Gospel: John 6:1-21 (22-40)
29 July 2018
Is your glass half full or half empty? This is really a spiritual question, and the answer has to do with how you live your life. The overall educational focus during the great Season After Pentecost is how life is lived as a Christian ...that is, the way we live as disciples of Jesus. For me the takeaway from today’s Gospel reading is that we are encouraged by Jesus to live as people who see the proverbial glass as half full, who live their lives in a hopeful way in response to God’s love.In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus feeds 5,000 men (which, BTW, means many more counting women and children) and invites us to see this feeding as a sign connecting us to something greater than ourselves. The feeding is a sign that God’s love and providence are available also to sustain us in the here and now of living.
But, before we can see God’s love and providence in life there is a problem standing in the way. The problem comes when we try to protect ourselves from the shock of disappointment by factoring-in every possible negative, by always imagining the worst that can happen. If you rehearse the worst, at least you’ll never be disappointed. This can be evident in the thoughts we harbor in the middle of the night. Thoughts of plans not working out, of adult children not doing what we think they should be doing, or of elderly parents losing the ability to handle their affairs, of dwelling on ailments, worrying over what health issues might surface next for ourselves or for others whom we love, and about what will it cost … thoughts of being retired, but not finding the happy medium between over-commitment and abject boredom, Oh, and then there’s dwelling on the news…. a steady beat of background anxiety. ...of real issues with justice, peace, climate, politics, and international relations. It doesn’t matter if you are on the right or on the left, for or against, this way or that way….there is plenty to keep all of us up at night. With all of this “seeing the glass as half empty,” then perhaps at least we will not be disappointed if that’s how it turns out. Ironically, the steep price of avoiding emotional risk in this way is never being joyful, the price is the absence of hope, and alienation from the life of God. Our Gospel reading today gives a sign pointing to another way.
Two things jump off the page for me in the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. First, Jesus does not make food out of thin air; presumably, he could turn stones into bread or else create bread out of nothing. But instead, he receives one boy’s packed lunch and makes that into more than enough for all. What we bring to the table is never enough, but Jesus takes it from there. Second, Jesus gives thanks for the food. In this dire situation, Jesus takes what has been offered and gives thanks for it...the key outward and visible sign here is that Jesus shows gratitude to the Father. This is the practice that will change our view of the world!
To get the whole picture, one has to look at what happens in Chapter 6 of the Gospel According to John as the story continues after today’s Gospel reading. It becomes clear that the people did not understand what Jesus was teaching. They ate and were satisfied, so much so, that they tried to seize Jesus to make him their king. Jesus is not that kind of king and so, slips away, but these people follow his disciples across the lake in order to find their reluctant leader. The crowd knows a good thing when they see it, and so they follow. But Jesus is on to them; he knows what is in their hearts and knows that they follow him because of the food. He tells them that they have missed the point. Here’s the deal: it’s not about the food; it is about who Jesus is, how he restores us to wholeness, and what difference that makes in our lives.
In the Gospel According to John, Jesus’ actions are considered to be signs. Jesus' actions are teaching tools in that they are memorable and point beyond toward that which he is teaching. And here is the point: Jesus is himself the bread of life...this is not the kind of bread that you eat only later to become hungry again. This is the kind of bread, that if you eat of it, your whole life, the way you see everything moves from half empty to half full.
The way to move beyond our foreboding, to see beyond negativity to connect with something that is greater, to set aside anxiety long enough to see God’s love and providence, is to follow the example of Jesus when he gave thanks for a boy’s lunch of bread and fish. Jesus' example is pro-active. Thanksgiving is not a passive feeling but something purposely done. In the Christian life, we are encouraged each day to consider all that we have been given. Oh, and here's a hint: what's that word.... it's all Grace.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, may we all practice the act of thanksgiving. Let each of us keep and reflect on our list of what God has given, and the way we see will begin to change. Keep this in a journal; place it on Post-It notes on your bathroom mirror; make a collage; there is no one correct way, so let your imagination run with this. If you need help, you know where to go. Jesus is the shepherd of all souls, and he will help us be thankful when we ask. Jesus dwells with us; he is the bread of life which feeds our souls and gives us hope even in worrisome times….he helps us to trust that, despite all of the reasons to be anxious, nothing can separate us from the love of God. We may not have everything we want, but what God has given us will be more than enough. When we trust like this, hope is restored, and our cup is more than half full. Our cup "runneth" over, so to speak, and we share this hope with others. AMEN.
