Who Do You Think I Am?

Sermon-Proper 16A/ Pentecost +10
August 21, 2011
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my tears, all my ignorance.
My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my fears and fractured promises.
You, my God, know all this, all this;
How poor I am, how small I am;
You, my God, know all this, all this.
Yet what I have, my God, I give to you.”
[Paul Verlaine 1844-1896]
Matthew 16:13-20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.


In a recent movie comedy race car driver Ricky Bobby is saying grace with his family. This is how his blessing over the food goes:
Ricky Bobby: Dear Lord Baby Jesus, Dear tiny infant Jesus,
Carley Bobby (his wife): sweetie, Jesus, did grow up. You don’t always have to call him, baby [in all your graces]. It’s a bit odd and all putting the cradle and baby.
Ricky Bobby: I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I’m saying grace. When you’re saying grace you can say it to the grown up Jesus or the teen age Jesus or the bearded Jesus or whoever you want.
(his wife): Carley Bobby: You know what I want? I want you to do this grace good so that God will let us win tomorrow.
Ricky Bobby: Dear Tiny Jesus, golden fleece diapers, with your tiny little balled up fist
I like the baby version the best
Ricky’s best friend Cal Naughton, Jr. I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt, ’cause it says like, “I want to be formal, but “I’m here to party, too”. ‘Cause I like to party, so I like my Jesus to party, too.
(his son Walker): I like to picture Jesus as a Ninja fighting off evil samurai
Ricky Bobby: Dear 8lb 6oz newborn infant Jesus, don’t even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly, still all powerful, “boogety boogety amen (Pastor Joe Nelms)
Jesus as an all powerful infant, Jesus as the one who helps us win races, Jesus who likes to get down and party, Jesus as a ninja.
Who do you say that Jesus is? And does it really matter what you say?
As usual, First, some background. The town of Caesarea Philippi was built by Herod Philip just about the time Jesus was born in what is now called, the Golan Heights. It’s about 2000 feet above sea level and is much cooler in the summer, which is why Herod made it his summer home. It had a long history as a place of spirituality-the Greek god Pan had been worshipped there. The city is on the slopes of Mount Hermon, and there are many caves and sulfur springs nearby. Residents had long believed that these caves, because of the gases that came out of them, were the entrance to the underworld or Hades. Wayne Brouwer and Schuyler Rhodes write: “Over the centuries a variety of religious sects had used the place as a cultic shrine. They cut niches in the rock walls of the mountain just above the burbling caves and set up statues of gods they thought might be resident there. They even gave the place a spiritual name. They called it "The Gates of Hades."”
So now Jesus has returned back from the wrong side of the Sea of Galilee (last week’s gospel) and is back where he grew up. It has been a tough time in the last few chapters with many misperceptions and much confusion about he who is and what his purpose is. Finally Jesus asks the disciples, the band on people following him-Why are you doing this, why are you here, “Who do you think I am?”
In a sense Matthew the gospel writer has been building up to this. It is a powerful scene. Jesus is surrounded by this group of close friends that he has been traveling with for a couple of years, and has yelled at them several times as “men of little faith”. Now he asks them, like he might ask us, “you’ve been walking with me a long time, we’ve been through a lot, you’ve seen me, heard me, struggled with me, nearly drowned-who do you think I am?” Obviously they’re afraid of giving the wrong answer, so they sort of guess, “uh John the Baptist? Elijah? Jeremiah? And so Jesus puts their leader on the spot-ok, Simon, who do you think I am? And in this moment Peter doesn’t just give an answer-he gives an answer that will change his life forever. It’s one of those moments where the next words you say will change everything. And so Simon answers: “You are the Messiah”, the savior. And Jesus answers, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” You are the rock, and the future of the world will depend on what you believe. Can you imagine what a difference Peter’s words meant for him? Because he gave the answer he did, his whole life was different. He would one day die, crucified upside down, because of these words. Statues and churches would be built in his honor, because of these words. He would become famous for thousands of years-because of these words. And during his lifetime he would be isolated, hated, and vilified-because of these words. Do you think this moment in the gospel of Matthew is important?
