You might think that being called as a pastor was the hard part and that moving would be the easy part, but you would be wrong - at least in our case. What has seemed to be a blessing for the past 4 years - owning a house a short walk from campus, is turning out to be a bit of a headache. With the downturn in the housing market, uncertainty in the economy, difficulties in the mortgage market, and everything else that seems to be going on, trying to move and buy a house while still owning a house is turning out to be difficult. Not impossible, but certainly not as smooth as we had hoped.
Today was appraisal day for our bridge loan. Our appraiser may be good at his job, but he spread enough doom and gloom about the current housing market to make one wonder if it is possible to sell a house at any price. We have not seen the appraisal yet, but he indicated that housing appraisals today are much lower than anyone expects. We'll just have to see.
On the other hand, we do have a place to stay, and we have begun moving things into the church office. Things will happen, we will still begin on September 1, but our move is postponed for a little while. In the meantime, we hope and pray that someone buys our house and/or that the appraisal is better than the dashed hopes the appraiser left us with.
In the meantime, Internet access is going to be limited to daytime working hours while we are in the office. Not that we have been posting very regularly lately anyway, but it may get worse before it gets better.
In the meantime, we are wondering about the future of the blog. We are soon to be ex-seminarians (sort of already are) as we will be ordained next week (we will post pictures!). What should the blogging future hold for us? A new blog more closely associated with the church? Individual blogs about ministry? If you have any ideas, let us know. We will be giving this some thought as well. While email is great, Facebook is fun, the blog is still our best way of letting you know what we are up to, as well as providing us an outlet for our thoughts.
We keep all in the path of Gustav in our prayers, and watch its path through the Gulf of Mexico. For all of our friends on the Gulf Coast, our prayers are with you. May God keep you safe.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
More signs along the way...
We have been on the road again this past week. From home to Taylorsville, NC where Ray preached and we attended a family reunion; then on to Lexington to move a few books into our new offices and continue house-hunting. Add in a quick side trip to Boone and we have seen lots of highways, back roads, and scenic byways this week.
More travels this week in North and South Carolina meant that we saw many more church signs! One of the first we saw was When things go wrong, don’t go with them.
Another sign that we noticed – just as we almost missed the turn we needed to take at a small crossroad in rural NC – If you are headed the wrong way, God allows U-turns.
I’ll include one more that we discussed for quite awhile after we saw it: God gives special grace when troubles we face. Like many of the signs we have seen, which I didn’t post here, this one presents a view of God and of the world that troubles me. Cute, it rhymes and all; but do we really believe that God will only dole out grace in metered doses just in time to cure specific problems – or do we believe that God has ALREADY given us all that we need and more?
Sorry, but the voice of our ethics professor still rings in my head on this subject. This sign is yet another symptom of a prevailing theology of scarcity in our culture rather than a theology of abundance. We typically want to hoard and guard all that we think we possess, rather than trusting in God’s providence and plan for all of creation and sharing generously with each other.
Seeing this sign makes we wonder all over again how I/we can reach people where they are and help them recognize and experience God’s abundant mercy and amazing grace.
More travels this week in North and South Carolina meant that we saw many more church signs! One of the first we saw was When things go wrong, don’t go with them.
Another sign that we noticed – just as we almost missed the turn we needed to take at a small crossroad in rural NC – If you are headed the wrong way, God allows U-turns.
I’ll include one more that we discussed for quite awhile after we saw it: God gives special grace when troubles we face. Like many of the signs we have seen, which I didn’t post here, this one presents a view of God and of the world that troubles me. Cute, it rhymes and all; but do we really believe that God will only dole out grace in metered doses just in time to cure specific problems – or do we believe that God has ALREADY given us all that we need and more?
Sorry, but the voice of our ethics professor still rings in my head on this subject. This sign is yet another symptom of a prevailing theology of scarcity in our culture rather than a theology of abundance. We typically want to hoard and guard all that we think we possess, rather than trusting in God’s providence and plan for all of creation and sharing generously with each other.
Seeing this sign makes we wonder all over again how I/we can reach people where they are and help them recognize and experience God’s abundant mercy and amazing grace.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sewing, Babies, and Looking Ahead
Some of my activities lately have brought back memories.
