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Bible Text: Mark 12:28-34 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

In the 1950s Fred Rogers was studying in a Presbyterian Seminary when he turned on the television in his parent’s home and was disgusted by what was on. He couldn’t believe that such a medium was being used to spread such rubbish. I can’t help but wonder what he would think of the television programs these days! But it was upon seeing these shows that he decided that instead of being upset by it he would make a difference. In one interview he said, “I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there’s some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen.” There’s actually a Canadian connection to this story because in 1963, after graduating from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and following his ordination into the Presbyterian Church (USA) Fred moved to Toronto and was contracted by the CBC to develop a short 15 minute children’s program entitled, Mr. Rogers. As a side note, Fred brought a friend of his along to Canada to work as an understudy, Ernie Coombs would end up staying in Canada and creating Mr. Dressup. Fred moved back to Pittsburgh and acquired the rights to Mr. Rogers where the show took off. The show ran from 1968-2001, making it one of the longest children’s programs to ever air on television. As a result few children’s entertainers have ever been able to span so many generations. I know I loved it when we would go on the magical trolley to the neighbourhood of make-believe and visit King Friday and Sara Saturday, both of which were also performed by Mr. Rogers. Each episode began the same with Mr. Rogers coming into his home, changing into his signature sweater and sneakers and singing his theme song, “It’s a beautiful day int he neighbourhood, a beautiful day for a neighbour, would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbour.” Often neighbours would drop in to teach the viewing audience something wholesome.

Last year Maclean’s magazine published an article entitled “The End of neighbours” and stated that, “More than 30% of Canadians now say they feel disconnected from their neighbours, while half of Americans admit they don’t know the names of theirs and a recent poll of 2, 000 Britons found a third declaring they couldn’t pick their near neighbours out of a police lineup.” My feeling is that this trend while definitely on the rise, hasn’t quite hit the Comox valley yet. Many of us get a long with our neighbours…and I’m not just saying that because some of mine are here. The question today is in part, who are our neighbours? And how does our relationship with our neighbours, both literally and allegorically, affect our relationship with God?

Debates about “the law” what the Hebrew tradition calls the Torah is very much a part of the entire Gospel story. After all Jesus often challenged the law and those who sought to maintain it. Sometimes Jesus’ remarks changed the laws all together and most of the time he commented more on how the law was perceived. Over time as Jesus confronted this issue those in power conspired to kill Jesus. Today’s debate or rather conversation in Mark is very different.

One of the scribes over hears Jesus and his followers debating and disputing among themselves. The scribe is impressed with Jesus’ abilities and decides to ask him a question based not on a trick but because the scribe feels Jesus would know the answer. Already this experience is radically different from those other conversations with scribes, Pharisees and Saduccees. This scribe has no hidden agenda but rather simply wants to know Jesus’ take on the greatest of all the commandments. But equally surprising is that Jesus responds with the words this scribe wants to hear. Jesus says, “The first commandment is this, Hear, O Israel: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” This comes from Deuteronomy and is known as “the Shema” because the first word in Hebrew is Shema or “Hear.” This phrase is read out at every gathering within the Synagogue and Temple and it is the first Hebrew words a Biblical Scholar learns, “Sh’ma Yis’ra’eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.” It is rare to find Jesus responding with such well known and anticipated answers. Just as this scribe is not trying to trick Jesus, so Jesus is not trying to aggravate the scribe.

Jesus does, however, use this passage from Deuteronomy as a launching point into further discussion. Jesus underscores God’s desire for a relationship with God’s people. But also that one’s love for God must include the whole person, heart, soul, mind and strength. One’s love for God not only involves the whole person but love for others.

While it was not asked of him Jesus then responds with the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” This passage comes from Leviticus 19:18. The reason, however, that Jesus includes this is not because they are two separate commandments but rather because they are so intertwined that they cannot be separated. Love of God issues in love of neighbour and of course, love for the neighbour demonstrates love for God. In a society where we face the end of the neighbour, while perhaps a trivial example, it reminds us just how much our love for one another is at the heart of our love for God.

Jesus often argued, frustrated and concerned the scribes but in this story controversies come to an end. The two agree. In fact, the scribe surprises us by affirming that these are not only important laws but more important than offering burnt offerings and sacrifices. Expressing love, far outweighs offerings. While this comes from the scribe, it seems like something Jesus would have said. To bring this point home, Jesus and the scribe agree, and love one another. These two people, who are often portrayed as enemies in the Bible, meet together and agree on the greatest commandments. In the scribe’s remark Jesus sees that he truly understands and acknowledges that the scribe is not far from the kingdom.

Who is our neighbour? It’s the young skateboarders who use our drive way to practice tricks. It’s the dog walkers who use our yard. It’s the atheist on the bus. It’s the single parents who walk their children around the block. It’s the staff at Quality Foods. It’s the seniors in the stratas. It’s the gay teen. It’s the developer on Neptune St. It’s the new Muslim family. It’s all of us, AND it’s all of them. In fact, like those two commandments, there are no distinctions but rather our neighbours are so intertwined with who we are as a church. Emerson Powery says, “Stories like this one, rare as they are within the Christian canon, must drive us to become more willing to open up to the other, including the faithful people within our own religious tradition and those without…By this respect for our neighbour, we carry out the mission of human dignity, which in turn represents a love for God. ” It rests upon us to turn to those beside us, those who have yet to walk into our doors and those who merely reside next to us and invite them to be our neighbours because if we do not love our neighbour, we do not love God. So what do you say, “would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbour.” Amen

 

 

Bible Text: Mark 10:46-52 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

It is generally believed that the reformation began on the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31st, 1517. We are fast approaching the 500th anniversary for this particular day. It is also why the last Sunday in October is always named “Reformation Sunday.” But there is another part of Martin Luther’s story that I have always found intriguing. What was Luther’s life like before the 95 thesis? Luther was born in a small community in Germany where his father worked in the copper mines. Some how, word got out that Luther was an exceptionally bright young man and at age 13 he studied law at the University of Erfurt. He earned both his bachelors and master’s degrees in the shortest time allowed by the university. He also demonstrated that he could be quite the debater and conversely gained the nickname”The Philosopher”. But here’s the part of the story I find most interesting. He was on his way to becoming a very successful lawyer. But then in 1505, just 12 years before posting his paper on the door, while on the road to Erfurt he encountered a severe thunderstorm. It was so bad that a bolt of lightning struck the ground dangerously close to him. Being the good catholic that he was he exclaimed “Help me, St. Anne!” Who happens to be the patron saint of horseback riders. Luther then made a promise that if he survived he would become a monk. Which later resulted in him selling everything he owned and becoming a monk in the order of St. Augustine. Of course this was the first of many revelations which would eventually lead to the reformation, the re-forming of an established institution. He really didn’t begin his journey in faith expecting that he would change the face of church forever. But sometimes it takes a big jolt or even a scare to change everything. While today is called Reformation Sunday and we celebrate the reformed church, the Gospel passage is also all about a reforming and a restoring.