A million years ago they used to have weekend retreats every year for all the people who thought they might be called to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, called BACAM. Bishop’s Advisory Commission ____ Ministry. I was at one in Carbondale, Illinois in 1975/76. And they had this grizzled old man who had been a parish priest for 1000 years (younger than me) running our weekend. We spent 3 grueling days of interviews, tests, consultations, and examinations answering questions where everyone felt pretty stupid about our faith. When you talk about what you believe it always sounds so small, and inadequate. Finally, on the last night we got to interview HIM, the old priest. We sat around in a circle with a chance to pelt him with questions. He handled them all pretty well, and finally the last question was, “So, describe as clearly and as theologically completely as possible, Jesus-and your relationship?” We waited, expecting this long, dense, very sophisticated, nuanced answer. And finally he looks at us and says, “My Lord and my God.”
How often does your name change? How often do you change what you are called? The words we say every Sunday without thinking, the words that escape from our lips without thought or reflection, changed Peter, and changed the world: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Think of the words that have changed your life: “Congratulations, you’ve graduated”, “you’re hired”, “it’s a boy”, “I do”, What if each time some short sentence was uttered you changed your name. That would make you remember those words, that moment, wouldn’t it? For centuries we have said that one’s last name was the family name, but your first name was your _______(Christian name) the one given you at baptism. Who do you say Jesus is? What if your answer would completely change your life, your future, the world?
David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preaching Chair Luther Seminary , wrote this: “Andy Andrews wrote a little book called The Butterfly Effect in which he catalogues the extraordinary impact of simple and courageous efforts. Except when you go back, you can never really tell which efforts made the biggest difference. So, for instance, should Norman Borlaug, who developed high yield, disease resistant corn and wheat be credited with saving two billion lives from famine, or should Henry Wallace, the one-term U.S. Vice-President, who created an office in New Mexico to develop hybrid seed for arid climates and hired Borlaug to run it. Or should we credit George Washington Carver, who took a young Henry Wallace for long walks and instilled in him his love of plants. Or should it be Moses and Susan Carver, who adopted the orphaned George as their son. Or should it be... Well, you get the idea. Andrews points out how inter-connected our actions are, creating an unforeseen butterfly effect that can ripple across time and space to affect the lives of millions.”
We think our words, our beliefs are relatively unimportant-or only important to us. But what if what we say, what we believe, what we say about what we believe changes our names, changes our future, costs us everything? Do you think Simon thought to himself, “man, the answer I give to this question will change my life forever?”
I have been telling you for several weeks of Jesus’ frustration with his followers, disappointment with the crowds, distress with those who didn’t understand who he was. And now someone does. Simon “gets” it. He has finally figured out who Jesus is-and that means that Simon’s will be forever changed.
Who do you say Jesus is? Whatever your answer, says as much about you-as it does about him. Does it matter what you say? Does it matter what you believe? If your answer doesn’t change you, doesn’t send you in a new direction, doesn’t become one of those moments that you remember forever-maybe you haven’t discovered the right answer yet. Maybe you’re not sure, maybe your Jesus is still a ninja or wearing a tuxedo t-shirt still.
Brouwer and Rhodes tell this story: “One of the college courses I often teach is called "Which Jesus?" In it I take my students through Jaroslav Pelikan's book Jesus through the Centuries (Yale, 1999) and the writings of the New Testament, and reflect on the variety of ways in which people think about Jesus. Each time I teach this course I ask my students to write a paper requiring that they talk with their parents about how Mom and Dad view Jesus. Invariably I get some papers still wet with tears from students who never before knew the Jesus of their parents' religious devotions. Too long they had passed by one another snickering at the religious folly of others while never having to face the question of Jesus' identity themselves. Only when this tender moment of forced query was ordered did the light of faith break through, and relations of mystery become bonds of grace.”