I’ve been doing some sewing recently, even though I hadn’t touched my sewing machine during the past four years at seminary. (Except, of course, to move it from place to place to place!) I’m sewing the crinoline which our daughter will wear under her wedding dress in just a few short weeks. This crinoline is a bouffant creation made of about 20 yards of taffeta and nylon netting. As I worked on it, I was both saddened and relieved that I hadn’t volunteered to create the actual wedding dress. But that would probably have been too stressful this summer amidst everything else that is going on - and a serious strain on my rusty sewing skills!
I couldn’t help but remember other sewing projects for her in years past: numerous costumes, a red flowered dress with lace trim, a navy plaid wool jumper, and a pink gingham sundress, among others. But the project I remember most comes from a summer long past, when between tending a new baby and her three year old brother, I was sewing white eyelet lace into her baptismal gown and matching bonnet.
I’ve also had the great joy this summer of spending time with our twin grandsons and their big sister. I must admit, I’ve never felt quite so outnumbered as when I’ve spent several hours alone with the twins! At 8 weeks old, they still stay where you put them, but they are certainly able to let you know if they aren’t happy about it. They are also starting to be much more alert – recognizing voices and smiling at those who love and care for them. I treasure this time with them, and it also reminds me of days long past, when their daddy and his sister were tiny. I felt just as helpless when they cried as I do now when these two do.
It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed! And yet we have come full circle from eyelet to netting; from babies to grandbabies. God has brought many changes into our lives, yet he remains a constant presence! People often ask us why we are entering ministry now, at this stage in our lives. All I can say is that God had other plans for us until now. We had children to raise; places to see; people to meet; and many, many things to do.
Now he has called us into another part of our journey, where I firmly believe there are plenty more things to be done. We look forward to our ministry with God's children in a new place!
I’ve been doing some sewing recently, even though I hadn’t touched my sewing machine during the past four years at seminary. (Except, of course, to move it from place to place to place!) I’m sewing the crinoline which our daughter will wear under her wedding dress in just a few short weeks. This crinoline is a bouffant creation made of about 20 yards of taffeta and nylon netting. As I worked on it, I was both saddened and relieved that I hadn’t volunteered to create the actual wedding dress. But that would probably have been too stressful this summer amidst everything else that is going on - and a serious strain on my rusty sewing skills!
I couldn’t help but remember other sewing projects for her in years past: numerous costumes, a red flowered dress with lace trim, a navy plaid wool jumper, and a pink gingham sundress, among others. But the project I remember most comes from a summer long past, when between tending a new baby and her three year old brother, I was sewing white eyelet lace into her baptismal gown and matching bonnet.
I’ve also had the great joy this summer of spending time with our twin grandsons and their big sister. I must admit, I’ve never felt quite so outnumbered as when I’ve spent several hours alone with the twins! At 8 weeks old, they still stay where you put them, but they are certainly able to let you know if they aren’t happy about it. They are also starting to be much more alert – recognizing voices and smiling at those who love and care for them. I treasure this time with them, and it also reminds me of days long past, when their daddy and his sister were tiny. I felt just as helpless when they cried as I do now when these two do.
It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed! And yet we have come full circle from eyelet to netting; from babies to grandbabies. God has brought many changes into our lives, yet he remains a constant presence! People often ask us why we are entering ministry now, at this stage in our lives. All I can say is that God had other plans for us until now. We had children to raise; places to see; people to meet; and many, many things to do.
Now he has called us into another part of our journey, where I firmly believe there are plenty more things to be done. We look forward to our ministry with God's children in a new place!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Tires
You ever have one of those stories that you can't quite tell, but also can't keep it to yourself? In our experience, these are usually "God stories;" times and places where the unexpected and too good to be true intersect. This is one of those stories.
Sunday was a pretty typical summer Sunday for us. One of us (occasionally both) have been preaching somewhere in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Georgia on any given weekend this summer. This Sunday, we were headed south - to Georgia. We had been there several times, sometimes together, a couple of times only one of us as the other preached at another church, so we were familiar with the drive.