The healing story of blind Bartimaeus is not simply a healing story. It is a story of restoring sight but it is also a story of reforming discipleship. Bartimaeus represents not just one person but an entire community that is restored through Jesus. While the miracle of sight is essential to the story it is also about a much larger and wider miracle made known through Jesus. Like Luther, who was but one person humbled by God, his insights created a radical transformation in the wider church. So Bartimaeus’ story tells us that healing is not just for one man but for all.

Bartimaeus is described as a blind beggar, meaning that he had no social rank or importance. He is sitting at the roadside when he hears Jesus pass and he begins to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Despite the fact that we are over half way through the Gospel of Mark, this is the first time that the title “Son of David” is applied to Jesus. This title demonstrates that this blind man understood Jesus’ royal lineage. It also is a foreshadowing of what is about to happen in the very next chapter when Jesus will enter the holy city of Jerusalem while sitting on a colt and the crowds will begin to shout “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in God’s name!” Despite his blind eyes and despite his lack of status, Bartimaeus sees who Jesus is well before a lot of people, even those closest to Jesus.

The next line in our passage is rather disconcerting because as Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus and addresses him as King. People are trying to hush him. The NRSV says that “many sternly ordered him to be quiet.” We know that historically a lot of people tried to shut up Luther and the other reformers before their voices could be heard over the crowd. In reading this Gospel story I can’t help but remember that at St. Andrew’s in Victoria there was a blind man who sat on the bench outside the church doors and would cry out, “Spare a little change” for hours on end. And often his cries could be heard inside the church, during the service. I will admit, I found it distracting and sometimes disruptive. But as I’ve read this Gospel story I have come to understand something amazing about Jesus, (yes, even I learn new things about Jesus every once and a while).

In public speaking we often are trained to just keep going and ignore the distraction. At the very least pause and let the noise pass. But Jesus stops. The crowd’s rejection of Bartimaeus’ pleas shows his lack of status but this does not matter to Jesus. When I hear something on the news that disturbs me, I often will briefly think to myself, “that’s terrible” but then I will plough on with whatever else I have to do. When I’m on a mission to get a task done I can get rather focused and make it impossible to be disrupted. If I’m in the middle of something and my phone rings I sometimes let it ring and go to voice mail because I am busy and need to get the work done. But Jesus stops. While there are all these people following Jesus and calling attention to him, Jesus stops and addresses the needs of one individual. Jesus stops for me, when I am blinded by sin or am calling out for help. Jesus stops for you. Perhaps as a church, as the body of Christ in the world, we need to stop and reform, restore, and provide healing.

What happens once Bartimaeus is healed is also very important. The Cornerstone Bible Commentary expresses this perfectly, “Bartimaeus’ healing highlights Jesus’ continued work of compassion and his ability to bring sight to those in darkness. It also dramatizes an example of faith. Unlike the rich man we heard about a couple weeks ago who had everything except spiritual insight, the blind man had nothing but saw clearly. He understood that Jesus, as Son of David, could heal, and that he had the power of God to bring renewal of life.”

Upon being healed not only is Bartimaeus able to literally see, he also follows. This separates this healing story from all the other miracle stories in the Gospel. Usually at the end of a healing or miracle the crowd is awed but the person being healed is left to go on their way. We are told, however, that Bartimaeus is healed and follows Jesus. This is the reality of true insight and Bartimaeus is about to follow Jesus into Jesus’ darkest hours. They are not going to be easy but rather full of challenge.

I wonder if the blind man’s sight was really what was important or rather that his sight then allowed him to follow Jesus closely. I think of the Reformers, of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and many others who felt that change was needed, that a restoring of the church was the will of God, that reforming our beliefs so that they realigned with Jesus’ teachings was necessary and I wonder if any of them were hesitant. I wonder if any of them thought, “perhaps we should just stick with the status quo” or “we can’t change because we’ve also done it this way”. I wonder if 500 years of doing things the way they have always happened is long enough. I wonder if we are in need of a reforming, restoring and healing. I wonder what it will take to give us a bolt of insight to know with confidence what God is asking us to do. I wonder when it is best to stop and listen and as I wonder, it is my hope that we all commit to follow. Amen

Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

In 1978, Andrew Gold recorded his third album All This and Heaven Too. The single off this album was by far his greatest hit, reaching number 25 on Billboard and topping at number 7 on Canadian charts. According to Gold, however, the song was never meant to be a hit. It was just a little ditty that took him about an hour to write. It was in fact ranked as the 98th biggest hit of 1978. Ok, that doesn’t make it sound like such a hit does it? Well, in 1985 the song was re-recorded by Cynthia Fee and became theme song for one of NBC’s most successful sitcoms, “Thank you for being a friend, Traveled down the road and back again, your heart is true you’re a pal and a confidant.” Do you know the show? My rendition didn’t help? It was the theme song for The Golden Girls, a sitcom that ran from 1985 until 1992 about four older women sharing a home together in Miami, Florida. Often the episodes dealt with the fact that these four women, while only two were related by blood, were in fact a family, with all the dynamics, debates, and difficulties that comes with being a family. But like most sitcoms, within the half hour all of that was forgiven and they went back to being pals and confidants, with words of thanks for being a part of that family.

Today is all about gratitude and saying thank you. For many it is about gathering with family, either related or chosen, and if your thanksgiving table was anything like mine when I was young, it is about all those dynamics, debates and difficulties as well as fun that comes with family gatherings. Perhaps there are those important traditions of turkey and pumpkin pie or simply saying what we are thankful for. Thank you for being a friend to Mike and I. But our Gospel passage directs us down a difficult path and demonstrates that saying thanks just isn’t good enough. In fact, there is a cost- both literally and figuratively- to discipleship and to being a family of God, with all of its dynamics, debates and difficulties.

