John 6:14-35 – Peace in Storms

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Lectionary Readings for August 8, 2021             11th Sunday After Pentecost, Year B
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33    The death of David’s son Absalom
Psalm 130           v7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.
Ephesians 4:25-5:2    v31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
John 6:35, 41-51         v35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

But this week we continue our series exploring the book of John, now with Chapter 6.

Peace through Leadership Quotes

In lieu of short or famous quotes, today I’d like to share a Facebook post from Nicolette Swain            https://www.facebook.com/seniorchica02/posts/10219455530801288

“As I lay here unable to sleep because of what’s going on around me I can’t help but think about the family I briefly met in Walmart last night.

As I was walking up to the checkout lines, I heard a little girl upset and crying. Her mom bent down to her and said, “I know you are having some very big feelings right now...” and then went on to explain what they needed to do so her daughter would know what to expect. I looked at [my friend] and I said, “What a great response that mom had to her daughter.”

Keep in mind I don’t know them and don’t know what’s happening for them, but I do know the sky is [an ominously dark] orange/red [color] at 5pm, there are travel trailers lining the parking lot and an uneasy feeling in the air for even me as an adult.

Continuing on an additional checkout stand opened up, I hung back, the family with the upset little girl went in front of me and I proceeded behind them. The mom looked at me and said, “I’m so sorry, she (her daughter) is having a hard time.” I usually don’t comment on anyone’s parenting because, well, I am a parent and I know how hard being a parent is, but for whatever reason I said, “I heard your response to your daughter, and I thought that was such a beautiful response.”

[The mother] thanked me for telling her that and said it had been a very hard day for all of them because they found out that they lost their home [earlier that day] in the fire that took out Greenville. I of course told her how sorry I was to hear that and told her that I wish them well as they navigate this scary time.

I think there are three lessons to be reminded of from this 5-minute interaction with a stranger.
1. Kindness and compassion costs nothing.
2. You never know what someone is going through.
3. Children have feelings that deserve to be validated. They may not know how to verbalize those feelings, and those feelings may come out in different ways, but just like us adults [those feelings] are real.

I’m so thankful for this interaction with this momma and will keep her in my thoughts, as well as all of the rest of our small communities being destroyed and threatened by the #dixiefire .”

Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me.           God loves me.            God has plans for me.

Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading

This week we move into the Gospel of John’s sixth chapter. After a great deal of discussion this past Tuesday, our Bible Study group decided that this chapter is so meaty, we’ll dig into the first half today and the second half next week.

Today’s installment immediately follows the famous story of Jesus miraculously multiplying just fives loaves of bread and two fish to feed over 5,000 people. Amazingly, this is the only miracle included in all four gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-14). Matthew and Mark also describe a second and very similar miracle where Jesus feeds over 4,000 people.

Today’s reading of Jesus walking on water contains all sorts of interesting details to catch your interest.

  • Jesus does NOT want to be anyone’s king. He flees that offer.

  • The Sea of Galilee is what we’d call a big lake – about a third the size of Lake Tahoe and similarly shaped: big and oval-ish.

  • In a big storm, the disciples are not afraid of this storm. But they ARE afraid when they see Jesus walking toward them. This is the only occasion in the gospels where the disciples are afraid of Jesus. Well, that’s understandable considering they’ve never seen anyone walking in the middle of a huge lake.

  • Jesus calms them by shouting (because you have to shout in the middle of a storm), “I am here; don’t be afraid.” This is the same “I am” that God spoke when Moses asked what he should call God. This is yet another way that John proclaims that Jesus IS God.

  • Perceiving the presence of God before you is called a theophany.

  • Jesus used Capernaum as a home base; it’s not a random location. Jesus and the disciples returned to a safe haven to rest, regroup, and plan their next steps.

Let’s open our ears, minds, and hearts as we read today’s Scripture.

 

Read John 6:14-35, and read the beginning of Chapter 6 this week!

Have you ever been on a small boat in a big storm? It’s exhausting! It’s hold on tight and do your job for minutes that can seem like hours and hours that seem like days. Once you’re finally back on dry land and the adrenalin you needed during the storm wears off, you realize how tired you are. You realize what hurts... You realize how much hurts.