We were running just a few minutes behind as we left the house, but we usually had a 15 minute cushion build into our schedule anyway. With high gas prices, we had been leaving a little bit early and driving about 65 mph instead of 72 mph. Even with leaving a few minutes late, we had plenty of time. As we headed around Columbia, traffic was light (as it usually is early on Sunday morning) and we were making good time. As we neared Orangeburg, the usual road noise of the front left tire changed slightly, and the car began pulling a little bit to the left.
We pulled off to the side of the read and saw that the tire seemed to be a little low. I pulled the emergency kit out of the back of the car and used the air compressor to pump the tire back up. Not that 12 volt compressors are very efficient, but in a few minutes the tire looked more normal and I was pretty sure we could get to the next gas station to finish filling it up. Wrong!
We drove about 2 miles down the road, and suddenly it sounded like we were driving on a gravel road - with the rocks bouncing up and hitting the floorboards of the car. What we were actually hearing was the tire disintegrating. Bits of rubber were coming off of the inside sidewall and flying everywhere. Very quickly, the tire went completely flat and starting flapping - just as I was pulling off onto the shoulder - again.
Needless to say, I was not dressed to change a tire. We have AAA, but we also did not have much spare time (not if we wanted to get the preacher to church on time). Fortunately, I did not have on my good suit - I had opted for something a little less formal because of the 90+ degree days we have been having. I took off my clerical shirt, laid a blanket that we carry out beside the front left tire, and starting looking for the necessary tools to change the tire.
I had never changed the tire on a PT Cruiser before, so it took me a couple of minutes to remember that the spare tire I was looking for was underneath the car. Then, it took a couple more minutes to figure out the mechanism that lowered and released the spare. Then came the fun job of breaking the lug nuts loose (with the factory supplied tire tool), removing the tire, installing the spare, and then tightening up the lug nuts so we could drive again. All during this, traffic was blowing by at 70+ mph and no one seemed to care how close they were to the shoulder, how fast they were going, or if there was any danger to the guy trying to change a tire on the side of the road.
I am a little out of practice at changing tires and probably won't have a NASCAR pit crew coming to recruit me any time soon, but I did get the tire changed in about 20 minutes. By the time I had everything back in the trunk, I was not happy with my fellow travelers - all those people who had passed by, not stopped to see if we needed help, or even moved over a line to give us some safe space. No police cars came by, no emergency road help, nobody. I changed the tire and was just glad that it had gone flat while we were both in the car, rather than when one of us was traveling alone.
Finally, back on the road, we arrived just as the organist was beginning the prelude. Since Ruth Ann was preaching, she went to get ready and I went to sit in the first row. All during the service, I alternated between being thankful that the mini-spare got us the rest of the way, wondering where I could get a new tire on Sunday afternoon, and being a bit miffed at all of the uncaring people who had zoomed past us while I was changing the tire.
At the end of the service, one of the couples we have gotten to know came up and said that Charlie would find us a place to get a tire and would take us out for lunch while it was being installed. Charlie and his wife led us to the nearest Wal-Mart (where else do you get a tire on Sunday?) and then took us to lunch. After an enjoyable lunch, we came back to Wal-Mart to find out that the tire they thought they had was defective and that our car was sitting right where we left it - still with the mini-spare on it. Turns out they needed to ask me a question, but that they had not called my cell phone. After a few frustrating minutes of clearing up the fact that I needed and wanted a tire, and whatever they had would work (no - I did not care what the tread pattern looked like), they finally got a tire and started the installation process (again).
All this time, Charlie and his wife insisted on waiting with us, and kept chatting with us about kids, grandkids, and various other things. Finally, we saw them drive our car out of the garage and bring the keys in. Charlie walked with me to the cash register to make sure our car was ready. Once we were assured that it was, and told how much, Charlie whips out his credit card to pay for our new tire. No amount of arguing from me was going to work, so I finally settled for saying "Thank You!"
We then headed for home - with full stomachs and a new tire - all paid for by our new friend, Charlie. And those thoughts about all those drivers who ignored our early morning troubles? Gone - replaced by the generosity of someone who just could not stand to see us have to pay for a new tire because we came to preach for his church that day.