Our passage opens with a man running up and kneeling before Jesus. At this point in the story all we know about this person is gender and because he kneels we can figure out that he is approaching Jesus with respect. This point is driven home when this man addresses Jesus as “good teacher” and asks, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” and we know by his actions and through his address that this man is asking the question with all sincerity. It sets him apart from all the times when the Scribes or Pharisees asked questions to trap Jesus. This is a genuine question with a genuine hope that he will be given an honest answer. Although, he obviously gets more of an honest answer then he would like.

Jesus quickly states that he is not good but rather only God is good. This is actually a tricky narrative technique in Mark. As we have heard throughout the past weeks those who are the least are usually the ones who identify Jesus as the Messiah first. By this man proclaiming Jesus as good he is acknowledging the divine identity of Jesus and with his turn of the words Jesus is acknowledging this.

The Gospel author then does another subtle trick. Jesus repeats most, but not all of the ten commandments, asking the man if he is aware of them. All of the commandments that Jesus states are those that involve human to human interaction. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, shall not steal, bear false witness or defraud and you shall honour your parents. The commandments exist not just as rules but they are necessary to guide people in a way of covenantal living- including a quality of life that will persist in the new age, in the kingdom of God. However, what commandments are missing? Those that involve human-divine interaction. “You shall not have other gods before me, no idols, no wrongful use of God’s name and remembering the sabbath.” It those commandments that are most important to the covenant and yet Jesus does not ask this man if he kept those commandments. We will touch upon this in a minute.

Of course the man says, yes he has followed those commandments since his youth. The Gospel then says that Jesus looked at this man and loved him. There is a pause in the conversation where Jesus takes in this man and loves him. Perhaps Jesus loves him because Jesus knows that what he is about to tell him to do will be difficult, will be impossible for others to understand, and will only be made possible through Jesus’ love. Jesus tells him that he must go and sell all that he owns and then give the money to the poor, and then, follow Jesus. Upon hearing this, the man is shocked, dismayed, and goes away grieving. By walking away he does the exact opposite of what Jesus requires. It is only at this point in the story that we find out that this is a rich man- for he has many possessions.

It struck me that the reason Jesus did not mention those human-divine related commandments is in part because Jesus knew they are the hardest to follow. But what often makes them the hardest follow, is the distraction of possessions. We often treat our possessions, or at least brands, as gods and certainly idols and sometimes our possessions keep us from remembering the sabbath. The problem with possessions is that we can seek security through trust in our possessions rather than in covenantal living, that accumulation of wealth and resources in the present can become an end in itself and can even become idolatrous. Jesus tries to encourage this man, that he need not fear, because the community itself is where we should put our trust. A little reminder that the early church did not think they needed to plan for the long-term future. They expected the kingdom of God to come within their lifetime. So long term planning or saving was not part of their practice.

Jesus’ response to the rich man wandering off is that it is indeed hard for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. In fact, through the use of analogy he basically says it is impossible. Biblical Studies scholar Mark Vitalis Hoffman notes, “The disciples—who were among the lower class and whose perspective had been shaped by a culture that associated wealth with honour, status, and divine favour—are confused. If those who appear most blessed have more difficulty getting into the kingdom than a camel going through the eye of a needle, then, “Who can be saved?””

We share this same problem- we are likely among the world’s privileged- just living here, with the bounty and harvest we have in this land of plenty sets us apart. But as we discussed last week earning our way into salvation can not be done. Jesus confirms this by saying that “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” This rich man asked “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Perhaps it was a matter of asking the wrong question. Because an inheritance is often not earned per se, rather it is by virtue of being a part of a family.

This is what Jesus highlights at the close of our passage. The disciples have left everything, left their families, their homes, all for Christ’s sake. But they have also been adopted into the family of God. When we chose to follow, when we respond to grace with gratitude, when we give of ourselves in thankfulness- we know that we do it as part of a family with all our dynamics, difficulties and debates and fun and we must not only respond by saying thank you for being a friend, but by acting as a family of God. Amen

Bible Text: Mark 10:13-16 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

The Reverend Stephen Farris, the past moderator of General Assembly shared a story at Canada Youth that has left an impression on me. He recalled a former professor ask in reference to Jesus’ words, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it”, “Why like a little child?” One student raised their hand and answered with confidence that it is because little children are naturally good and innocent. The professor replied, “You don’t have any children do you?” Someone else stated, “Because children are all so humble.” The professor asked, “Have you ever stood outside a schoolyard during recess and listened to the children? I’m the king of the castle and you’re the dirty rascal! Not very humble.” Other students hypothesized about the statement but each came up short. Then the professor reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and extracted a $20 bill. He walked over to a student who was the toughest, most hard-nosed guy in the class and gave the bill to this student. The student looked uncomfortable. The professor said, “You don’t like me giving this to you without any terms, do you? If I asked you to come over to my house to do some yard work and I paid you for your work, you wouldn’t mind at all. But when I just give it to you we are suspicious. But what happens if I gave this money to a child?” Stephen Farris then said that no other words were necessary- everyone could picture a child reaching out a hand to receive the unearned gift, a child would think it the most natural thing in the world to receive a gift.

Children accept gifts with joy, possibly with thanks and without any thought toward why they are receiving the gift. Somewhere along the line we grow sceptical of such unearned gifts. We know that there is always fine print, we know there is always a hidden agenda, we know there is always a catch. There is no such thing as free. Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Grace is a gift we can never earn but it is also a gift with no hidden agenda, no fine print. Grace is not based on how best you perform a task or whether you come out on top. Grace simply is there for us- let me rephrase that- Grace simply is given to us. Much like the meal we are about to receive- we don’t ask for it, it is just given.

In communion the bread and drink are simply given to us. We do not need to understand fully what they represent, we do not need to be perfect, we do not even need to ask. They are simply the gifts of God for the people of God- simple bread and simple juice- set apart to represent a great gift, which unifies us as one body. It is vital for us to celebrate this meal together as an expression of the grace received. I recently learned a few interesting points about communion.

Did you know that in ancient times, to break bread with someone was to enter into a covenant relationship with them. If you had a meal with someone it meant that you were entering a deep and trusting relationship. In fact, our English word, companion, is derived from two Latin words, “com” which means “with” and “panis”, which means bread. Therefore a companion was someone with whom you broke bread. There was a great social responsibility with regards to food within the Bible as well. To have dinner with someone meant you were friends forever. To eat together was viewed as such a big moment in a relationship that it also disqualified you from openly testifying against the friend in a court of law.

