11th Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 15
John 6: 51-58
Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom = Being In Christ
John 6:51-58
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
Proverbs 9:1-6
9:1 ¶ Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven pillars.
2 She has slaughtered her beasts, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her maids to call from the highest places in the town,
4 "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who is without sense she says,
5 "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight."RSV
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
There is a verse from the first lesson and a verse from the gospel lesson which will be the focus of our attention this morning, from the first lesson: "Leave simpleness and live, and in the way of insight "
And from the gospel "Jesus said "I am the living bread which come down from heaven if any one eats of this bread he will live for ever, and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Putting these two verses together then means walking in wisdom or insight is being in Christ partaking of the living bread from heaven. That word insight in the first lesson means wisdom or the power of forming a sound judgment in any matter, or understanding. Being in Christ is the wisest way to walk in the world.
But how can one be in Christ? The first lesson says partake from his table, eat and drink from Christ the feast he has prepared for us.
Jesus says in the gospel lesson "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; so being in Christ means partaking of the Lord’s supper.
From the book Girded with Truth, comes the following:
"One day a minister was walking along the ocean with his small son. The bay had been questioning his father about recent sermon about Christ dwelling in his people. The boy said , "Dad, I cannot understand how Christ can live in us and we live in him at the same time." As they walked further down the beach, the father noticed an empty bottle with a cork in it, Taking the bottle, he half filled it with water, re corked it and flung it far into the ocean.
Then he said, "Son the sea is in the bottle and the bottle is in the sea. As it bobs up and down in the sea, it is a picture of life and motion. life in Christ."
We are in Christ and Christ is in us and around us all at the same time. A wise person recognizes that reality of life and lives with and in it. But sadly, our culture sees wisdom as something else, as fame, as wealth, as glory as someone to look up to. Who are our heroes today? Rock stars, baseball players, football players, basketball players, movie stars, people with fame, with fortune, with wealth. The wise today are not seen for their insight, their intuition, their discerning knowledge of life. No the wise, the heroes, the ones the world looks up to are the wealthy, the famous in the sport world , not the peace advocate, not the Nobel prize winners, not the researcher looking for the cure to cancer.
The following shows how our culture so interested fame, wealth and has lost the truly meaningful way one should live life.
"A Legend says a man asked God,"What does a billion dollars mean to you who are all powerful?"
"Hardly a penny." God said.
Then the man asked God , "And what are a thousand centuries to you?"
God answered "Hardly a second!!"
Thinking he had God backed into a corner, the man then said, "Then if that’s the case, O, Lord give me a penny !!"
"In a second. !!" God replied."
Wisdom isn’t outsmarting God, wisdom is living in and with God. Wisdom is being in Christ and surrounded by Christ. Wisdom is eating and drinking from the feast which God has prepared for us with us turning in eating and drinking.
Wisdom to God is living in a relationship with God, being able to eat and drink from God’s table. Being able to accept and rejoice in the forgiveness and new life was given each of us by the way of the cross.
Wisdom means being with God, turning into His house to take all that God has so freely given to us. Turning into his house in this day and age means coming to church so that we may stay in a relationship with God, that we may be wise, that we may be filled with God’s wisdom.
But as Barbara Brokhoff says in her book, Faith Alive, "The Happy Hour for the Christian should be the hour of worship on Sunday morning, but how do you honestly feel when you are awakened by the alarm on the Lord’s Day and you realize it is another "Church Day"? Can you hardly wait for the service time to roll around or do you roll over in bed, moan and groan and cover your head, and wish that once, once again maybe once more like last Sunday the one before, you would, or could sleep in and forget the whole boring, time consuming thing ?? Is the thought of worship agony or ecstasy? Think We are coming to meet God--not just any body, but God!! Shouldn’t the delightful suspense of worship make our breath short and our hearts beat faster?"
As one of my professors said in seminary, "God is a God who is everywhere, but he has to be somewhere , and that somewhere is here in his house on Sunday morning." Being in Christ, having the true wisdom of Christ means participating in Christ and with Christ. That happens in the fullest extend in worship in God’s house. Sure God can be found in nature, on the golf course, feeding the livestock but the fullest revelation, the fullest view, the best picture we see of God is here in His house Sunday after Sunday. As we hear his word and partake in his meal, as we witness through baptism the growth of his kingdom as join together in prayer in song in praise to God, we see God revealled to us.
The word liturgy, literally means work of the people. We come to church to do the work of praising God. But honestly, how many of us really work at praising God?? How many of us are here out of the true delight to praise God in work, in song, prayer and mediation upon his word read and preached?