We praise God for people like Charlie, and for those "God moments." And again to Charlie - we say "Thanks!"
Sunday was a pretty typical summer Sunday for us. One of us (occasionally both) have been preaching somewhere in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Georgia on any given weekend this summer. This Sunday, we were headed south - to Georgia. We had been there several times, sometimes together, a couple of times only one of us as the other preached at another church, so we were familiar with the drive.
We were running just a few minutes behind as we left the house, but we usually had a 15 minute cushion build into our schedule anyway. With high gas prices, we had been leaving a little bit early and driving about 65 mph instead of 72 mph. Even with leaving a few minutes late, we had plenty of time. As we headed around Columbia, traffic was light (as it usually is early on Sunday morning) and we were making good time. As we neared Orangeburg, the usual road noise of the front left tire changed slightly, and the car began pulling a little bit to the left.
We pulled off to the side of the read and saw that the tire seemed to be a little low. I pulled the emergency kit out of the back of the car and used the air compressor to pump the tire back up. Not that 12 volt compressors are very efficient, but in a few minutes the tire looked more normal and I was pretty sure we could get to the next gas station to finish filling it up. Wrong!
We drove about 2 miles down the road, and suddenly it sounded like we were driving on a gravel road - with the rocks bouncing up and hitting the floorboards of the car. What we were actually hearing was the tire disintegrating. Bits of rubber were coming off of the inside sidewall and flying everywhere. Very quickly, the tire went completely flat and starting flapping - just as I was pulling off onto the shoulder - again.
Needless to say, I was not dressed to change a tire. We have AAA, but we also did not have much spare time (not if we wanted to get the preacher to church on time). Fortunately, I did not have on my good suit - I had opted for something a little less formal because of the 90+ degree days we have been having. I took off my clerical shirt, laid a blanket that we carry out beside the front left tire, and starting looking for the necessary tools to change the tire.
I had never changed the tire on a PT Cruiser before, so it took me a couple of minutes to remember that the spare tire I was looking for was underneath the car. Then, it took a couple more minutes to figure out the mechanism that lowered and released the spare. Then came the fun job of breaking the lug nuts loose (with the factory supplied tire tool), removing the tire, installing the spare, and then tightening up the lug nuts so we could drive again. All during this, traffic was blowing by at 70+ mph and no one seemed to care how close they were to the shoulder, how fast they were going, or if there was any danger to the guy trying to change a tire on the side of the road.
I am a little out of practice at changing tires and probably won't have a NASCAR pit crew coming to recruit me any time soon, but I did get the tire changed in about 20 minutes. By the time I had everything back in the trunk, I was not happy with my fellow travelers - all those people who had passed by, not stopped to see if we needed help, or even moved over a line to give us some safe space. No police cars came by, no emergency road help, nobody. I changed the tire and was just glad that it had gone flat while we were both in the car, rather than when one of us was traveling alone.
Finally, back on the road, we arrived just as the organist was beginning the prelude. Since Ruth Ann was preaching, she went to get ready and I went to sit in the first row. All during the service, I alternated between being thankful that the mini-spare got us the rest of the way, wondering where I could get a new tire on Sunday afternoon, and being a bit miffed at all of the uncaring people who had zoomed past us while I was changing the tire.
At the end of the service, one of the couples we have gotten to know came up and said that Charlie would find us a place to get a tire and would take us out for lunch while it was being installed. Charlie and his wife led us to the nearest Wal-Mart (where else do you get a tire on Sunday?) and then took us to lunch. After an enjoyable lunch, we came back to Wal-Mart to find out that the tire they thought they had was defective and that our car was sitting right where we left it - still with the mini-spare on it. Turns out they needed to ask me a question, but that they had not called my cell phone. After a few frustrating minutes of clearing up the fact that I needed and wanted a tire, and whatever they had would work (no - I did not care what the tread pattern looked like), they finally got a tire and started the installation process (again).
