to do. Jesus also realises that they're going to run into some problems along the way. In His last instruction given to them in the Gospel of Mark, he says, "And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." In Verses 1-6 of our Gospel lesson for today Jesus was rejected by the people in His home town of Nazareth and "was amazed at their lack of faith."

     It follows then, if Jesus is going to be rejected, it was sure that the disciples from time to time would also face that, and it's sure that you and I, as we share the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ, sometimes will be rejected. So what do we do in this journey of life? What do we do when we're rejected, when the message we feel so strong about is rejected? We have no choice but to look to our Saviour. What did Jesus do when He was rejected? He didn't stop. It says, "Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village." He didn't give up. He kept on going. He kept on striving. He worked through the adversity. Even as Jesus made that journey - for you and me — to a place called Calvary, the journey to a cross, He never gave up. When   Peter denied Him, Jesus didn't give up. When Judas betrayed Him, Jesus didn't give up. He kept on going. He went to Calvary, He suffered, and He died such a cruel death: but then, of course, on Easter Jesus rose. He rose in victory. He went back to His disciples and He worked with them. He encouraged them, He taught them, so that they could carry on.

     I can read your thoughts! Sure Jesus kept going; Jesus is God; we are human we get weak and tired! Friends in Christ, Jesus sent out his disciples on this important journey without a lot of stuff. But that was okay, because Jesus sent out His disciples with the Gospel! That's what you and I have to take with us as we leave here. The promise and good news that comes to us in the Holy Scriptures. We have that Gospel reminding us of the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ, we have the Gospel to lift us when we are down; the Gospel of truth that is God’s Word speaking individually to each of us and we have that Gospel to share with others. That's what the disciples did — they shared. It says, "They went out and preached that people should repent." They offered people a different way of life, a different way of living, a different way of making this journey, a way in which people are encouraged to love people and to use our resources, to care about one another. What a different, world changing way that is!

     "Trust in the LORD and do good." What wonderful message to us as we think about the journey of life. We can make that journey trusting God and, with His help, serving others as He served us. In today's Epistle lesson Paul tells us, “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  … That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Friends, in our weakness we have no other place to turn but to God through Jesus Christ our Lord – what privileged people we are, blessed and uplifted by our Lord. Ephesians 1: 4 tells us “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." He wants us to be set apart, different from the people of the world. We have the gift of the Gospel to share. From this word I form an acronym – “God Offering Sinful People Eternal Life” – but to complete that we must add “in Jesus Christ”, because there is only one way, there's only one truth and only one life. That way, that truth, that life is Jesus Christ!

    May God bless each and every one of us as we make this journey through life, remembering that it's not the stuff that's important — it's what we have in our hearts and in our minds, it's the Gospel (the Good News) of Jesus Christ, it's the hope that we have, it's the peace that we have — a peace that far surpasses all understanding as God guards and protects our minds in the knowledge of the victory that is ours in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen