Rev. George Miller
August 18, 2024
John 6:51-58
Today is our third officially- official
Sunday together.
It’s our last Sunday in John’s Gospel.
It’s our First Sunday Funday in which our
amazing Michele is going to share the art of architecture and how to create
something out of anything.
Kind of reminds us of Genesis 1-
“In the beginning when God created the
heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the
face of the deep,
while a wind of God swept over the face of
the waters.
Then God said, ‘Let there be light,”: and
there was light.”
Creation. Imagination. Play.
What a wonderful activity to share with
our youth, families and anyone else, young, old, or middle aged who wish to
attend.
To come together, to fellowship, to
imagine, to explore. But here is the
thing about architecture-
things that can be physically built, can
be physically destroyed.
Things we build with stone and brick,
Legos and pipe-cleaners can always be dismantled and destroyed, knocked down by
winds or washed away by water.
BUT, but the things we build, the things
we create with our hearts, with our minds, our spirits- they are eternal.
And no distance, no space, no time, no
natural disaster can wipe them away.
Architects build that which can be
destroyed;
God creates that which lives on as long as
we have breath, and we believe.
Genesis teaches us how God creates; Jesus
shows us how to exist in the eternal, and we are all so fortunate about that…
Today is the final part of Jesus’
conversations with the crowd after he has fed them with 5 loaves and 2 fish.
The people sailed across the lake to see
him. They’ve been reminded of their
ancestors.
They’ve shown their disbelief because they
knew just where Jesus went to school.
Today Jesus shares more about the Bread of
Heaven, and he goes a step further, discussing eternal life.
The people and the disciples don’t get
it. “This teaching is just too
difficult” they say.
And that’s understandable, because there
is a good chance that everyone is thinking way more with their logical brain than
engaging with their interactive heart.
There is a very good chance that Jesus is
actually talking in the abstract, in the creative and emotional realm that
allows true Genesis to take place.
People hear the word “eternal” and they
often think about time.
But the original meaning of “eternal” has
nothing to do with time, it has to do with quality.
When people hear “eternal,” they think it
means “forever and ever with no end.”
But the original meaning of eternal is
about value, beauty, joy.
For example, think about that time in
American history that people refer to as our “Camelot.”
It was an era seen as filled with hope,
progress, possibilities, a time of being that still shapes our thoughts and
wishes today.
But the fact is that America’s “Camelot”
was just a three-year period in the early 60’s.
3 years is not a long time at all, but yet,
that era has stayed with us, informed movies, styles, discussions about how we
can be the best citizens we can be.
That period of time in America’s history
is in many ways “eternal.” It did not
last forever, but it has forever left an impact.
When Jesus discusses the Bread of Heaven
and receiving the gifts of Eternal Life, he is most likely talking about how we
can live a life of hope, progress, possibility.
A more recent illustration of “eternal” is
the life of Glenn Scott, husband of Margit, who sadly died at age 58.
Though his life was way too short, Glenn
built homes, raised an amazing family, went on world-wide excursions,
He ate delicious foods and made a
difference in his community through ecological advocacy.
Glenn lived a Christian life through the
works of his hands and feet, and in doing so, he lived an eternal life.
“Eternal” is such a beautiful word and
such a stunning concept, because it means-
we are not limited by how long we live, or
where we dwell or who we know.
This Eternal Life being offered by Jesus
Christ is a life that offers ways of personal peace,
-means to make a difference amongst
family, friends, our neighbors;
-wisdom in where we put our energies, what
we do with our days;
-sanctuary for when we find ourselves
scared, sad, unsure;
-relationships with people who are present,
pleasing, and playful.
When Jesus discusses Eternal Life, he is
referring to places like St. Lucas where for 144 years we have found ways to-
share the Word, educate, offer spaces for
people to grow vegetables, play sports, eat Walkable Waffles,
even a place to lovingly bury and honor
our dead.
People came to Jesus expecting miracles to
baffle their eyes; instead he says words that illuminate their hearts and bring
them closer to God.
Jesus offers us eternal life.
Life that goes beyond a garden, life that
goes beyond the wilderness,
life that even goes on beyond a Friday Cross
and a Saturday tomb.
Jesus is the Bread of Heaven,
here to feed us, nourish us, and remind us
that he is a Savior who cares about quality,
who wants to see us be architects who co-create
lives that are filled with hope, filled with progress, and filled with
possibilities.
The eternal gifts of Heaven are already
here for us to build with;
Jesus Christ is the Genesis, the
beginning, of how we do so.
For that, let us say Amen.
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