All this time, Charlie and his wife insisted on waiting with us, and kept chatting with us about kids, grandkids, and various other things. Finally, we saw them drive our car out of the garage and bring the keys in. Charlie walked with me to the cash register to make sure our car was ready. Once we were assured that it was, and told how much, Charlie whips out his credit card to pay for our new tire. No amount of arguing from me was going to work, so I finally settled for saying "Thank You!"
We then headed for home - with full stomachs and a new tire - all paid for by our new friend, Charlie. And those thoughts about all those drivers who ignored our early morning troubles? Gone - replaced by the generosity of someone who just could not stand to see us have to pay for a new tire because we came to preach for his church that day.
We praise God for people like Charlie, and for those "God moments." And again to Charlie - we say "Thanks!"
Friday, August 08, 2008
Signs Along the Way
We often notice church signs as we drive along. You know the kind with a big space for a temporary message to be added? We’ve been travelling quite a bit on two lane highways and back roads the last few weeks - we’ve been in four states to supply preach, visit family, attend the ordination of friends, continue the call process, and now to prepare to move – and much of that travel has not been by interstate. But there have been lots of churches along the way with these signs.
Sometimes, the messages on these signs make us smile; sometimes they make us think; sometimes the theology is troubling; often they become the topic of our conversation as we drive along. We are actually relieved that Becks Lutheran doesn’t have one of these signs, so we won’t become responsible for creating appropriate messages for one of those signs any time soon.
Some of our favorites recently include: You can’t alter your past but you can take your past to the altar and Even a fish can stay out of trouble if it keeps its mouth closed. Of course a perpetual favorite – which seems especially encouraging at this point in our journey is God won’t lead you anywhere he won’t keep you.
But I must admit, the one that caused us smiles and laughter as well as some more serious thought and conversation this week was one that read: Sign Broken – Message Inside. Clearly the sign wasn’t really broken, as the lettering was visible. But it did beckon to everyone that read it to come inside and hear the word of God proclaimed.
The signs are all there to get our attention, of course, but shouldn't they also invite us inside to hear the Good News? Could we expect any more from a message on a sign outside a church?
What’s your favorite sign message?
Sometimes, the messages on these signs make us smile; sometimes they make us think; sometimes the theology is troubling; often they become the topic of our conversation as we drive along. We are actually relieved that Becks Lutheran doesn’t have one of these signs, so we won’t become responsible for creating appropriate messages for one of those signs any time soon.
Some of our favorites recently include: You can’t alter your past but you can take your past to the altar and Even a fish can stay out of trouble if it keeps its mouth closed. Of course a perpetual favorite – which seems especially encouraging at this point in our journey is God won’t lead you anywhere he won’t keep you.
But I must admit, the one that caused us smiles and laughter as well as some more serious thought and conversation this week was one that read: Sign Broken – Message Inside. Clearly the sign wasn’t really broken, as the lettering was visible. But it did beckon to everyone that read it to come inside and hear the word of God proclaimed.
The signs are all there to get our attention, of course, but shouldn't they also invite us inside to hear the Good News? Could we expect any more from a message on a sign outside a church?
What’s your favorite sign message?
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Ordination Announcement
For all of you who have faithfully followed this four year journey, and for those who have joined in along the way, we have news to report. We have been called! We have been in discussion with Becks Lutheran Church in Lexington, NC since spring, and one week ago today, the congregation of Becks voted to call both of us as their new pastors.
Throughout this journey, you have prayed for us, encouraged us, supported us, and in every way possible, helped us through seminary, moving (multiple times), and in celebrating along the way. We now offer you the opportunity to celebrate with us once again. On September 3, we will be ordained as pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (www.elca.org) and installed at Becks Lutheran Church (www.beckslutheranchurch.org).
With the counsel of the Holy Spirit,
and in joy and thanksgiving,
the North Carolina Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
invites you to a
Service of Holy Communion
with the Rites of Ordination and Installation.
By the grace of God
Throughout this journey, you have prayed for us, encouraged us, supported us, and in every way possible, helped us through seminary, moving (multiple times), and in celebrating along the way. We now offer you the opportunity to celebrate with us once again. On September 3, we will be ordained as pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (www.elca.org) and installed at Becks Lutheran Church (www.beckslutheranchurch.org).