Today is World Communion Sunday- meaning that congregations around the world are participating in this meal. I can say with a fair amount of confidence other Presbyterian churches not only within this country but throughout the world are enjoying this meal together, with us, as companions in Christ. But I can also say that other Christian denominations are gathered together around this table, with us, as companions in Christ. While we may not, yet, be able to have communion as a unified faith, we are able to celebrate it together in our own ways, this day. Which tells me, if we are all celebrating this unearned gift, receiving this unearned food, joining together as companions in this meal, it means we can not or at least should not be testifying against each other but rather we are bound together in the body of Christ. It makes little difference what our doctrine is (this is a pretty big statement coming from someone who just returned from Church Doctrine Committee meetings!), it makes little difference how mature our faith is from that of our neighbours, it makes little difference whether we have been coming to this congregation for the full twenty years or are new this Sunday. As we eat together these simple gifts we recognize our vertical relationship with God and our relationship with one another (shape of the cross). Christ is found in our companions, throughout the world of Christian faith, and Christ comes to us with gifts- may we be like children and receive them with joy, excitement, and without reservation. Amen

Bible Text: Mark 9:30-37 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

On September 9th Queen Elizabeth became the longest reigning monarch in British History. While it surpasses the reign of her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, thus far by just a few weeks, Queen Elizabeth has seen 12 British Prime Ministers and 13 Canadian Prime Ministers and more than 30 corgis throughout her reign. Interestingly enough all of her Corgis have been descendants of her first Corgi, Susan, which was presented to her on her 18th birthday in 1944. Queen Elizabeth has also surpassed a pretty big milestone in that her marriage to Prince Philip is the longest of all British monarchs, 67 years,- unfortunately that is an accomplishment not likely to be overcome any time soon. Queen Elizabeth was the first monarch to send an email in 1976 and she sent her first tweet last fall. I don’t really count myself a monarchist but I’m certainly not against it either. Of course as a young girl, like many young girls, I had hopes that upon visiting Balmoral Castle I would be noticed by one of the at the time eligible princes. But let’s face it, I ended up with a much better Prince Charming. I don’t know what it is about our fascination with monarchy. Perhaps its that they live a life so radically different than ours that we can only fantasize about it. Or perhaps when there is scandal it gives us relief that despite their royal blood, they are only human. I certainly share with others in the congratulation to Her Majesty the Queen in being the longest reigning monarch but I’m not about to ask us to sing God Save the Queen in church. I suppose some of that resistance comes from our passage this morning.

What appears like two separate stories is actually two variations on the same theme. This is a common narrative tool in Mark. The Gospel writer often juxtaposes stories to either make a point or to demonstrate the major contrasts within Jesus’ life. In the first section Jesus takes on a second try in explaining his upcoming death and resurrection and once again the disciples have real difficulty in understanding. The text says that they are not only confused but afraid to ask questions. Fear is a common theme in Mark and it is often contrasted with faith. In this story the disciples’ fear prevents them from asking questions. How often is that the case for us? We are worried that if we ask questions, others will think our faith is weak or even heretical. We are afraid of being judged or looking stupid. Truth be told I understand the disciples fear. After all, we heard two weeks ago how Jesus rebuked Peter after Jesus explained for the first time about his death and suffering. No wonder they are afraid- they don’t want to disappoint Jesus- but of course not asking for clarification or explanation is going to create a greater culture of disappointment later on.

Unfortunately, things don’t really improve for the disciples’ ignorance and this is where our two stories connect. Immediately following Jesus’ explanation about his suffering and death the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest. Just think of that for a moment Jesus just explained he is going to die and the disciples turn around to discuss which one of them is best. The Gospel then says that, “Jesus sat down.” I picture an exasperated Jesus- walking with his disciples and discovering that this is what they are discussing- not about what Jesus has just said but rather a conversation so trivial that Jesus just sits down in frustration.

Then Jesus calls them over to explain that the reality of God’s kingdom is nothing like that of any human reign. That in fact it has nothing to do with how long someone reigns, how best someone reigns, even how socially conscious someone reigns rather it is entirely based on something so extreme that no human reign can compare to God’s reign. In order to become the greatest and the first, one must become the least and the last. This is not just some reverse psychology but a reversal of everything understood within the Roman culture of the day. Mark’s Gospel has been subtly proving this point in the preceding chapters. We have people who are overcome by demons who recognize who Jesus is, we have innocent little girls, sick hemorrhaging women, and Syrophoenician women who all recognize who Jesus is well before the disciples. It is these people who are the first, the honoured, the greatest.

We have to understand that in the ancient world the social structure was slightly different from ours today, namely that there was no middle class. One was either rich, very rich, or poor, very poor. And in order to maintain ones honour they had to surround themselves with those people who brought them honour and prestige or else they ran the risk of being shamed. When Jesus says that one can only gain honour in the kingdom of God by welcoming and spending time with those who have no honour it goes against the entire social structure of the ancient world. Especially when it involves welcoming a child- someone with absolutely no power. But this is the point that Jesus was trying to make earlier- that through his death and resurrection-he will become the greatest servant, the servant of all. He will be strung up on a cross and made completely powerless but through these actions those who succumb, daily to the great power of sin, may experience the even greater power of grace. Today we welcomed a child into the covenant of this church- promising that Callan will be prayed for, cared for, taught, celebrated, blessed, listened to in this community of faith. You made this vow and let me remind you this should not be an empty promise.

I would argue that while our modern world does see a middle class- the economic realities of the day show that there is an ever widening gap between the rich and the poor- not unlike that of the ancient world. We may not seek to promote our status through the company we keep but we certainly do through the products we own. I would argue that we sometimes still argue over who is the greatest. In fact, I catch myself doing it when I proclaim how great this congregation is- implying that we are one of the best churches not only this valley but the entire island. While this may be true we only become the best by listening to one another, giving equal voice to our concerns and aspirations, by showing hospitality to all among us. What better way than through baptism and subsequently through the visioning process we will have today, a coming together to share a vision for the future where we may be a church who welcomes not only a relationship with Jesus but God. Amen

Bible Text: Mark 8: 37-38 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Juliet famously said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet.” She said this as she realized that her Capulet love for a Montague would never be acceptable in the eyes of her family or Romeo’s for that matter. However, I often wonder if people who change their name feel this way. What is in a name? Did you know that Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso? And yet most of us know his signature as simply Picasso. Sometimes people use pseudonyms to protect their actual identity, Benjamin Franklin used 9 different pen names including Martha Careful, Alice Addertongue and Anthony Afterwit. When CS Lewis wrote “A Grief Observed” he felt that it was so raw and personal that he chose to use the pseudonym N.W. Clerk. He was forced to reveal his authorship after most of his friends recommended the book to him as a way to cope with his grief. Sometimes people change their names to pursue a career in the arts. Dino Paul Crocetti began a career crooning in illegal casinos and called himself Dino Martini after the Met opera singer Nino Martini, his name changed again to Dean Martin as his career took off. When Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta walked into the recording studio of Rob Fusari he told her that her name just wouldn’t work in the music industry. A few days later he meant to text her, Radio Gaga, as a note about the song by Queen, but thanks to auto-correct the word radio came up as Lady. Stefani looked at the text and said, “That’s it. Don’t ever call me Stefani again” and Lady Gaga was born. So, what is in a name? Is it true that, that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet?

