Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; John 6: 24-35
Last week, we read the story of Jesus turning five little
loaves of bread and two small fish into enough food for thousands. The hungry
folks ate it up. Today, they have gone looking for Jesus because they are
hungry again.
But Jesus wants nothing to do with giving them more food. He
accuses them of misunderstanding his message. Well, wouldn’t we, too? ‘We’re hungry,
you fed us, please do it again, Jesus!’
So, he tries to explain. ‘The manna the ancient Israelites received
was not from Moses but from God. This is the true bread from heaven, which
gives life to the world.’ The crowd says, ‘We want more of that kind of bread.’
This passage is full of double-entendres, words that have
two or more meanings. Bread of heaven, bread of life, signs. This is typical
John story-telling. People say one thing, Jesus says something that sounds the
same, but means something quite different. Jesus has given the people real
bread, and asks them to think of him as the real bread. If they believe in him,
they don’t need anything else. I am sure the folks were still confused.
The word ‘sign’ is John’s way of saying miracle with a
powerful message added. There are seven signs in John’s Gospel: water into
wine; feeding thousands; healing several people; giving sight to the blind man;
raising Lazarus from death. Jesus’ signs include a message of abundance, the
reminder that God’s love is for all people, and the stunning revelation that
God has power over illness, blindness, and even death.
It’s tempting to think that these signs occurred during
Jesus’ time only. Certainly, these specific events happened while Jesus walked
the earth. But I believe God sends us signs all the time, and we can see them if
we are looking for them. They are signs of God’s presence!
I saw signs of God’s presence frequently during my time in
Nebraska last week. I attended a retreat for Lutheran Franciscans. We are a
motley crew of pastors and lay people, men and women, introverts and extroverts,
with a wide variety of gifts and interests. What unites us is our passion for justice
for all people, the joy of praying several times a day, and the practice of
holding lightly to the things in our lives.
… So, some stories about my week. I traveled on Monday, going
through Charlotte to Omaha. When I got to Omaha, I sought out a person I hadn’t
yet met, whom I had offered to drive to the retreat center. Once we found each
other, we went together to the car rental counter. I had reserved the least
expensive subcompact car. The woman at the reservation counter asked about how
many people would be in the car. I said, just the two of us for now, but maybe
more on the way back. When we went to pick up the car, we saw that I had
received a free upgrade to a nice sedan.
… One of my favorite activities of the retreat is peer
spiritual direction. In order to be the people God created us to be, we take time
for spiritual care, examining our lives by asking the question: ‘what is the
state of your soul today?’ In groups of four, we take turns listening to each
other, commenting on things we notice, celebrating the joys and encouraging the
tough parts of our journey. While we don’t always want to hear what others say,
it is always helpful to learn more about ourselves.
… One morning, I sat with Sally, who always had an oxygen
concentrator with her. We talked about health challenges. She has an
auto-immune disease. I will eventually need a knee replacement, my lungs have some
limits, and the sprained ankle and bruised knee from a fall on Sunday were
limiting my activities. Sally said, ‘I am glad to discover I am not alone in my
limitations.’
… On the way home, the ride from Omaha to Dallas was smooth;
so was the ride from Dallas to Tampa. We arrived almost 15 minutes early. But,
there was a plane still at our gate, so we had to wait. In the meantime, storms
rolled in. Winds from 50-60 miles an hour and skies-opening water were
fascinating to experience in an airplane on the tarmac. Water streamed in a
river across the pavement in a flood that would knock gate crews off their
feet.
We sat there for over an hour and a half until the lightning
ended and it was safe for the crew to be outside. In the meantime inside the
plane, strangers became friends. Without the noise of the engines, we could
hear each other talk. Might as well learn more about each other: my seatmate
lived in Carrollwood and worked all over the country with electronic systems. While
no long-lasting relationships happened, we were, for a short time, a community.
… These events seem ordinary, people meeting and talking
together in a variety of settings. Yet, I believe God was in them. God helps us
communicate with each other. God is always prompting us to hear what is
happening in each other’s souls. God prompted the conversation about the size of
the car which led the agent to surprise us with an upgrade. God helped Sally
and me to talk about our health challenges so Sally would realize she is not
alone in her suffering. And while the wind and rain are expressions of the
world God created, it was the Spirit which helped us shed our tendency to keep
to ourselves and become community.
Here, then, are my grateful moments: for the agent who gave
me an upgraded rental; for those who listened to me and heard the depth of my
soul; for the conversation with Sally and the opportunity to encourage her in
her chronic illness; and for the community that made the wait in the airplane less
stressful.
Where have you seen the Spirit this week? What signs of God’s
presence have you noticed? Signs of God’s presence are always there if we take
time to look for them. These signs are pieces of the Bread of Life Jesus
promised us. Take and eat and enjoy.
Amen