In today’s story, “Jesus does not calm the wind; he calms the disciples’ terror.”     (Jarvis, Cynthia A.; Johnson, E. Elizabeth. Feasting on the Gospels – John, Volume 1. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle 6235.) That sounds nice, but when I’m praying (and I’ll speak only for myself here), I really want God to calm the storms around me. That’s what I want.

Remember the old Bible story of the two houses – one built on a foundation of rock and the other on a foundation of sand? (Matthew 7:24–27, Luke 6:46–49) The rains and floods and winds hit both houses, but the one built on a solid foundation survived. The storm hit both houses. In those stories, Jesus was using houses as an analogy for our spiritual lives. If we build our faith, our hopes, our dreams on material goods or our own physical or intellectual abilities, we live a fragile existence because any of those can be gone in the blink of an eye.

This week I’ve been thinking about storms – particularly the storms our church family has collectively endured since I arrived in Susanville a year and a half ago. During that time, several of our beloved members have moved to other cities or passed away; that’s tough. We’ve navigated and survived nearly 18 months of defending ourselves against the elusive Covid-19 virus; that’s been a marathon of major life adjustments. This time last year, many of us were evacuating not one, but two major wildfires that kept us on edge for weeks. Add a power outage into that mix, because... why not? It was 2020; what else could go wrong?!?

Many of us welcomed the new year toasting our hopes for a fresh start, but waking up to the reality of continuing our battles with the Covid virus. Ohhhh, but a vaccine is coming; that will return us to normal! The second half of 2021 has begun with what feels like the worst case of déjà vu – a bigger wildfire, a longer power outage, and a deadlier variation of the virus.

Nevertheless, we have successfully faced all of these storms, not one at a time, but all at once. We have every right to be tired. Surviving storms may be exhausting, but as my grandmother used to say with a wink, “It’s better than the alternative.”

We have not only survived, we have thrived. We launched and grew a brand-new food pantry in the middle of the storm. We delegated office management – divide and conquer! We adopted a new, more streamlined governing structure for our church. Our handbell choir toured Susanville spreading Christmas joy and cheer with each note that rang out. We have welcomed new faces, new families into our spiritual family. We have been able to do all of this because, in our weariness, we have remained anchored to the bedrock of our individual and collective faith.

This past week, wildfires destroyed over 300 homes in Greenville, Canyon Dam, Colfax, and other locations in Northern California. We thank God and the firefighters that no lives have been lost. 

Many evacuees have now become refugees. They are weary; they are exhausted. Their roads to recovery will continue long after the local evacuation shelters close. Their ability to process what has happened, recover from their losses, and rebuild their lives will depend, in part, on the strength of their mental, emotional, social, and spiritual foundations.

During the coming weeks and months, all of us will need to seek God’s leading for how we can help people impacted by the fires rebuild their foundations. Financial support is one way. Perhaps we could host a free spaghetti dinner. Or maybe we could offer a free handbell concert at one or both of the evacuation centers. Or maybe... I don’t know; that’s why we must passionately pray for direction and wisdom. 

When we live into the Great Commandments of loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others (Matthew 22:36-40), we create space for Jesus to show up unexpectedly. Much like Jesus announced Himself and God’s presence to the disciples with “I am here,” we can announce ourselves and God’s presence – through word and deed – with “We are here for you. We are here with you in the middle of life’s storms. We’ll get through this together.”

We began this proclamation of God’s compassionate, healing presence this past Thursday when we gave hundreds of people smiles, laughs, and yes, food.

  • How will we continue our proclamation?

  • How will we share words of encouragement in checkout lines?

  • How will we show exceptional generosity to those in need?

  • How will we extend words of invitation to refugees who need to hear and know that they are welcome, wanted, and needed in the Kingdom of God?

These are not rhetorical questions; these are prayers to God. “Lord, show us how to be Your hands and feet! And give us the faith and trust to follow Your lead.”

Amen? Amen!