Well Jesus has a similar question. The issue in a name is that identity with which it is tied. Even the names we use for Jesus are different from those his own parents used and we call him by those various names according to the theology we want to project. Emmanuel literally means in Hebrew, God with us. The word Jesus is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Joshua or Yeshua, which means Jehovah Saves or God is salvation. In Greek the term Christ means anointed and is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. But not only do we have various pseudonyms for Jesus, the crowd who followed Jesus also had various names and expectations associated with those names of who Jesus was and even what to call him when. It is this challenge that faces our passage today.

The first verse in Mark’s Gospel begins, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” But for the first eight chapters the disciples constantly confuse Jesus for other things and people. Jesus is not only a story teller and healer but in the end of chapter four they ask, “who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” In chapter six they mistake Jesus for a ghost as he approaches them on the sea. We as readers have the pretext that Jesus is the Son of God but it takes the disciples a great many tries before they get it right.

In our section we discover that the disciples are not alone in their confusion because people are claiming that Jesus might be John the Baptist reborn (an impossible notion since John and Jesus were alive at the same time) or maybe Elijah, the great prophet who did not die but was taken up in a cloud or maybe Jesus is one of those other prophets. But when Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” The response from Peter is short, “You are the Messiah.” After eight long chapters it would appear that the disciples finally understand who Jesus is and the gap between reader and disciple is closed.

Except just as this gap is closed a new rift opens wide. Because, what is in a name? What is in a title? What does it mean that Jesus is the Messiah? While the Hebrew word means anointed, it also carries with it the idea that a Messiah would be a liberator, would be a deliverer, would most likely be a solider who won a great battle over the oppressor. For the Jews of that time period they figured a Messiah would do battle on the Roman Empire and break the hold that the Romans had upon them, that a Messiah would be victorious in a great rebellion. So this lanky, pour, son of a carpenter Nazarene does not quite fit those expectations. He does not fit the expected associations with the name Messiah. Jesus certainly does not fit it when he begins to say that instead of winning a great battle he will have to suffer and die, essentially be defeated. This is not the kind of Messiah that was promised to the Hebrew people in the Torah. So while Peter vocalizes who he believes Jesus to be Peter was also making some of those assumptions about what the Messiah would do and therefore Peter can be forgiven for rebuking Jesus when Jesus says he will be defeated.

Then Jesus turns to the crowd, and loses that sense of secrecy he had built up over the previous verses. He calls out to all who are present that this walk is not his alone to take but that those who want to follow him must also take up their cross. Jesus is not going to suffer for sufferings sake but rather because what he does, how he lives, is in stark contrast to the cultural norms, political set ups and religious practices of his day. By reaching out and serving the marginalized, by questioning the religious authority and traditions, by living among the unclean, Jesus is going to anger quite a few people and when people in power get angry they turn to suppression. They want to overcome this rebellious talk.

This is the take away for us. Theologian Micah Kiel says, “Mark profiles a deeper dynamic that spans the ages: how are human knowledge and expectations in tension with the aims of God? We know the way things are, how they are supposed to go. If we believe God is active and that Jesus is aline in the world, then the question posed to us is not whether we confess Jesus as the Messiah. That is the easy part. We know what the title is. The question becomes how do we misunderstand what the title means?” What is in a name?

What does it mean to call ourselves Christians? What does it mean to call ourselves a church? The Session of CVPC has been studying a document by the World Council of Churches called “Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes. This week one of the passages said, “The church exists by mission, just as fire exists by burning. If it does not engage in mission, it ceases to be church. In this perspective it is not the church that has a mission but rather the mission that has a church. Mission is not a project of expanding churches but of the church embodying God’s salvation in this world.” What does it mean to come to Comox Valley Presbyterian Church? Instead of answering that question for you I know you will think about what that question means to you. Jesus’ clarity in the kind of Messiah that he is, lends itself to a certain kind of discipleship. Perhaps we are not like Peter in a way because we are informed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. But we also commit to follow someone who we know and understand only in part. For it is only as we walk with Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, Emmanuel, that we come to know what is in his name. And it is in his name that we pray. Amen

Bible Text: Mark 7:1-23 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Many years ago Margaret Visser, who calls herself an anthropologist of everyday life, wrote a book entitled “The Way We Are” in which she wrote short essays on certain Western Hemisphere eccentricities. One essay, is on how and why we greet one another. She explains that kissing someone upon meeting them was viewed as unacceptable in Great Britain since about the early Victorian era because kissing someone in public was viewed as a “continental” extravagance. She also explains that in the medieval period, men were expected to kneel on two knees to God and on one knee to a superior. Women were expected to always kneel on both knees for God and others. This kind of kneeling was called a “curtsy” which comes from the word courtesy which originally meant behaviour refined enough to be practised by courtiers. It explains why we still are expected to curtsy when royalty walk in the room. When kissing was no longer acceptable and a curtsy was reserved for royalty, hand-shaking became the predominant way to greet one another. Hand-shaking had always been a symbol of forming a contract and shaking with the right-hand was a symbol of peace, as tying up your right hand with another meant you could not draw your sword. Of course there was a time when we gave up even hand-shaking for that elbow nudge during the H1N1 situation but it seems that most of us predominantly greet one another with a handshake and I like that it means both peace and a contract. Greeting one another, regardless of how, is a human tradition that is appropriate as it displays hospitality and warmth. But there are often other traditions that are strange or at least certainly have strange roots. In fact, most of the time we don’t know where our traditions come from.