Who do you say Jesus is? Is your answer important enough to change your name? your identity? Would your answer be worth dying for? Or even more importantly, be worth living for? Who do you say he is, for you? Would your answer change your life?
Jarolsav Pelikan. Jesus Through The Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture.

What is 'Great Faith'?

Sermon-9 Pentecost-Proper 15-August 14, 2011
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my tears, all my ignorance.
My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my fears and fractured promises.
You, my God, know all this, all this;
How poor I am, how small I am;
You, my God, know all this, all this.
Yet what I have, my God, I give to you.”
[Paul Verlaine 1844-1896]
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.






I have been telling you throughout this summer that things aren’t going well for Jesus. He went to his home town and bombed in chapter 12. 58And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.” He had to resort to parables in chapter 13, because his disciples weren’t getting his teaching. Jesus learns that his cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded by the king in chapter 14-and when he tried to get away to grieve, the people followed him. “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” Last week he is walking on water and Peter, the leader of the band, sees storms instead of Jesus, and sinks. It’s been a tough time for Jesus in his ministry. But at least in today’s gospel it takes a turn for the worse.
I need you all to do something for me so you get a sense of what’s happening in today’s story. I have asked one person to be the Canaanite woman. She has one line, Lord, have mercy: Kyrie Eleison . And I need the rest of you to be the crowd. Here is your line, it’s one word, apolyson. “ἀπόλυσον". Let’s try it:
(1 finger)Kyrie Eleison
Whenever I put two fingers up you are supposed to say: Apolyson
Ok, louder two fingers
louder two fingers
louder! two fingers
Matthew the gospel writer wants us to get the alliteration here-how much Eleison and apolyson sound alike. “Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me” Eleison means, “have mercy”. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." two fingers “Apolyson” means, “send her away”.
Jesus, has been having a hard time, a tough time in Galilee, so he goes across the Sea of Galilee to a gentile area-and what happens? The disciples say to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" Jesus is being challenged, criticized, accused, judged wherever he goes, whatever he does. Perhaps the disciples are trying to be helpful, perhaps they’re warning him. But each chapter of Matthew reveals increasing pressure, increasing disapproval of Jesus and his message.
Ever been there?
One finger Eleison two fingers Apolyson
You are trying to please EVERYONE. You are working so hard, and it feels like every time you turn around someone is saying, “you forgot to do this!”. Or, “you didn’t do it right!” The harder you try, the greater your sense of frustration. Ever been there? I’ll bet if I give you a few seconds you can remember one of these moments pretty easily when you tried to do the right thing, the good thing, the decent thing and you were met with criticism and disapproval.
Jesus feeds 5000. Jesus walks on water. Jesus calms the storm. And what does he hear?
(1 finger) Eleison
And what else does he hear? (2 fingers) Apolyson
Kyrie Eleison Lord, have mercy. We use it a lot at the beginning of our service. Kyrie “Lord” Eleison, “have mercy”. The gospel says that the woman, the gentile woman, the desperate woman is pleading for her daughter, her poor, demon racked daughter. And she begs Jesus, Eleison.
And what do the disciples say, two fingers “Apolyson” “send her away”.
This is an embarrassing story for Christians, isn’t it? Jesus doesn’t look very Jesuslike in this gospel. First, he doesn’t respond to her at all. Then he tells her that he is on a mission, he has a goal, and that is to reach the JEWS. But she persists, and he finally calls her a “dog”. Not very “Jesus” of Jesus. Every week I try to think of a funny title for my sermons that will make someone seeing the title on the blog want to read it. This week I was going to call it, “What up, dawg?”
