I owe, I owe! It’s off to work I go!

Sadly, our video recorder/editor has moved out of town. We are grateful for the work he has done for us. So in until we can find a new person, we will provide just a manuscript of the sermon for you.

On this Labour Day Weekend, I thought we would spend some time reflecting on work.
Just for kicks and giggles, how many different paid jobs or employers have you had? Think for a moment from your first to your current or last?

1-2? 3-5? 5-10? 10-15? More than 15?

The statistic that is frequently quoted on-line is that the average North American male or female will have 12 jobs in their lifetime.
If you are older, then this number will be smaller. For example my father worked essentially 4 jobs in lifetime: paper boy, stock boy at his father’s story, and for 2 companies in his 40 year career as an Electrical Engineer.

And if you are younger, this number will be greater for we live in a time where jobs comes and go at the drop of hat.

One of the most important things Christians have in common with those without or little faith is that we go to work just like they do. Work and Retirement is common ground for getting to know people.

You know how important work is to our society by realizing that one of the first questions we tend to ask people is “What do you do for living?” Or if they are retired, “What did you do for a living?”

We spend most of our waking hours engaged in some kind of work, whether it is paid or unpaid work such as raising a family or maintaining a household.

It is therefore not surprising that our work and worth have become closely related in our contemporary society. And too many people find retirement difficult, because giving up their job means losing a part of their identity. And those who were not able to work or find work during the pandemic suffered in numerous ways.

The Rev. John Stott, an Anglican minister and church leader, provides us with a helpful definition of work in his book “Issues facing Christians today,”
Work is “the expenditure of energy (manual or mental or both) in the service of others, which brings fulfillment to the worker, benefit to the community, and glory to God” (John Stott, Issues Facing Christians Today, p.162.).

In this way of thinking,
• the unemployed person cleaning up the streets by picking up pop cans,
• or the person who volunteers in schools or retirement homes,
• or the retiree who volunteer with any community group,
• or parents changing diapers or cooking meals,
are working and in fact contributing to the greater good of society as much as a person who is paid for their work.

During the pandemic, besides those who work in the health care and those who continued to work without interruption during the pandemic were those in the skilled trades like the building and road construction trades. This is a reversal from other periods where university trained individuals were in high demand.

Regardless of what you may have heard or read, about what the oldest profession is, according to the Bible the oldest profession is not prostitution, but farming and taking care of the creation.
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15).

If you explore the wide-ranging biblical imagery of divine work can give us a greater sense of being junior partners in God’s work of creation, preservation, and redemption. Work is not a curse, but rather an opportunity to work with God.

God reveals his character and activity among us as an architect and a builder (Prov 8:27-31), a doctor-healer (Mk 2:12, 17), a teacher (Mt 7:28-29), a weaver (Ps 139:13-16), a gardener/farmer (Gen 2. 8-9; 3:8; Jn 15:1-8), a shepherd (Ps 23; Jn 10), a potter/craftworker (Jer. 18:1-9; Rom 9:19-21) and a homemaker (Lk 15:8).

By seeing our work in the light of God’s work, we can see God’s hand in our everyday tasks. Our work will have meaning when it is connected to God’s ongoing work and mission in our world.

Our work is meant to be an expression of our worship and fellowship with God. It should not be confused with or replace our corporate worship, but it is an everyday offering of our whole selves, bodies, and minds, to God as Paul says in Rom. 12:1-2. Paul also says in Ephesians “Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women” (Ephesians 6:7 NRSV).

God graciously invites us to work. The world is not yet finished. There is still work to be done in God’s creation, and lots of room is left for human creativity.

As Christians we believe that we all we have and are, is a gift of God. We are saved by God’s grace, not by human works. And God is also the giver of all work, the giver of skills, talents, and opportunities. These are given to us to be used to love and honor God, to love neighbor, and used in the service of God. God gives us voices to sing his praises and gives us hands to work to put food on our tables.

When our work becomes the sole purpose and focus of our lives, then we either end up frustrated with it like the Preacher of Ecclesiastes proclaims, or our work ends up becoming an idol. A life totally devoted to work and nothing else can become an act of rebellion against God.

Therefore, we are challenged in the Scriptures to strive for a greater integration of our faith and our work.
We do so by recognizing the fact that we spend more of time as the church scattered, that is in the workplace or in retirement, in our homes, and at play, than we do as the church gathered on Sunday morning.

This simple observation must shape and direct our ministry and mission in the communities where we live.

We don’t cease to be God’s people when we leave the church building. Instead God sends us out and scatters us, like a farmer sowing seed, in our communities Monday to Saturday to love, serve, bless and witness to others as His representatives.
We follow the example of Christ’ work as our Prophet, Priest, and King.

First, the Prophetic: Advocacy in the Workplace. Economic life is more often spoken of as the sphere of sin rather than an area of blessing in the Bible. As a result of this, the Old Testament shows a remarkable concern for economic justice, giving attention to minute details of wages (cf. Jer 22:13), contracts, and fairness. “You shall not keep back a hired man’s wages till next morning” (Lev. 19:13).

The Bible never condemns the poor for their poverty, but rather see it a great tragedy. On the other hand, those who can work should work and not be a burden either on the church or society as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:12.

In washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus demonstrated that no job or task is never seemingly too small or out of bounds for one of his followers. All are to be appreciated for their work and contributions to church and society.

Therefore, advocating for jobs in one’s area, or for the fair treatment of employees, affordable housing for workers, and fair wages are issues that are within the bounds of our Biblical principles and by our Presbyterian heritage of being actively engaged in local, national, and global justice issues.

Secondly, we fulfill our priestly role in supporting those who are in the work force or who have retired to find meaning in their work.
Like the Preacher in Ecclesiastes who wrestled with the meaning of work, my dad wrestled with his work as at a munitions plant during the Vietnam War years. It was a good paying job, but he struggled ethically as a Christians with the kind of work he was involved in.

Thankfully, he was able to retire early and went to work using his administrative and organizational skills with company called LIFE SERVICES. This company provided important services for struggling Seniors who needed a helping hand. He was much happier working for Life Service than for his previous employer.

His example helped me to understand the importance of these Biblical questions about work.:
• “Are we giving to our job or work that which should only be given to God?” (i.e. our highest devotion)

• “What are the limits that we should expect of ourselves in our work? (i.e. Work and Family Balance)

• What changes ought to be made in our patterns of our work / retirement so that they reflect a more Biblical understand of calling? (i.e. How does it serve God’s purposes)

And finally, The Kingly role: Living to the Glory of God. How we work and find balance between life and work witnesses to our loyalty to Christ our King? This does not matter if our work is paid or volunteered, done at home or at a designated work place.

How we work or volunteer, what we say and do at work, the compassion we show to fellow workers, how we serve them testifies loudly to our faith in Christ. We are Christ’s representatives wherever we work or volunteer.

I love this quote from American Presbyterian Pastor and Author Fred Buechner about calling.
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Just as our Lord saw his primary calling as that of glorifying God and drawing people to God in his person and in his work, so too are we challenged to see this as our primary calling as well.

May God help us to more fully integrate our faith into all areas of lives including our working, retirement and our volunteering, so that we may glorify God Monday thru Saturdays just as we do on Sundays. AMEN!

Going or Staying?

Sadly no video this week.

Sermon: Going or Staying?

John 6:56-71

There has always been something about Jesus that has annoyed, disturbed, and angered people. Very few people seem to be neutral about Jesus. John, in his Book of Revelations tells those in the church of Laodicea, who have not made up their minds about following Christ fully, to make a choice to follow or not follow. (Revelation 3:15-16)

For the past four Sundays, we have listened to Jesus speak about himself as “the bread of life” and “the bread from heaven.” We have reflected upon how miracles don’t in and of themselves bring people to faith. We have reflected how Jesus’ use of creative language of himself create both a barrier and a stepping stone to faith in him. And we have wrestled with implications of Jesus declaration that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

Today we heard the results of his Jesus feeding of the 5,000 and the conversations that followed it.

Some of those listening to him there in the Capernaum synagogue, strongly disagree with Jesus over what he meant by needing to eat his flesh and drink his blood (John 6:52). In their anger, they turn away from Jesus and reject him.