Do we really work at worship and praise for God? Or do we let the wisdom of the world invade this hour with God also?? Are you setting here thinking about other things, maybe the new football plays the coach has taught you this week. How the roast is doing in the oven or how you are going to get that sick pig healthy, or how well the harvest will be? Are you thinking about next week and the work that has to be done. Or are you worshiping God with your entire being, your mind, your heart and your soul. Jesus says we are to love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your mind with all your heart. Can’t we even love him one hour a week with OUR whole being instead of being concerned whether the pastor is going to preach too long and we will get out of church two or three minutes later than usual??
Being in Christ, means being in the joy, the thrill, the ecstasy of his presence with no matter to all that other stuff of this world.
When you have found the joy and thrill of being in Christ, worship becomes more than a duty, it becomes a royal work, a praising and thanking God for all of the great gifts. Worship becomes not just standing doing nothing , but being involved with one’s whole being, mind heart and soul. Coming to worship is a royal work of eating and drinking from the living bread and living water. Coming to worship is being totally in Christ .
And then when we are in Christ, we live for Christ. This act of being in Christ this act of worship then makes a difference in our daily lives. It gives a purpose, a direction , a guidance to life. As we live in Christ, we for Christ through our neighbor and that makes life rich and full, full of wisdom not in the worldly sense but in the sense that we are in a rich relationship with Christ day in and day out. Worship, being in Christ then sets the tone for the rest of the week as we live for Christ out in the world.
A pastor told the following:"Can you recognize the person in this vignette? For years this person goes to church, listens to the preacher, manages to pray now and then, and gives a dutiful offering. For years this person thinks his faith is a pretty good thing, because no one checks up on him/her, no one demands much time, and no one makes him/her strip away the masks to examine his/ her spiritual life. No one has challenged his/her own ideas of what religion and Christianity is all about. "
A certain amount of comfort comes along, now and then and this person feels better about this life.. Now and then certain needs arise within the church, ( Sunday School teachers) but, someone always steps up to fill the need. Once in a while the pastor says something that strikes raw nerve but long ago he/she labeled these raw nerve messages as "guilt trips" and he/she refuses to go on them anymore.. .
Finally, the person hears these words of Jesus: ’Eat my flesh and drink my blood, or die.’ What Jesus said was to eat his flesh and drink his blood and LIVE, It only makes sense, though, when the negative is heard. Our person in this vignette begins to sense the seriousness of, worship,, the finality of this life, the wonder of purpose, magic of faith, the possibility and demands for service, and can admit, if only to him self/herself, "God I ’m hungry. I’m starving to. death. Feed me, Lord, lest I die. "
Are you being feed here so that you can go out into the world and be with Christ? Are you starving enough to admit to Christ you need his body and blood, you need his living bread from heaven? Are you starving enough to admit you need more than a superficial relationship with Christ where you only go through the motions but never really eat or drink from this living bread and water?? Are you starving enough that in this worship hour you sense you are truly in the presence of almighty God? And in that presence you stand condemned, sentenced to death and hell but because of His Son you have been freed from that sentence to live in and through Christ? Are you starving enough to return again next week to continue in that relationship with Christ? As you come to the Lord’s table today, are you starving enough that you fully realize how great this meal really is? How starving are you???
A final, story about Old Ben Putinoff examine yourself to see if you and Old Ben aren’t the same or hopefully you are different?
"Ben Putintoff was a member of the Lord’s church. Morally, he was a good man. He didn’t lie, curse, drink, beat his wife, or smoke.. Ha paid his income tax, came to Sunday School and worship services, paid his bills and gave a ’few left over bucks’ to the Lord. He never opposed anything that was good.
One day old Ben Putinoff died and stood before the Righteous Judge. The Judge said, ’ Ben you are charged with trying to close the church. Are you guilty or not guilty?
"Not guilty,’ pleaded Ben Putintoff. ’I didn’t do a thing’!!’
’Guilty as charged,’ the Judge ruled. Then the Judge continued, ’’Ben you have confessed to the most effective way ever devised of closing the church, the kingdom of God. You didn’t do a thing. You didn’t visit the sick. You didn’t encourage the weak. You didn’t feed the hungry. You didn’t welcome the strangers among you. You didn’t care for the well-being of those in your community of faith by praying for or with them. You didn’t reach out to the lost with the Gospel. You didn’t reach out to anyone. ’
’But Judge, but almighty God,’ Ben pleaded, ’I intended to do all those things, but I was too busy making a living and enjoying myself, my family, my friends, my way of life. I have just been putting it off."
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale August 14, 2006