Jesus ignores her, tells her “I didn’t come here for you!” she’s not part of his purpose, then he insults her. And what does she say,(1 finger) “Eleison”
Ever been there where you have to humble yourself, to “crawl” for something? Ever been in that spot where you wanted something so badly, so desperately, you were willing to disgrace yourself to ask for it? Have you been in that spot that you had to give up your dignity for something, you had to swallow a big chunk of your pride-because something was so important to you? There is a great scene from the movie “Out of Africa.” Karen Blixen is a Danish baroness who lives in colonial Kenya in the early 1900s. By the end of the movie, she has lost her money, her husband, her lover, and her farm. She has utterly failed and must return in disgrace in poverty to Denmark. As a farewell to Africa she goes to a party given by the British ambassador. There is a very formal receiving line, and while standing there she asks the ambassador to save the tribe of people who worked for her, a group she has come to love. He gives her a perfunctory, “I’ll look into it.” At which point the baroness drops to her knees in front of him and everyone, and begins loudly, insistently begging him to help her friends, this tribe. Everyone is horrified by her lack of decorum, her breech of protocol. She has no dignity left, no pride. She has lost everything and wants only the mercy of the government for her friends. She is willing to suffer any shame to save these people. The first time I saw that movie and saw her begging for help I thought of this gospel story of the Canaanite woman beseeching for her daughter. It is a moment we have all been through, perhaps less dramatically. We know what it is to be on our knees giving up our pride for something, someone we love.
Jesus started with great excitement and joy in his ministry-preaching, healing, performing miracles. But as his journey continued it got harder and harder. His disciples, his closest group, frequently didn’t understand who he was, and what they were called to. Often they wanted more power or authority-for themselves. Five times in the gospel of Matthew Jesus chastises his disciples as people of “little faith”. Only once in Matthew does he describe someone as having great faith. It’s here. In this story, in this miracle-this woman-who was not even a Jew. Do you see what’s happening in Matthew’s gospel? Jesus is seeing humility as the key component in the response to his message. The initial enthusiasm to his good news is being replaced by misunderstanding, opposition, and hostility. But once in a while someone will step up who realizes that being forceful about someone else does not conflict with being humble about yourself. In a sense, Jesus is learning not just about this woman, he’s also learning about his ministry, his mission. He will not be a king as his followers want-he will be a servant. He will fight for others, but he must be willing to be humbled himself. Great faith requires great humility. Closeness to God, means willingness to give up one’s own dignity.
One more thing. Let’s see if you remember your word one more time, (2 fingers)Apolyson. Believe it or not that you have heard that word before. You heard it two weeks ago. Jesus was surrounded by 5000 people. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away (2 fingers apolyson) so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Apolyson
The disciples are good at sending people away. Especially those who are in need, especially those who are embarrassing. Jesus sees those who are hurting, and realizes that his whole purpose, his mission is to the dogs, the crumbgatherers, the anonymous gentile women with daughters who are possessed. His mission is to teach us about sacrifice of self. This morning’s gospel is about healing. But even more it’s about the true meaning of faith-it’s about humility, and openness, and fighting for others, and not ourselves. We hear two words in this gospel that sum it up-(2 fingers)apolyson-send her away or (3 fingers) Lord, have mercy. Today, Jesus has a woman, a foreigner, a crumbgatherer, a “dog” kneel before him. And she is not sent away. Today, there is no apolyson. Today there is only Eleison. Amen.

Stay In the Boat?

Sermon-8 Pentecost-Proper 14-August 7, 2011
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my tears, all my ignorance.
My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my fears and fractured promises.
You, my God, know all this, all this;
How poor I am, how small I am;
You, my God, know all this, all this.
Yet what I have, my God, I give to you.”
[Paul Verlaine 1844-1896]
Matthew 8: 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ 26And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. 27They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’

Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

So Deborah and I were talking about today’s gospel and she turned to me and said, “so why was Jesus walking on the water?” I read probably 20 commentaries and several sermons preparing for this sermon-and not one, NOT ONE, even addressed that. It’s such a logical question, and my wife, the theologian, hit it on the head. I don’t have an answer. I guess the only thing I can say is that he was left behind while the disciples went on ahead, and he was trying to catch up with them-it says that he was walking towards them when they saw him. Hmm.