With the counsel of the Holy Spirit,
and in joy and thanksgiving,
the North Carolina Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
invites you to a
Service of Holy Communion
with the Rites of Ordination and Installation.
By the grace of God
and with the consent of God’s people,
Kenneth Raymond Sipe
and
Ruth Ann Sipe
will be ordained into the
Ministry of Word and Sacrament
in Christ’s holy catholic and apostolic Church
on
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
at
seven o’clock in the evening
at
Becks Lutheran Church
441 Becks Church Road
Lexington, North Carolina 27292
Your prayers and presence are requested.
Rostered leaders are invited to process;
Kenneth Raymond Sipe
and
Ruth Ann Sipe
will be ordained into the
Ministry of Word and Sacrament
in Christ’s holy catholic and apostolic Church
on
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
at
seven o’clock in the evening
at
Becks Lutheran Church
441 Becks Church Road
Lexington, North Carolina 27292
Your prayers and presence are requested.
Rostered leaders are invited to process;
the liturgical color is red.
A reception will follow the service.
A reception will follow the service.
Come and Eat!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Lectionary 18 / Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 55:1-5
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 (Ps. 145:16)
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:13-21
Sermon:
Come and eat! It’s free! How often do you hear that? Free food and drink? This is something that is almost unheard of in our society. There is plenty of food and drink, but there are also plenty of people who are trying to make money off of our need for food and drink. For the owners of restaurants or grocery stores, our need for food is their livelihood. We even pay for bottled water – which we can get out of the tap for almost free.
No – the offer of free food and drink in the Isaiah text is not something that we would expect to come across today. There is no free lunch, as the saying goes. In the business world, you pretty much know that when you are invited for a “free meal,” there are strings attached – something to buy and a sales pitch for desert. Even in some homeless shelters, the “free meal” is tied to certain rules – good behavior, attending Bible study or worship service, or giving up personal possessions, space, and sometimes – dignity. In our society today, there is rarely a “free lunch.”
Yet – God says – “come and eat; come and buy without money and without price.” Not only is this banquet free, but it cannot be bought. You cannot buy it – your money is no good - but you can have it. For those in our society that believe that anything is for sale – for the right price - this would come as a shock! You cannot buy this! But - - you can have it – for free – from your loving God.
God, through his prophet, offers – out of his abundant grace – food and drink – without cost. For the exiles that Isaiah is written for, this is like the manna sent from heaven to the Hebrews as they wandered in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Israel is living in exile because they did not head God’s warning. Now, his prophets bring this offer – come – come and eat – come and eat without cost. God offers the gift of salvation to his chosen people – at no cost. They cannot buy it, they cannot work for it, and they cannot earn it. It is freely offered – to all.
This theme continues in our Gospel text. Jesus had just heard of the death of John the Baptist. On hearing this news, Jesus decided to get away for a little quiet time. Instead of finding a quiet place across the lake, he is faced with a crowd that has followed him from the towns. Jesus really just wants some time alone – a chance, maybe, to grieve for his cousin John. After all, John was there at the beginning of his ministry; John baptized Jesus! Hearing that John was dead had to painful - just as it would be to us to receive a phone call that a close friend - or a cousin that we had grown up with - had died. Jesus just wanted to be by himself; to grieve, to pray, and to rest. But that was not to be.
Here was this crowd – there were sick people among them, wanting to be healed. There were so many, all wanting to be near Jesus, to hear him speak, to be healed by his touch, to be comforted by his words. And Jesus had compassion on them. He healed and taught and comforted – even in the midst of his own sorrow. Instead of telling them to go away, he went among them and consoled them, touched them, offered whatever they needed.
Not only did Jesus heal, teach, and comfort them, he also fed them. Can you imagine 10,000 or so people showing up at your door and wanting dinner? That is what happened here. There were 5,000 men, plus women and children. It could have been closer to 20,000 people - we just don’t know, because they only report how many men were present. However many there were, they were all fed from a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.
