In Wyoming’s Fitzpatrick Wilderness at 11400 feet above sea level is the pristine shore of a nameless lake. This is where we join Mike Turner, a Presbyterian minister completing his sabbatical leave with a solo adventure with God. This adventure Mike called a “Wander in Wonder” was a 60 mile hike through the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. Four days earlier he had left his wife of 20 years with a bouquet of flowers and a note thanking her for this time she was giving him to do this solo hike and retreat with God. As he and his dog Andy slowly and cautiously picked their way through a sea of boulders Mike’s feet slipped on an unsteady boulder. He leaped to another hoping for balance. Mike had set a rock slide in motion and when the dust cleared and the noise subsided, Mike found himself pinned between two boulders right above his knees. He writes in his journal, “About 2 hours ago a large rock rolled upon me and trapped my legs, I was very careful be sure of that, but I hurt. . . I am in your hands Lord. . . I don’t know what I face.”
The sixth chapter of John begins with the familiar story of Jesus feeding the five thousand with 5 loaves of bread and two fish. John is sure to tell us that the crowd recognized their dinner as a miracle and they are ready to make Jesus their king based upon their full tummies. As evening approached the 12 disciples left in a boat to cross over the lake to Capernaum. Jesus stays behind for some quiet time and joins the disciples later in the night as he walked out to them on the water. While the other Gospels focus on the miracle of walking on water John is more interested in the reaction of the crowd when they discover Jesus is not among them in the morning and all the boats are still there. They begin to search for him and catch up to him in Capernaum. When the crowd catches up to him they are foremost concerned about how he got there, but Jesus does not answer this concern. Jesus addresses their reasons for searching for him, which was related to the stomachs and not their hearts. The crowd who filled their stomachs on the bread and fish cannot see beyond the miracle to the Miracle Maker. Their desire to have their bellies filled again and again blinds from seeing Jesus as Lord of all. Jesus pushes them to see the spiritual “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.”
The crowd again is more interested in their physical hunger condition rather than their spiritual condition. “What sign will you give us? Will you provide food for us like Moses did for the Israelites in the wilderness?” Jesus responds, don’t you see, don’t you get it, “I am the bread of life!” This is a picture of religion verses faith.
Religion is humanity’s creation, faith is God’s gift.
Religion comes to church to receive satisfaction and to check off on a Sunday.
Faith comes to church to see Jesus.
Religion sees Jesus as a meal ticket. Faith sees Jesus as God.
Religion searches for physical needs to be met by performing rituals.
Faith sees rituals as touchstones to commune with God.
Religion sees the signs but not what the signs point to. Faith sees Jesus.
After the initial shock of the rock slide and entrapment, Mike turned to survival when he realized he could not free himself. Mike carefully unpacked his pack and inventoried his gear looking for stuff to free himself and the things he would need to survive. His greatest concerns were water and the onset of dark which would bring cold temperatures. He used the snow around him to melt for drinking water and even saved his urine, jokingly writing in his journal that He wondered how it would taste when mixed with crystal lite. He kept warm by wearing his jacket and stuffing his sleeping bag around the part of his legs he could reach. Turner wrote in his journal, “I dreamed of a special time with God, facing the elements, the passes, thinking about life, the direction of the church, about my family. Indeed this has been all of those things only magnified 100 times. I believe I will survive, smarter or wiser, more thoughtful, more aware of limits . . . I do feel confident in my Christian hope. God will make a way either earthly or heavenly. My only dread is not seeing my family and being present with them in body. That’s what I think about.”
The Pharisees overheard Jesus speaking to the crowd. Who does he think he is? Isn’t that Joseph and Mary’s son, didn’t he grow up right here among us? “I am the Bread of life, he says. We have known him since he was a child, how could he have come down from heaven? Jesus was a common site to the Pharisees. He had probably been in some of their homes helping Joseph with cabinet making. Who does this home town boy think he is calling himself equal to God. Perhaps we in the church have this syndrome as well. Our worship, hymns, prayers, rituals, sacraments, sermons, creeds, benedictions, and even scripture are so common to us that what was once exciting to us is now so common that we cannot see beyond the words to see the Word of God made flesh and dwelling among us.