There is an old African-American proverb, “You’re either headed for a storm, in a storm, or just got out of a storm”. Ever heard that one?
I think that’s how many of us mark our lives-by the crises we’ve had: the problems, illnesses, losses, the deaths. “oh yeah, I remember that year-grandpa died” or “I’ll never forget that summer-the crops failed, the dog died, and Bobby Joe threw something off the Tallahatchie bridge”. We see life as a series of storms, calamities. There’s a lot of folks that feel like they’re either headed for a storm, in a storm, or just got out of a storm.
You’re familiar with this morning’s story, don’t you? Jesus walking on the water? Peter trying to walk towards him? Be careful. This is chapter 14 in Matthew. Listen to the gospel from chapter 8: Matthew 8: 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ 26And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. 27They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’
Sound familiar? Actually today’s gospel is a response to the earlier one in chapter 8-which is why you had to hear it. The first time Jesus calmed the storm, he was in the boat with the disciples. The winds rose, the waves grew, and the disciples believed they were going to die. And they said to Jesus, “Lord, save us”. 6 chapters later, Jesus was not in the boat-the winds rose, the waves grew, and this time the disciples thought they were seeing a ghost. And Peter cried out, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." And then he sinks.
When you hear this gospel there is almost always the same sermon. Mark G. Vitalis Hoffman started off his commentary on the gospel this way: “I've heard quite a few sermons on this text that basically come down to a commendation of Peter's faith for getting out of the boat and walking on the water. The problem, as it is usually put, is that he takes his eye off Jesus, and his faith falters, but Jesus is there to save him. So, the sermon concludes, be courageous, get out of the boat, but keep your focus on Jesus.”
I’ve preached that sermon a few times, so it was interesting to hear what Hoffman had to say. He points out that in both stories the disciples are trying to figure out “who Jesus is”. ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’ from chapter 8, and “"Truly you are the Son of God" in ch. 14. In other words, both stories are about Jesus’ identity-who he really is.
As important as that is, understanding who Jesus truly is, there’s an even more important point for me-and I think for us, in both these stories. For me the real story is what happens to the disciples. Both stories end up with Jesus in the boat-teaching his friends. Both stories have miracles of Jesus taming the sea. Both stories have Jesus and the 12 crossing the Sea of Galilee. Both stories are squeezed in between other miracles. Last week’s was the feeding of the 5000, next week will be the healing of a non Jew. Just like in chapter 8. Each time Jesus has great success in his ministry and then goes through the chaos and threat of the sea to end up in a foreign land casting out demons. The stories of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee are not just about Jesus’ power over nature. These stories are about who we are as followers. We, too, are on a journey in life. We, too, are often either headed for a storm, in a storm, or just getting out of a storm. We, too, are struggling-like the disciples-trying to recognize Jesus in the midst of all the craziness of our lives. We, too, are often in between crises in our lives, never seeing the connections.
Matthew describes these events in a certain pattern for a reason. He wants us to see and understand that the walk of faith goes in a certain direction-not from strength to strength, but from test to test. Sometimes the trial is not having enough-like last week. Sometimes the test is being plagued by evil and discouragement-like we will hear next week. I think the key in the stories about the storms on the sea is the boat. What does the boat mean? Who is in it with us? What is the boat in our journey in faith? Both gospel stories end with Jesus in the boat with his friends.
We’re not Jesus-walking on water. We’re not Jesus-stilling the waves, calming the wind. We’re the disciples-at times lost, scared, worried, uncertain-thrown about, battered, fighting to stay afloat. In these two stories this is where our eye needs to be, those are the people we need to watch in today’s gospel-the people in the boat. What is happening to them? Peter tries to get out of the boat and sinks-what does this tell you? In both stories Jesus has to come to the disciples and join them in their boat for them to be safe. In both stories great tests lie ahead, but first they have to make it through these trials.