In our modern era, our society tends to believe in a theology of scarcity. We cannot imagine feeding 5,000 people; much less the 10,000 or more that were really there. We look at what we have, and think that we need more. We look at what is available, and are afraid there is not enough. We look at our cupboards and think we need more, so we rush out to the store to buy more. We look at our paycheck and think it is too small, so we fight our way up the ladder to a higher paid job where we can work longer hours and be more miserable – for the sake of a larger paycheck. We look at the oil situation and wonder how long it will last, but as long as we get ours, we don’t get too concerned. We believe that whoever has the most – and biggest – toys wins.
We live in a society where we are afraid to share what we have, out of fear of not having enough for ourselves. We do this when a homeless person knocks on our door looking for food. We do this when a panhandler on the street ask for some change. We do this when someone ask us at the gas station if we can help them buy enough gas to get to the next town. We do this in the grocery store when the person in front of us does not have enough money to buy the bread and milk they need for their family. We believe in scarcity – of money, of food, of time. Sharing is hard.
For many of us, just paying this months bills seems like enough of a challenge. Trying to pay someone else’s bills, or even part of it, just does not seem possible. Much less write a check to the church! We are afraid that if we give to someone else out of meager possessions or income, there won’t be enough left when we need it. If we have lunch for one, and someone else has nothing, we are afraid to share ours out of fear that we might go hungry.
But Jesus is giving us a very different message here. It is not about us – it is not about our grief, our desires, our hunger, what we think we need to make our lives better. It is not about scarcity. NO – it is about compassion; it is about doing for others – even when we are empty, and don’t feel that we have anything left to give. It is about abundance – the abundance that God provides to each one of us. Jesus completely disproves the theology of scarcity that motivates our society. He takes some bread and fish, he blesses them, he breaks them, and he gives them for all to eat. And all those people – however many there are – are filled. Not just fed – but filled! And – get this – there are leftovers!
Rather than listening to the disciples, who believed there could never be enough food out there in the middle of nowhere to feed this crowd, Jesus simply takes what they have, gives thanks, and feeds them. We, too, are like the disciples. We never think there is enough money, enough food, enough time. We spend our lives trying to overcome the fear that we might not have enough. And yet – God provides. God says, “come and eat – buy without money, without cost.” Jesus feeds the crowds with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. We come to the table, and we are fed with bread and wine – the body and blood of Christ. There is no shortage, there is no cost. Come – and eat – and be filled with the assurance that Christ died for your sins, and that you will be healed, and that you will be filled and sustained. We are fed; we are given in abundance; so that we too may be compassionate to others who are hungry, in need of healing, who need to be filled with the same love of God which has filled us. Come to the table and be filled. Come and partake of Gods abundant grace. Come – taste and see that the Lord is good.
Amen.
Lectionary 18 / Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 55:1-5
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 (Ps. 145:16)
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:13-21
Sermon:
Come and eat! It’s free! How often do you hear that? Free food and drink? This is something that is almost unheard of in our society. There is plenty of food and drink, but there are also plenty of people who are trying to make money off of our need for food and drink. For the owners of restaurants or grocery stores, our need for food is their livelihood. We even pay for bottled water – which we can get out of the tap for almost free.
No – the offer of free food and drink in the Isaiah text is not something that we would expect to come across today. There is no free lunch, as the saying goes. In the business world, you pretty much know that when you are invited for a “free meal,” there are strings attached – something to buy and a sales pitch for desert. Even in some homeless shelters, the “free meal” is tied to certain rules – good behavior, attending Bible study or worship service, or giving up personal possessions, space, and sometimes – dignity. In our society today, there is rarely a “free lunch.”
Yet – God says – “come and eat; come and buy without money and without price.” Not only is this banquet free, but it cannot be bought. You cannot buy it – your money is no good - but you can have it. For those in our society that believe that anything is for sale – for the right price - this would come as a shock! You cannot buy this! But - - you can have it – for free – from your loving God.
God, through his prophet, offers – out of his abundant grace – food and drink – without cost. For the exiles that Isaiah is written for, this is like the manna sent from heaven to the Hebrews as they wandered in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Israel is living in exile because they did not head God’s warning. Now, his prophets bring this offer – come – come and eat – come and eat without cost. God offers the gift of salvation to his chosen people – at no cost. They cannot buy it, they cannot work for it, and they cannot earn it. It is freely offered – to all.