Jesus is also aware that some of the larger group of disciples who followed him are equally disturbed, complaining “This teaching is difficult.” (John 6:60). They are gut wrenchingly annoyed and angered by what Jesus said and they no longer want to listen to or follow him.

Then you have twelve closest disciples. Their response is different from the other groups. Jesus asks them if they too want to leave him. Speaking for the group, Peter answers, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have to believe and we know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

And lastly, John reveals that Jesus knows that one of the twelve has already lost faith in Jesus and is going to betray him.

All groups heard the same teaching. All knew the same Jesus. But there are opposite reactions. Some reject what Jesus says and then desert him. Others welcome his words, confess their faith, and draw closer to him. The same man, the same sign of feeding the 5,000, the same message, but opposite reactions.

Where does the difference lie?

The disciples who leave, see Jesus and what he says as a threat, a threat to their way of life, to their accepted notions and assumptions about Jesus, their understanding of that true and false, fulfilling and empty. And they reject and dismiss Jesus for not saying what they want to hear.

Jesus tells these groups with a bit of irony in his voice, if you were to see me ascend back to heaven where I came from, would that help you to believe in me? (John 6:62) The irony comes in to play in the fact they witnessed bread come down from heaven in the feeding of the 5,000. If that won’t convince them then nothing will, even Jesus coming back to life after his crucifixion.

Jesus also declares to those who walking away, “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” John 6:63)

Those who attempt to figure out Jesus with their own limited knowledge and experience without the help of God are engaged in a useless endeavour. Like the Preacher from Ecclesiastes’ metaphor of “trying catch the wind.” It cannot be done. If you close your minds, hearts and spirits to the Spirit of God reaching out to you, then you are naturally going to be blinded from the abundance feast of life that Jesus holds out to you.

This is why Jesus declares 6 times in this chapter that we don’t come to faith in Him by own devises, but we only come because God is pulling us toward himself at all times. We either hinder and resist God’s pull toward Him OR we embrace it and choose to be pulled toward God. (John 6: 37, 40, 44, 45, 57, 65)

Now on the other hand, there are those who hear the same words and same explanations, and instead of being threatened or challenged by them, they are intrigued by what Jesus says and who Jesus is. They are interested in him and what he says, even though they are uncomfortable with his strange language and ideas, they keep listening and following him.

When the looky-loos, the questioners, the complainers, the offended, and the fence sitters have gone home to their comfort of their walled off happy places, 12 disciples remain.

Jesus asks them “Do you also wish to go away?” (John 6:67) Peter responds on behalf of the other 11 disciples, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:69).

I have always heard Peter’s declaration as a guy who has been intently listening, always reflecting, always trying to understand Jesus. He is one who is often confused and bewildered, sometimes angered by what Jesus says. I hear in Peter’s declaration, a person who doesn’t take lightly anything Jesus says or does.

Peter is continually adding more pieces to his Jesus puzzle . When Peter makes his confession about Jesus on behalf of the other 11, he says something to the effect, “You’re not exactly what we pictured as the Messiah, but that’s all right, because we know there is more we need to learn to see the full picture.”

Peter’s confession in John 6:68-69 is the equivalent of Peter’s declaration in the other three Gospels when Jesus asks the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter declares, “You are the Messiah!” (Mark 8:29)

I love Peter’s response to Jesus in this John 6. In moments when I have questioned . . .

the breadth of God’s mercy to all and have questioned God’s goodness and sovereignty over his creation,

or when I questioned why am I following Jesus in light of my experience with the church that does not live up to it calling?

Or when I have struggled to understand why awful stuff is happening in the world, to those I love.

This has been the passage that the Holy Spirit has brought to my heart, mind, and spirit to chew on, reflect upon and pray over.

“Lord, to whom can I go? You have the words of eternal life.”

When I have stacked other religions and philosophies side by side Jesus, including walking away, there is nothing that compares or that can replace Jesus. Nothing or no one else grabs my attention like Jesus does even though he drives me crazy at times.

And yet I totally get why people don’t follow Christ. I understand why many have left the Jesus and church choosing instead what they believe are better paths to happiness and self-fulfillment.