There have been many movies over the years about people whose ship sinks and they are stranded in a small boat with little chance of being rescued. Some are sick, some are hurt. There’s not enough food or water. They are desperate. They have to decide who lives, who dies if some of the group is to survive. In a course I was in once, the professor gave this scenario to the class and said, “how would you decide, who lives, who dies?” So we wrestled and argued and finally came to a consensus about which ones were expendable. So we carefully explained to the professor our solution and then he asked us, “why was important for some to live? What if these last days were the best days of everyone’s life? What if the time in the lifeboat was what all these people were meant for?”
I think when Matthew wrote down these stories he wanted to make sure that his listeners were seeing themselves in these stories. He wanted us to realize that the boat was a symbol for our journey in faith. And he wanted us to make the connection that no matter what we are going through, when Jesus is in the boat with us, we will be ok. We’re either headed for a storm, in a storm, or just getting out of a storm. The key is, who we are while we’re in the boat, and who is in the boat with us. Amen.

Linda Fabian Pepe
the Sea of Galilee is about (13 miles wide, 8 miles long). But it’s surrounded by mountains- and it’s actually below sea level- so when a storm blows up the wind rushes down the mountains almost like a hurricane, and can cause waves up to 12 feet high. And worse, it happens quickly. The lake can be as smooth as glass, yet within half an hour it can look like a scene from The Perfect Storm.

Never Enough

Sermon-7 Pentecost-Proper 13-July 31, 2011
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my tears, all my ignorance.
My God of peace, of joy and delight,
I offer you all my fears and fractured promises.
You, my God, know all this, all this;
How poor I am, how small I am;
You, my God, know all this, all this.
Yet what I have, my God, I give to you.”
[Paul Verlaine 1844-1896]
Matthew 14:13-21
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Last January we had to put our little Pomeranian, Gracie, down. Debby came down with pneumonia in February. Our kids were going through a lot of problems. Then we had to put Ozzie, our beloved terrier, down in March. Then my mother was diagnosed with cancer in April. It was a tough spring. People, you, who knew about some of this, would try to not bother me with problems or issues. People kept e-mailing me saying, “I hate to bring this up right now but….” People knew we were going through a lot, and they were trying to protect us. But life kept getting in the way. On the day that Ozzie died, I had Helen Wilson’s funeral. I did premarital counseling the day my mother was diagnosed. The timing was terrible. Too many things happening personally to focus very well in terms of ministry. But that happens, right? I kept thinking, “man, where’s my head?, no concentration, not listening, unable to give people what they need. I just kept thinking, I wish I could compartmentalize better-keep personal stuff over here-church stuff over there, and not mush the two together. Life kept getting in the way. Hold on to that.
I don’t know if you picked this up from other sermons that I gave this summer, but Jesus is not doing well in this section of Matthew. It’s subtle, but it’s there. I told you a last week that Jesus began using parables because his teaching wasn’t effective. That’s why he resorted to parables. That’s chapter 12. In Chapter 13 it says that Jesus went to his home town and “57And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.’ 58And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.”
And then in chapter 14 Jesus learns that his cousin, the person who baptized him, has been put to death by beheading. That’s the lead up to today’s gospel. “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” This had to be a tough time for Jesus-depressing, discouraging-he needed to get away, grieve, heal, be replenished. But instead-what happens? “…when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.” They needed him. The timing was terrible. Too many things happening personally to focus very well in terms of ministry. Too much going on in his life. Life was getting in the way.
Do you ever think of Jesus this way? Running on empty, tired, spent, needing a breather? As a rule, I don’t. I think Of Jesus as a man without any real human needs so when I run across an example of Jesus being human it brings me up short. In today’s story, he just doesn’t seem to have anything left to give. He’s drained, hurting, sad-in mourning. And then he’s faced with 5000 hungry people. All wanting-him.
If you’re a parent you’ve been there. If you work in a high stress job, you’ve been there. If you are alive and breathing-you’ve been there. We have al been in this spot-some more than others. People needing you and wanting you and calling for you, and all you want to do is run away and hide and not be needed for awhile? And then somebody finds you in your hiding place-and they need you! Now.