This theme continues in our Gospel text. Jesus had just heard of the death of John the Baptist. On hearing this news, Jesus decided to get away for a little quiet time. Instead of finding a quiet place across the lake, he is faced with a crowd that has followed him from the towns. Jesus really just wants some time alone – a chance, maybe, to grieve for his cousin John. After all, John was there at the beginning of his ministry; John baptized Jesus! Hearing that John was dead had to painful - just as it would be to us to receive a phone call that a close friend - or a cousin that we had grown up with - had died. Jesus just wanted to be by himself; to grieve, to pray, and to rest. But that was not to be.
Here was this crowd – there were sick people among them, wanting to be healed. There were so many, all wanting to be near Jesus, to hear him speak, to be healed by his touch, to be comforted by his words. And Jesus had compassion on them. He healed and taught and comforted – even in the midst of his own sorrow. Instead of telling them to go away, he went among them and consoled them, touched them, offered whatever they needed.
Not only did Jesus heal, teach, and comfort them, he also fed them. Can you imagine 10,000 or so people showing up at your door and wanting dinner? That is what happened here. There were 5,000 men, plus women and children. It could have been closer to 20,000 people - we just don’t know, because they only report how many men were present. However many there were, they were all fed from a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.
In our modern era, our society tends to believe in a theology of scarcity. We cannot imagine feeding 5,000 people; much less the 10,000 or more that were really there. We look at what we have, and think that we need more. We look at what is available, and are afraid there is not enough. We look at our cupboards and think we need more, so we rush out to the store to buy more. We look at our paycheck and think it is too small, so we fight our way up the ladder to a higher paid job where we can work longer hours and be more miserable – for the sake of a larger paycheck. We look at the oil situation and wonder how long it will last, but as long as we get ours, we don’t get too concerned. We believe that whoever has the most – and biggest – toys wins.
We live in a society where we are afraid to share what we have, out of fear of not having enough for ourselves. We do this when a homeless person knocks on our door looking for food. We do this when a panhandler on the street ask for some change. We do this when someone ask us at the gas station if we can help them buy enough gas to get to the next town. We do this in the grocery store when the person in front of us does not have enough money to buy the bread and milk they need for their family. We believe in scarcity – of money, of food, of time. Sharing is hard.
For many of us, just paying this months bills seems like enough of a challenge. Trying to pay someone else’s bills, or even part of it, just does not seem possible. Much less write a check to the church! We are afraid that if we give to someone else out of meager possessions or income, there won’t be enough left when we need it. If we have lunch for one, and someone else has nothing, we are afraid to share ours out of fear that we might go hungry.
But Jesus is giving us a very different message here. It is not about us – it is not about our grief, our desires, our hunger, what we think we need to make our lives better. It is not about scarcity. NO – it is about compassion; it is about doing for others – even when we are empty, and don’t feel that we have anything left to give. It is about abundance – the abundance that God provides to each one of us. Jesus completely disproves the theology of scarcity that motivates our society. He takes some bread and fish, he blesses them, he breaks them, and he gives them for all to eat. And all those people – however many there are – are filled. Not just fed – but filled! And – get this – there are leftovers!
Rather than listening to the disciples, who believed there could never be enough food out there in the middle of nowhere to feed this crowd, Jesus simply takes what they have, gives thanks, and feeds them. We, too, are like the disciples. We never think there is enough money, enough food, enough time. We spend our lives trying to overcome the fear that we might not have enough. And yet – God provides. God says, “come and eat – buy without money, without cost.” Jesus feeds the crowds with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. We come to the table, and we are fed with bread and wine – the body and blood of Christ. There is no shortage, there is no cost. Come – and eat – and be filled with the assurance that Christ died for your sins, and that you will be healed, and that you will be filled and sustained. We are fed; we are given in abundance; so that we too may be compassionate to others who are hungry, in need of healing, who need to be filled with the same love of God which has filled us. Come to the table and be filled. Come and partake of Gods abundant grace. Come – taste and see that the Lord is good.
Amen.
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