Jesus speaks to tradition and the difference between laws and traditions in our passage, and appropriately enough, he speaks predominantly to the Pharisees and scribes followed by the always present crowd, and his disciples. The word Pharisee in Hebrew means, “set apart” or “to be separated” and they viewed themselves as not only scholars but set apart to be the primary interpreters of the Torah and authority on Mosaic law. A very important distinction of the Pharisees is that they believed that along with the written Torah there was also an oral tradition consisting of subsequent laws and traditions. In modern Judaism many of those extra laws can be found in the Talmud. In case your wondering, Sadducees believed only in the written Torah and followed the priestly tradition found within that text. That’s the predominant difference between those two groups. This distinction about the Pharisees is important to our text because Mark says that the Pharisees ask, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders?” meaning the oral tradition not the laws and statutes found within the written Torah, our Old Testament.

The conflict Jesus has with these Pharisees starts with a comment about ritual purity. It appears that some of the disciples have chosen to eat without washing their hands. While, culturally this is actually kind of gross, according to the oral tradition of Mosaic law it is also forbidden. The Pharisees are attempting to accuse Jesus of not abiding by very important laws, not just appropriate social behaviours. They are accusing Jesus with the charge that Jesus is not only not following the law but is acting above the law.

Jesus is pretty clever because he responds using words from Isaiah, a prophet whom the Pharisees honour. He then accuses them of being hypocrites because here they are stating that they are followers of the law given to Moses by God when in fact they have rejected God’s law in order to keep their own traditions. While they accused Jesus of not abiding by these very important laws Jesus accuses them of distorting the laws to fit their own human desires. This is not just a critique on empty worship traditions but a pretty big accusation and rebuke. Jesus then follows it up with a concrete example. Korban was initially the act of offering a kosher animal as a burnt offering at the Temple. In Hebrew the word means “to be close to someone” and it implies that to offer a burnt offering brings one closer to God. However, the Pharisees are allowing family’s to bring the assets of their elderly parents to the Temple as a form of Korban instead of honouring their father and mother. Basically they are taking away the support needed for ageing parents. This act is not going to do anyone any favours and certainly not bring anyone closer to God.

Jesus then turns to the crowd and his disciples and states that the issue is not ritual purity but the purity of the heart. He shifts the conversation from traditions to heartfelt actions. All these laws and traditions, while they help us in our expression and worship of God and give us discipline to follow God’s will, they are not by themselves what prepares us for God’s kingdom, rather it is what we feel and do in our heart. Within the Hebrew tradition the heart was not the emotional centre- emotions where believed to be felt in the gut. The heart was where our thoughts came from, for example when Mary ponders all those things in her heart, it means she is thinking very hard about what is happening. The heart was the centre of human will and rational thought. It was the place where intent arises. Jesus is stating that the intent of the heart is full of evil and this evil comes not from external things but from within ourselves.

Jesus is making it clear that the importance is not in the outward condition but the inward condition of a believer. This is a challenge for us because human traditions are deeply rooted within the human spirit and most of the time we don’t even realized that they are traditions of human constructs. This is also a difficult passage because human law is outside but divine law is within and divine law expresses itself in the life of the believer. While things like theft, murder and adultery, might be pretty easy for some of us to avoid. Avarice, wickedness, deceit and licentiousness are a little more difficult and to be honest not a day goes by when envy, slander, certainly pride and definitely folly creep into my thoughts, words, and even actions. So, what do we do?

We seek relief in some of those laws that have a foundation in Jesus Christ. Because what this story tells us is that God has a concern for our relationship with God. This is an invitation by Jesus to open ourselves to God and to each other in new ways- which can only lead us to new ways of being a church- with strength, compassion, hope and joy. Jesus’ words, while intimidating and concerning actually provide for a transformation. Jesus does not say that the heart is totally a lost cause, while evil intentions may come from the heart, so do good ones. And if that traditional Sunday School song taught me anything it is that I’ve got Joy, peace that passes understanding, and I’m so happy, so very happy, because I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart. Amen

