I publish weekly devotionals for use in "Home Worship".  Here is the printed version for August 1 2021

A video version can be found on Youtube at:  https://youtu.be/5cq4J3Ba9MM

John 6      The Bread of Life  (MSG)

²⁷ “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”

²⁸ To that they said, “Well, what do we do then to get in on God’s works?”

²⁹ Jesus said, “Sign on with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God’s works.”

^30-31 They waffled: “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

^32-33 Jesus responded, “The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world.”

³⁴ They jumped at that: “Master, give us this bread, now and forever!”

^35-38 Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.

Ephesians 4         The Old Way Has to Go

^20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

²⁵ What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

^26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

²⁸ Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

²⁹ Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

³⁰ Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

^31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Background:   In John 6 we see the people desperate to make Jesus a king and drive the Romans away, freeing them from the oppression and taxes of the Roman Empire.  Jesus also points out they were all looking for a free meal and are thinking in terms of the physical and not the spiritual.  Jesus was speaking metaphorically and the Jews were thinking literally.  Jesus spoke of food for the soul, not of the flesh.  Here are their questions and statements after Jesus told them to work for the food that sticks with you.  1.  “Well what do we do then to get in on God’s works?”  2.  “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are?”  3.  “Show us what you can do, when we see what is up we will commit ourselves.”  4.  “You fed us, Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert.”  5.  “Give us this bread, now and forever.”

They wanted quid-pro-quo, something in exchange for their pledge of loyalty.  Anyone who has watched courtroom drama on TV, who has been involved in politics, or has been involved in labor negotiations knows this phrase.  Wikipedia defines it as “Quid pro quo is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours", and "one hand washes the other". Other languages use other phrases for the same purpose”  

In some ways you cannot blame the Jews for their history is rooted in a similar relationship with Yahweh who told them to follow the laws of Moses and He would be their God.  Jesus was in the business of establishing a new era, one of Grace or simply put, “Unmerited Favors Without Condition” or “Hope without paying”, or “Food for the soul, for free, forever”  Just believe it comes from the Father through me. 

Then there is the letter to Ephesian Christians who were told, “Abandon the old ways”.  They believed the message of Jesus and continued their old ways, or “Hope without cost”.  Stop, he says, “everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life” Paul taught them to partner with Jesus in life, receive the Holy Spirit and live as the Spirit teaches.  Sadly enough, their behavior was of the flesh and not the Spirit.  They continued, under the guise of Christianity, to live as people of the world, governed by the prince of the power of the air, Satan himself.  For example, let there be:  No more lies, vs. 25  2. No anger past bedtime, vs. 26. No stealing, get an honest job, vs 28. No dirty or foul talk, say only what edifies vs 29. Do not grieve God, vs 30. And, be gentle and forgive one another. Vs 31.  

Lessons:   1. The people picked up the word labor and misinterpreted it to mean they had to work for salvation. They completely missed the word, give. Steeped in legalistic religion, they thought they had to “do something” to merit eternal life. Jesus made it clear that only one “work” was necessary—to believe on the Savior. When a person believes on Christ, he is not performing a good work that earns him salvation. There is certainly no credit in believing, for it is what God does in response to our faith that is important (see Eph. 2:8–10).  Do You Believe? 

2.  This sermon on “the bread of life” is actually a dialogue between Christ and the people, especially the religious leaders (“the Jews”). We see four responses of the crowd to the Lord Jesus in John 6: seeking (vv. 22–40), murmuring (vv. 41–51), striving (vv. 52–59), and departing (vv. 60–71). How would you respond?  When you participate in Holy Communion, do you see the table as one prepared by Christ for you?  And do you see it as food for the soul?  Jesus pointed out that there are two kinds of food: food for the body, which is necessary but not the most important; and food for the inner man, the spirit, which is essential. What the people needed was not food but life, and life is a gift. Food only sustains life, but Jesus gives eternal life.

3.  In His reply to their impetuous request, Jesus used two key words that often appear in this sermon: come and believe. To come to Jesus means to believe on Him, and to believe on Him means to come to Him. Believing is not merely an intellectual thing, giving mental assent to some doctrine. It means to come to Christ and yield yourself to Him. At the close of His sermon, Jesus illustrated coming and believing by speaking about eating and drinking. To come to Christ and believe on Him means to receive Him within, just as you receive food and drink.

4.  John 6:37–40 contains Jesus’ explanation of the process of personal salvation. These are among the most profound words He ever spoke, and we cannot hope to plumb their depths completely. He explained that salvation involves both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. The Father gives men and women to the Son (John 6:37, 39; 17:2, 6, 9, 11–12, 24), but these men and women must come to Him, that is, believe on Him.

Conclusion:  Fast forward to the Ephesians selection and see an example of people who believe but are not disciples!  The behavior of Ephesian Christians is an example of people who play church and want the benefits of Eternal Hope without the commitment to following in the footsteps of Christ.  If this, is you, repent, turn your life away from the desires of the flesh and this world.  Make an about face and walk the walk and life of Christ.  

Reflection

My sister, the Contemplative Cat, posted these questions which became a challenge for me to respond.  


These are her questions:

If you could live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose and why?

If you could learn to be an expert at something without putting in the work, what would it be?

If you could learn a new language instantly, which would you choose and why?

If you could give $1 million to any charity, which would you choose?

When was your Robert Frost moment a la "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..."? The poem says you can't go back and that is true. "Way leads on to way" and so forth. But if you could, would you? What is the difference you think it would have made?

Time travel: where would you go and when? Why?
Who would you want on your fictional character bowling team? You get to pick four.

What would you want for your last meal?

What's your favorite song?

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

If you came over to my home and I offered you a drink, what would you want me to serve you?