There are an abundance of other religions and philosophies, both ancient and modern to choose from. The Self-created and chosen buffet type religions and philosophies of our day are the far easier to follow than what Jesus declares of himself and demands of his followers.

Loving and seeing God in the face of our neighbors who are different from us or who don’t think like us or seeing God in face of our enemies is hard to embrace and follow. And Jesus says we are called to do it.

But why do we keep coming back to Jesus? It is simply that we know Jesus to some degree and we like the familiar and don’t to explore something new? Maybe. Or is it something more to it?

Down through the ages, attempts have been made to tame the words of Jesus, but these attempts never enjoy lasting success. We do a disservice to ourselves and to our witness when tame Jesus or take the edge off his teachings that challenge our thinking and living. Taming Jesus demonstrates how we as humans try to be more spiritual than God.

The fact remains that what Jesus says about eating his flesh and drinking his blood is among his boldest, bluntest, and most shocking statements. No wonder some of his disciples are scandalized by it!

Consider what he says about eating his flesh. Here most English translations become fainthearted. The original word refers to “munching” or even “gnawing.” It describes what a famished man does with a turkey drumstick. And Jesus says we are to do this with his body.

Jesus links this strange, repulsive munching with the gift of eternal life. In effect, he asks: “You want to live forever? You want to enjoy life that is life indeed? You won’t find it by eating junk food. You won’t find it by eating health food. You won’t find it by eating at the best restaurants. To live that eternal life, starting now, you must munch on me, gnaw on me!”

To accept what Jesus says here, to act on it, to live by it, means that something in us has to die. What dies is different for each of us. It could mean dying to our childhood ideas of a Jesus, who caters to our needs and who asks nothing much of us.

It could mean letting go that Jesus never promises a life without pain or suffering, but only one that redeems and makes meaningful all we experience. Jesus never promises a life without change, but only one where change brings about transformation of our hearts, minds, loyalties, and goals.

Every follower and disciple of Jesus must die to something to room available for new life, life nourished by Christ’s body and blood. Something has to die.

Is it any wonder then if the larger group of disciples are scared stiff, and if many pull back and no longer wanting to have anything to do with Jesus?

Of course, Jesus never asks of his disciples–he never asks of us–what he has not already done himself. Jesus who came to earth, gladly limited himself in becoming human for us so he could reveal God up and personal. And ultimately Jesus would give his life in exchange for us on the cross.

Jesus commits himself to us fully without regret, without hesitation. He commits to us out of pure love for us.

Jesus’ unbreakable commitment to us has its echo in our commitment to him.

We are spiritually empty, we hunger for new life, we hear or accept God’s call, we sense the Spirit’s push toward Christ, and we find ourselves committing ourselves to Him and following him We commit to Him even when we are not always sure of where he is leading us. But we trust that wherever he leads us will be where we need to go because we know he loves us.

When we listen and seek to understand Jesus in a deep and full way, there will always be something Jesus says and does

* that disturbs as well as comforts us.
* that challenges us as well as assures us,
* that pulls us closer to him as well as making us want to run away from him.

This comes with following and loving Jesus .

Regardless of how we feel about Christ at any given moment, we are given the promise that staying close to Him and following him, results in a life that is beyond what anyone or anything can offer us in this life and in one that follows it.

May our confession always be that as voiced by Peter (John 6:68-69)
“Lord, to whom can we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe and know
that you are the Holy One of God.”

Amen!

A Religion of Cannibals

Jesus speaks of our need to consume his body and blood to have eternal life. We explore what this means.
https://youtu.be/c0T_fupol8A

The Bread of Heaven

The crowds wrestle with Jesus’ statement that he is “The Bread of Heaven.” Jesus points to himself as the source and pathway to filling our spiritual hungers.
https://youtu.be/36Ws_5FbWIM

A Deeper Hunger

The crowds struggle to understand the meaning of Jesus as the Bread of heaven.
https://youtu.be/fAQM8u4cOZg

A New Celebrity in Town

We look at Jesus feeding the 5,000. Thanks to Frank Logue for his insights into this passage.
https://youtu.be/lvK3w_nNH1I

The Art of Forgiveness

We focus on the Art of Forgiveness through the experience of Joseph in Genesis 50.https://youtu.be/pDxFJ3Gv7fw