Bible Text: John 6:60-71 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

In the early western church when the only western church was the Roman Catholic church the entire service was shared in Latin. This is in part because as the church expanded under the Roman Empire and subsequent colonization, the Latin missionaries wanted to have one uniform language for the church, so that no matter where you went or how far you travelled, you could always find a church that spoke the same language. They wanted the church to have a universal language, and what better language than a romantic language. The problem, of course, was that many of those worldwide communities did not speak Latin and soon enough the only modern day place you could hear Latin was in church. This is not a criticism on the Roman Catholic church because we have to remember that it is as much part of our history as it is for that denomination, a sister church in our faith. The issue, however, is that for a long time people attended worship services that were shared in a language they did not speak or read or understand. Perhaps it was a true Pentecost moment that people continued to come to church and worshipped God regardless the language barrier- meaning that the Spirit was truly amongst them, interpreting these Latin words into words that spoke to their heart. Nevertheless, there was a lot of misunderstanding as well. For example, during the liturgy of the Eucharist, each Sunday as the priest would lift the bread he would say, “Hoc est corpus meum,” meaning, “this is my body” and those observing the Mass understood that something magical had transformed the bread into the body of Christ. What they heard was hoc est corpus and then magic happened, do you hear it? Hoc est corpus-hocus pocus. And thus those two magic words were born out of a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper.
Even once the services were provided in the local language and regardless of whether it was a reformed church or an orthodox church or the Roman Catholic church, there has always been some, confusion or concern, certainly debate, about the Eucharist. It is in fact, the biggest thing that separates denominations despite that we learned last week that it really doesn’t matter how we do it, or what we believe happens, or even whether we ask for it or not. Unfortunately this week we discover that things were no different for Jesus, because after his lengthy discussion still the disciples are confused, find his words difficult, and people choose to leave him over this issue. Sometimes following Jesus is hard- so hard we may want to walk away, so hard we just don’t understand.
In this closing section of John 6 (and I know some of you who have been here week after week and are ready to move on) the disciples finally speak up. The disciples say what everyone else is thinking, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” We have to remember that while Jesus’ words about flesh and blood, are easily understood by us as a reference to the Lord’s Supper, the disciples have yet to have that experience. They are still stuck on a literal interpretation and find it rather uncomfortable. Most scholars agree that John’s Gospel was written in the 1st century common era, about 95 AD, meaning it could have been written about 70 years after the crucifixion. As a result, the author is really trying to press upon us a foreshadowing of events, such as the Lord’s Supper, as well as the disciples confusion and inability to truly understand what Jesus is saying. John is giving us a foretaste of the fear and confusion that will overwhelm the disciples following the crucifixion. If they think the teaching is hard- just wait until they have to experience it.
John describes the disciples’ reaction, they complained or rather they grumbled. It is actually a reflection of the complaining the Israelites had in the wilderness when they grumbled against Moses. It reflects again that story of Manna during the Exodus and how Jesus is trying to get them to look not into the past but look at the present. Like the Israelites they have experienced an amazing miracle that came directly from God- in which they need to trust that God will provide- but the crowd, as with the Israelites, are unable to trust that God will continue to provide for them in their wilderness wanderings.
Jesus’ response to their grumbling is direct, “Does this offend you? There are still some among you who don’t believe?” While our translation says “offend” the actual word in Greek is skandalizo the word in which we get scandalize. Jesus says, “Does this scandalize you?” What Jesus is saying is causing a scandal. It is causing outrage. Jesus’ words hit a few people hard and they walk away. We often sentimentalize Jesus, with pictures of Jesus with children on his knee, or a lamp upon his shoulders, or even a with a big heart vibrating from his chest, but in this passage we do not see that gentle Jesus. Instead we find a Jesus who is tired, vulnerable, and ready to walk along a painful path. But in order for him to do that he needs to have disciples who trust and believe him and therefore he has to turn those who are not yet ready- away.
Jesus says, “some of you do not believe.” The Greek word that John uses is pisteuo and it is often found throughout this Gospel. While it is usually translated as “believe” a more accurate meaning is “to trust” or “to rely upon someone”. What Jesus is struggling with is not just the cognitive act of believing but the lack of trust that these disciples have. Throughout this entire chapter what Jesus has been trying to say, “Just trust me.” Because in that trust they have the potential to abide, to dwell, to be present with Jesus in their relationship with Jesus, which comes by faith given by God.
Thankfully, twelve disciples remain, although Jesus knows one of them has not and will not buy into or trust what he is saying. However, these twelve recognize that if they listen, really hear, Jesus’ life giving words, they will find the abiding Spirit, they will dwell in the presence of God, they will know Jesus as friend.
Sometimes the Bible is full of passages and stories, words and commitments that we don’t like. Sometimes they are confusing, sometimes they are hard, sometimes we are just not in a place where we want to hear them. Sometimes being a church together is hard work. Sometimes we know something needs to change but we don’t want to put out the effort. Sometimes we are tired. But for those who remain, for those who are willing to stick it out, for those who do not walk away but rather turn to trust, there is great reward. We need to find the strength and commitment to stay the course. Because if Jesus had given up, if Jesus had said this is too hard and walked away, we wouldn’t be here today. Come, even when its hard to understand, and hear Jesus’ words, trust them, and abide in them. Amen

Bible Text: 1 Kings 3:3-14, John 6:52-59 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

What would you do if you had three wishes? Honestly, what would you do? Perhaps one wish would be for something like world peace, or a cure for cancer, but I bet the other two might be a bit more personal, like perhaps money or long life, or maybe it would be a wish concerning a friend? Of course, I would do the smart thing and wish for a thousand more wishes. There is something within our culture that makes us wish. In 1940 Leigh Harline and Ned Washington wrote a song about wishing that became the theme song for the largest diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. “When you wish upon a star”…..If I sing anymore I could be sued for copyright by this large multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate so I have to stop there. The song was written for the 1940 Disney film Pinnochio. It was Disney’s first song to win an oscar for best original song, and of course has come to symbolize that Disney Resorts is where wishes come true. An ideology I would debate. But we must admit it is fun to dream about what we would wish for if we were granted a wish or two or three or a thousand.

Solomon was offered the chance to make a wish. God appears to Solomon in a dream and offers to give him whatever he asks. Solomon is in good company when it comes to God appearing in dream. While we remember the stories of God speaking through dreams, they don’t happen all that often, which is perhaps why they are so memorable. This is unique, however, because most of the time that God speaks in dreams it is to teach a lesson or to warn the dreamer of upcoming events, like Joseph and his multi-coloured coat or Joseph in the New Testament and the warnings about his son or the apocalyptic literature in Daniel. But in this instance it is unclear why God appears, other than to reveal just how wise and great a leader Solomon is.

We see this wisdom and leadership in the very request that Solomon makes. Solomon does not ask for money or long life, he doesn’t even ask for prosperity, but rather an understanding mind to govern God’s people and the ability to discern between good and evil. Solomon’s wish is to simply be a good leader and serve the people as best he can. Solomon opts to focus on relationships rather than things. As we begin the longest election campaign in Canadian history, I can’t help but wonder if the candidates ever wish to be wise, with understanding minds and the ability to discern between good and evil. If they do, I don’t see too many of those wishes being granted. To be fair not many of us opt to focus more on relationships than things.

God is so pleased with Solomon’s request- so impressed that he did not ask for long life or riches or to defeat all his enemies, that God doubly blesses Solomon by not only granting his request but also giving him riches and honour so long as Solomon does the smartest thing he can possibly do, which is to keep God’s statutes and commandments and walk-in relationship- with God. Garrett Galvin, an Old Testament professor, says, “Since Solomon desires the interior and profound rather than the superficial, Solomon becomes the hero of this story. Today we are more challenged than ever to overcome the superficial materialistic consumerism for the profundity of relationships and the personal growth they offer. This is true wisdom whether it be in Solomon’s time or our own.”

It is in fact a relationship that Jesus is also seeking to have with the crowd as he continues to talk about the bread which he provides, the nourishment that a relationship with Jesus can give. It recently occurred to me that while Jesus seems to be explaining his analogies and parables in this section he is actually not really explaining very well but rather making a promise. It was pointed out to me that if this is a discussion on communion it occurs after the people have been fed. It may seem like weeks ago to us, but the feeding of the five thousand happened less then 24 hrs ago for this crowd. Jesus did not give them a catechism class before they could consume his miracle. Jesus didn’t even prepare them with a long lecture or sermon. Instead, Jesus shared this miracle, fed their bodies and then began to unpack what it all means. You might not think this is relevant but it actually puts a few of our church traditions on their head. We have done away with the necessity for people to be members to receive communion- and that’s a good thing. But we still expect that people have a basic knowledge of who Jesus is and what communion really means. If we were to actually follow Jesus’ example, than those things aren’t really necessary. The only thing would be of import is that we have a curiousity about who Jesus is.