Religion is focused on right ritual. Faith is focused on a right relationship with God. Religion is caught up in words. Faith uses the words to abide with the object of the words, Jesus Christ.
Religion is searching for a way to God through ritual and words. Faith sees we are the ones who are lost and God has already made a way in Jesus Christ. Religion becomes common and mundane. Faith is always fresh and seeks to commune with God.
Diane Turner waited a little irritated and a little worried when 12 noon rolled around on August 8th, nine days after Mike had started his Wander in Wonder. Knowing Mike would not want a fuse made over him and also knowing that the cost of the rescued party would be their financial responsibility, she waited. At 10am August 10th Diane could wait no longer for her husband and a call was made to Danny Holgate a search and rescue helicopter pilot of 18 years experience. The search area was immense two national forests and two sides of the continental divide. Carloads of Mike’s parishioners joined the search for Mike. Holgate said he had never had a search where friends and family were so involved. Mike continued to write in his journal, “I cried and cried out to God who doesn’t seem to care about my suffering, and pain, and loss of my left leg. I begged and prayed for some help in moving the rocks but none seemed to come.”
“Stop grumbling” was Jesus response to the Pharisees. “Here is the truth, He said, unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood you have no life.” What is he talking about, cannibalism? We cannot eat your flesh or drink your blood. The Pharisees’ religion would not allow them to look beyond Jesus’ words. Everything was literal and outward for the Pharisees. They wore their religion on the outside with pride. We too are like this - a coat and tie on Sunday morning reflects a healthy worshipper. A beautiful new building reflects a healthy church. A beautiful prayer reflects and clean heart. A generous gift reflects an obedient heart. Religion sees these things as a necessary works to get to God. Faith responds to God who has already accepted us based upon the works of Jesus. While the Pharisees appeared to have their life in order, while we appear to have our lives in order, the truth is unless we make Jesus a part of our lives as Lord and Savior we will die in our religion. When food is ingested in our bodies it becomes a part of us as energy, muscle, and fat, if we do not eat food we will starve and die. Jesus is saying to us unless we consume all of him as the very sustenance of life we will die of eternal starvation. Jesus’ horrible death on the cross, blood and water pouring from his side, his cry “my God, my God why have thou forsaken me,” his burial, and his resurrection is God’s way to reach us sinners. When we see Jesus as the primary sustenance of life and ingest His life, death, and resurrection as we ingest food to live on, then we have faith, not religion. Religion is outward works for the purpose of searching for God. Faith is the inward working of Jesus Christ in our lives that produces a daily walk with God.
“Fill me with peace, Lord, May the conditions not deny my love for you. . . I am ready to die though missing my family. To live is Christ, to die is gain, I will trust in God though he will slay me, yet will I trust him, he is the way, the truth, and the life.” Backpacker magazine writes after this journal entry, “As his final hours approached, Turner’s body shutting down; but it was as though his spirit was opening up. All the questions, all the doubt and anger seemed to dissolve. What remained was the unbreakable bedrock of belief. On the tenth day Mike wrote “God loves, Love Dad, Mike.” Then there was silence.
Backpacker magazine writes, “A boulder could crush his legs; it could not crush his faith!” On August 31st a full week after the search had been called off and 20 days after Mike was supposed to reach his destination, Jeff Stewart discovered the body of Mike Turner.
Religion cannot survive death, but faith in Jesus can. 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Religion will not come out victorious on the other side of trials and tribulations, but faith in Christ is the ultimate victory in any and every circumstance. Religion will meet death with fear and trembling, but faith cries out to live is Christ, to die is gain.
And now we stand before Christ’s table. How will we partake of the meal that is before us?
How are we going to come to Christ’s table this morning?
If we come with our religion all we will find is another thing to check off and the bland taste of bread and the sweet taste of the juice. We will go home with one more religious quota satisfied. And soon the taste of the bread and wine will be washed away with Sunday dinner.
If we come with our faith, Jesus Christ promises to meet us here and dine with us. If we come in faith the bland taste of the bread will stir our spirits and remind us of our sin and the Savior who took our sin into himself and suffered our punishment. If we come in faith the sweet taste of the wine will stir our hearts and remind us of the precious blood that was shed that we may be called children of God. If we come in faith we will find a meal more satisfying that the best Sunday dinners.