It’s growing dark, after a long day. The people gathered have no food. The disciples come to Jesus and say, “it’s getting late, you better send the people away so they can eat”. That’s their solution. People are hungry-send them away. And Jesus says, “bring me what you have”. But they don’t have enough. That’s what we’re supposed to get from this story. No one in this gospel story has enough of what they need, Jesus doesn’t have enough alone time; the people don’t have enough food; the disciples don’t have enough understanding. Everyone in this story is empty, everyone-Jesus, the people, the disciples, everyone is out of what they need. We’re supposed to see that.
Think about your life. Do you have enough? When is the last time that you thought to yourself, “my health is pretty good”? or “I have way too much empty time”? or “I have more than enough money”? or “my heart is way too full right now”? When is the last time you really felt like you hadenough of what was really important to you? Remember that great quote by J. Paul Getty, the billionaire? When asked how much money would be enough for him? He answered, “just a little bit more than I have.”
When is the last time you had enough?
Bring me what you have, (paraphrased) Jesus tells them. Bring me what you have. It doesn’t matter if it’s not enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s inadequate. It doesn’t matter if it’s insuficient. Jesus doesn’t yell at them when they show up with 5 loaves and 2 fish. “What , you expect me to feed 5000 people with THIS! Jesus says to his friends, “you feed them”. One sermon I was reading on this gospel was written from the disciples perspective and was entitled, “you want us to do what??!!!” This story is about how much everyone needed-and how little everyone had
Jesus takes the little that he is given, the little that he has, and he feeds them. He blesses what he has been given-and he gives it away. This is the only miracle story that’s in all 4 gospels, the feeding of the 5000 people out in the wilderness. Jesus takes the meager amount that he has, and blesses it-and gives it away. The meager amount of spirit, the scant amount of energy, the paltry amount of food, the insignificant amount of hope-and he blesses it-and gives it to the people who are hungry for it.
The nature of being human is this-we never ever believe that we have enough. We will always feel as though we need more, must have more, are way too short of what we require. The nature of being divine is that the little we have is plenty. “Bring me what you have” Jesus tells them, and it sufficed.
We can be so short of the things we want- time, heath, money, happiness, love. When we come to the altar rail no one is ever asked, “are you good enough?” “were you faithful enough this week?” “are you a good enough?”. Everyone who comes to the rail is given just enough to feel God’s touch, and know God’s love. It is never enough for us. We always want more. But some days it dawns on us- we have all that we need-and we ask God to bless all that we are. And it is enough. And as empty and inadequate and as hungry as we are-it is enough. “Bring me what you have.” There is a great story that I have told many times over the years about the Jewish people of Eastern Europe in the
Once to avert a terrible disaster, the Baal Shem Tov went into the forest, lit a candle and prayed a special prayer. With God’s help, the disaster was averted.
Years after his death, another disaster confronted the Jews and it fell to his disciple, the Maggid of Mezritch to avert the catastrophe. He said, “I don’t know the prayer the Baal Shem Tov used, but I know the place and I can light the candle.” So he went to the same place and lit the candle, and it was enough. With God’s help the disaster was averted.
After the Maggid passed from the earth another crisis awaited the Jewish people and it fell to his disciple, the Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsberg to rescue the people. He said, “I do not know the prayer, and I do not have the candle, but I can go to the place and it must be enough.” And so he did, and with God’s help, it was enough.
After the death of Rabbi Smelke, Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov, his disciple was called upon to save his people from another calamity . He said, “Ah me! I do not know the prayer, I do not have the candle, and I do not even know where the forest is. But I do know the story. I will tell it and God will help.” And so it was enough.
We bring to God what we have. It is insufficient. We bring to God all that we know. It is inadequate. We bring to God who we are. And we still hunger. And yet God blesses us, and feeds us, and loves us-despite all of shortcomings, despite all of the ways that life gets in the way. And it is enough.