First United Methodist Church
August 4th, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Build Up...In Love
I had one of my first encounters with AI a few years ago. I had a cat and a dog and windows that couldn’t be opened, and I was trying to figure out a way to get rid of the “dog smell” from my house when I came across one of those super attention getting advertisements on Facebook. It said something like, “The perfect solution to make your house smell great!”
I wondered how it knew. But once I got passed that concern, I clicked on the link and started reading the article, and I didn’t get very far before I realized that it was an advertisement for cleaning supplies – they called it “the Method.” Can you imagine my disappointment?
I didn’t want to buy a bunch of cleaning products to make my house smell good. I wanted a miracle – something that would give me the illusion of having a clean house without having to do any work. In other words, I was looking for a shortcut!
Well, for those of you who are worried about the condition of the parsonage, I bought the products and I still use the products. And they were right. My house smells better. But that’s not the point.
The point is that we often use this same approach when it comes to our spirituality. There are no shortcuts for discipleship! John Wesley also developed a different “Method” – the regular practice of prayer, fasting, Bible Study, Worship and acts of mercy. He believed that participating in these practices kept our focus on the love of God and neighbor, resulting in everyday actions that reflected or pointed to God’s presence in the world.
In the scriptures we have read throughout the summer, we have encountered Jesus as he travels throughout the countryside, showing people that God is near, available, interested and compassionate. His ministry includes healing the sick, banishing harmful spirits, teaching with noticeable authority, raising the dead and forgiving sins. In other words, through his works of mercy and healing, he demonstrates in a practical way what the Kingdom of God would look like.
In today’s scripture, Jesus encounters resistance from the very people he fed the day before. They challenge him and demand another sign. They say to him, "Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Even though they had just eaten the bread that Jesus multiplied right before their eyes, the crowd addresses Jesus with skepticism and doubt.
One of the reasons the people had so much difficulty seeing what Jesus revealed through this miracle is because they were focused on what they lacked, rather than what they received. Cheri Lowe, better known as “the Queen of Free” is a woman from Indianapolis who offers practical advice for saving money. She has a website and a book and faith that can move mountains. She and her husband were able to pay off about $100,000 in debt in just a few years. One of the things that she suggests that we do at the beginning of every month is to make a list of our blessings. She says when we do this, we experience more joy because our focus is on what we have rather than what we do not.
This is good advice for the church also, because I think a lot of time we are so focused on what isn’t happening that we overlook the places where God is working in the world.
When Jesus responds to the people, "What Moses gave you was not the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven. And this bread, the bread of God, gives life.” The people say to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Throughout this passage, Jesus uses various images to illustrate a relationship with him. Just as Jesus’ “food” is to do the work of God, the people have work to do as well. Their work is to do God’s will by believing in the One God has sent. But the people don’t want to work. They simply want their desires fulfilled.
How is the Holy Spirit supposed to function in this type of environment? I ask this, because I think this is the place where the church is finding itself today. We live in a world that mistrusts, takes offense to, or essentially rejects the Church. Although people recognize the church as a generous organization, their lack of faith prevents the Holy Spirit from having any authority in their lives. If we understand the Kingdom of God to be the rule of God and the realm of the Kingdom in the hearts and minds of those who accept this rule, then we as the church have a responsibility to open our doors and make room for non-believers in our ministries.
Jesus challenges doubters to forsake the food that doesn’t last and accept the food that endures to eternal life. In Christ, God is always giving, always strengthening, always feeding our greatest needs.
People who are outside the church usually recognize and understand that the church is generous, which is a good thing. But people outside the church are paying attention to everything else that we do as well.
And this is why we find statements such as this one in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians directing them to “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Over the past couple of weeks I have witnessed the church in action right here in Plymouth. Due to an unsafe condition 19 people at the Pointe had to evacuate their apartments. In addition to the aid provided by the town, the Neighborhood Center, and Link to Hope, several local churches including ours responded with meals and other items. Last Saturday Johnson and Danielson Funeral Home was filled from front to back with people who gathered to celebrate the life of Darren Morgan, and this week many of us took the time to drive by the Rans’ home to share our love with Delbert on his birthday. It brought tears to my eyes to see so many people show up in this act of love. And in between all that we served about 200 meals to the community.
These are just the things that got noticed. I know that we don’t do ministry in order to bring attention to ourselves, but as disciples, we are called a life of service. For Jesus, that service begins with showing up for one another. Take a minute and think about what the world would be like if every person in the world could count on a whole church to show up when they encountered a crisis!
Jesus traveled around Palestine proclaiming the message of salvation as he carried out acts of mercy and healing. And every time he encountered a group of people, he offered compassion. He demonstrated both to them and to the world that they were worthy of God’s love.
He shows us that through mission and mercy, humanity can begin the process of reconciliation with God and therefore hope for eternal life in heaven.
In order for the world to believe Christ’s message, the church must continue Christ’s mission of reconciliation.
The best way to do this is through ministries that practice healing and mercy.
When we focus on blessings, or the places where we see Jesus at work in the world, we make room for the Holy Spirit. Through ministries that practice healing and compassion, the Kingdom of God becomes real, and we are able to build up the Kingdom, in love. Amen.