Its actually a good thing that Jesus begins to unpack the miracle after it happens, because in reality if before he had begun to share this bread and fish by saying to people you have to consume my flesh and blood, I don’t know if that would have appealed to the crowd. It sounds a bit cannibalistic. Of course, this is another caution not to take things too literal, because what Jesus really means is that his flesh will be placed on the cross and his blood will be spilled- it is the moment in which Jesus’ whole self will be given for the life of the world. But it is our task to consume this wisdom.

We find ourselves back in an understanding that wisdom leads to relationship. The actions on the cross don’t actually require an understanding or an explanation because a relationship with God is not something that requires knowledge but it does require the wisdom to trust in the relationship. Professor Satterlee says, “Eternal life does not come through understanding correctly or believing the right things. Eternal life is being in close communion with Jesus. Eternal life is to remain in Jesus and to have Jesus remain in us.” While this might worry some of us, it really should bring relief.

What it means is that every time I tell you, you have to follow in a certain way, or you have to abide by certain rules, I’m wrong. What it does mean, is that we must seek a relationship- not things, not even wishes- just simply a relationship with the one who loved us so much that he was willing to place his flesh and blood upon a cross for each one of us. And that is more than we could ever wish for. Amen

Bible Text: John 6:41-51 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

Did you know that the smell of fresh baked bread can trigger a happier, more optimistic mood and therefore makes us kinder to strangers. It is apparently, scientifically true, I read it on the internet. Published in a 2012 journal of social psychology, researchers at the University of South Brittany in France discovered that the smell of baked bread triggers a more positive mood, “which leads to a great degree of altruism in strangers.” In fact, good deeds also apparently rise when fresh bread is in the air. Perhaps it is something in our DNA because the baking of bread goes back to at least 30,000 years ago. Archaeologists believe that unleavened bread was consumed as early as the Paleolithic period during the time of early Homo sapiens who were predominantly hunters and gatherers. Bread became a staple during the Neolithic period, about 10, 000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent which includes modern day Israel and Palestine. Bethlehem in Hebrew means, house of bread. Bread in some form is the only food that is a staple in diets around the world.

Jesus’ dialogue last week, this week and next week will be entirely based on bread. Just as the miracle three weeks ago was the story of the loaves and fishes. I’m sorry to say that this is not a gluten free series. This is actually a challenge for preaching because we cannot live on bread alone and you don’t want me preaching on bread alone. It can, quite frankly, get very stale. However, while these passages are interconnected and all come from the 6th chapter in John, each section has a separate theme and development. I believe it is for this reason that the World Council of Churches breaks up the lectionary in such a way. If we tried to unpack all of John 6 in one Sunday it would be one very long sermon. And You know, I don’t like long sermons. As a result we will carefully seek to draw out the differences within the readings. Last week was a prologue and it introduced us to Jesus’ analogy. Jesus was attempting to explain that he is the gift from God for the world- just as bread nurtures the body so Jesus nurtures the soul. This week we begin to see that Jesus nurtures the soul by drawing us into God. But as Jesus tries to explain this concept the crowd struggles to see past a few things and struggles to understand what Jesus is saying.

Immediately in our section the crowd cannot move past that Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” Two things catch them and they just seem unable to move beyond it. First, they are taking Jesus’ words literally and that literally does not work. Jesus communicates predominantly through parables and stories and analogies in an attempt to make all this difficult theology understandable but it seems to have certainly failed in this instance in part because the crowd is taking it too literal. When we take certain passages in the Bible literally instead of understanding God’s wisdom we get caught up in those words. The Bible is full of history, emotion, story, parable, culture, and mostly it is about people trying to navigate their relationship with God. The greatest divisions throughout the Christian church is because we refuse to be open to the God breathed allegorical beauty of Scriptures. The passage for next week will continue this concern and highlight the dangers of thinking that Jesus is literally bread.

The crowd also complains about Jesus’ message because they have a presumed knowledge about Jesus. When Jesus says he comes from the Father, from God, the crowd looks at each other and says- “but don’t we know his parents? Isn’t his father the carpenter up the road? We know his parents and therefore we can’t possibly believe a word this yokel local says.” The crowd decides that he can’t possibly come from Heaven because they know his parents. Familiarity breeds contempt. Due to their presumed knowledge they are not open to understanding what Jesus is trying to say.

New Testament scholar Brian Petersen calls this “theological irony” because the crowd professes to know Jesus’ father and mother but that only reveals a total ignorance of the Father who sent Jesus. The truth is not found in knowing the human parents but rather the truth is found in knowing that Jesus has come from the Father in Heaven. The crowds self-assured “knowledge” blocks their ability to know the truth. I would argue that we, certainly me, have this problem also. We have difficulty seeing beyond what we “know” to be true and therefore we are unable to see the divine truth amongst us. A trivial example, I KNOW I put my keys down on the counter and therefore can not move beyond looking for them on the counter….only to discover that they are actually on the table. The crowd knows who Jesus’ parents are and therefore they cannot move beyond his earthliness- if only they could look beyond to discover that they are actually experiencing the divinity God- right in front of them.

Jesus doesn’t loose patience- at least not yet- because he explains that the only way to be drawn into faith is by the Father. The truth can only be revealed by God. Basically it is a two way relationship. We do not sit idly by waiting for God to open our eyes but God also doesn’t wait for us to finally see the truth through our own merit. This is challenging for us to understand because, as Petersen puts it, there is paradoxical tension in this text between the call to faith and the declaration that faith can only come from God. But this is also not a paradox that is to be unwound, it is simply the mystery of faith. Jesus’ words are to be heard and believed so that we may be drawn in by God and have faith. This bread from heaven not only nurtures our souls but also reveals our hearts to new possibilities and with God those possibilities are endless.

We can be fed by the Word, meaning that if we consume this bread, make it a staple of our diet, without the pretence of what it is supposed to taste like, what it is supposed to smell like, what it is supposed to feel like and instead just allow this bread to become part of our bodies then our eyes will be opened and we will be welcomed by God. But this means leaving some of our predetermined bias at the door. It basically means acting as if baked bread is in the air, all the time, as we remain positive and are kind to strangers and leave our selfish knowledge behind. It means being open to the allegorical wisdom of God and it means giving up our fallible knowledge for the truth found in God. Because there is going to be a greater theological irony and a tougher paradox found in faith when the bread from Heaven gives life to the word by dying for it. Amen