1.  The to relive would be the year I got Married.  I would like to experience the whole time just as it was.  My time of discovery in this new relationship was most enjoyable.  

2.  I would like to learn the guitar and how to read music.  I see the joy of performers when they get "in the zone" and would like to experience this for myself.  

3.  The new language to learn is Spanish, or Mexican.  There are so many Latino speaking people in America, I would like to reach out in friendship.  

4.  My 1 million dollars would go to a local not-for-profit that provides shelter and services to abused women and children.

5.  My fork in the road:  Ministry is my passion but it did not become my career path.  The church I chose did not meet the needs of my family.  I made my career in government and a hobby in ministry. If I could I would select a denomination from the four, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, or Methodist.  

6.  Time Travel:   I have to give more thought to this and the bowling team.  

7.  My last meal would be a thick cut ribeye with garlic mashed potato and a ceasar salad.  

8.  My favorite song is "Going Home"  Play at my remembrance service.  

9.  I took a personality assessment that placed me in the introvert category.  I enjoy my me time.  

10.  A drink?  Ice cold water is my preference.  The farm well of my youth was 80 feet deep.  A drink from the spigot at the well was a daily dream of mine.   

Princess and the Pauper

So, There I am, on the floor of the Boston airport, in the common area at the front of Delta Airlines.  My flight is boarding, the attendant is droning on with instructions to different groups, the line is moving, and I see my wife in line, with her two bags, a carry on and personal.  She saw my fall and turned from the Delta passenger gathering towards me and ran to join the gathering crowd surrounding me.

So, on the floor, propped up by the pack on my left shoulder I was in pain from the attention from the airport EMT.  He was re-positioning my leg to get a better look, and secure any possible break.  Thanks to a physically hard child hood, a considerable amount of physical labor, and multiple surgeries, I have a fairly high tolerance to pain.  But, when he moved my leg to a more symmetrical line with the rest of my body, I had a new appreciation for Paul Sheldon when Annie Wilkes broke his ankle with a sledge hammer in the movie, Misery.  I felt that at the top of my head.

After he positioned my leg and immobilized the foot, it all went calm, and I could talk to those around me.  The first one to merit my attention was my wife who exclaimed "What Happened".  To which I replied, "A stupid old person trick, I fell"  She took my hand and I started to respond to those around me.  I remember a conversation with the security guy who told me not to feel bad, he watches seniors fall all the time, and at least once per day one or two leave in an ambulance.  I wondered if I was to be today's ambulance victim.  The EMT guy then informed me that I would not be allowed to board the plane without an exam by a physician and an ambulance was on the way.  My response was more dread and the thought that I would not be going home today.

Then the crowd parted and I heard the rattle of tools, carts and bags associated with the first responders, the real Emergency Medical Technicians.  This the group who serve both as medics and fire fighters.  They are the elite of the business and the ones who carry the wounded from the location of the event to medical help.  This team consisted of two young women, in their late twenties? dressed in impressive gear with pockets of scissors, gauze pads, knives, wraps, and more.  They took charge.  Everyone backed up and went quiet.  One went to my foot and the other stayed at my head.

So many things happened, fast, that I do not remember much.  I did notice the one at my head had a dime store Tiara in her hair.  I asked about and learned, from her partner that she had been "Haughty Taughty" with her co-workers and they dubbed her "The Princess" and had to wear the crown until her disposition improved.  The princess retorted with an announcement that her co-worker was the pauper and paupers bow to royalty, and furthermore, the pauper has to drive.  The banter continued which served to distract me from my situation.  I told them to take this show to comedy central.  Very quickly I was loaded on the geurney, my wife came to my side and we were off to Massachusetts General Hospital.  

In reflection, I was so impressed with the professionalism of those who served me.  The Security guy was, I am told, on his way to help me get my ticket and card when I fell.  The airline executive gave my wife his cell phone number and promised he would personally see that we get to our destination without hassle and without extra charge.  The airport EMT rounded up the three bags and made sure they were in the ambulance.  And, they all were so nice.
 

"No good can come from this" I thought as I fell towards the beautifully shined floor of the airport in Boston MA.  We had just concluded a wonderful Fall color tour of the northeastern USA and Canada.  The trees were green which made it the only color of the north east foliage we saw, but the places we visited, the people we met, the food we sampled and the fun we enjoyed more than made up for the loss of color.

I was only steps away from the airline gate where people were boarding our flight for the first leg of the journey home.  I dropped the boarding pass and identification card and stopped to retrieve them.  I was carrying a pack weighing thirty pounds and decided the best way was to kneel on the right knee and leave the pack draped over my left shoulder while I pick up the papers.  As I rose to a standing position, the pack shifted, throwing me off balance and back to the floor leaving my left foot flat on the floor making the pivot point an area just above the left ankle bone.  I heard a "Pop Pop" and resumed my fall to the floor.

There I lay, on the floor, cushioned by the pack, shocked that this happened, and worried that I would miss the flight.   My wife was in line for boarding and watched the whole thing happen.  A security officer and a nearby patron were immediately by my side, holding me still so I wouldn't do any more damage to the foot.  By then it was apparent the foot was broken, not just from the immediate pain, but the odd angle of the ankle bone in proximity to the rest of the foot.

Then a circle of people gathered, my wife, an airline officer, (He was in a uniform but not a pilot), an EMT from the airport, and curious onlookers.  "Help me up, I have a flight to catch" I said to whoever would listen.  I then tried to move the left leg and it would not move.  It was as if the leg was paralyzed and knew not to allow me any more motion until it is fixed.  I took my arm and tried to roll to a position for mobility.  A shot of pain went up my leg, convincing me that I was at the mercy of the health care system.  I relaxed and waited.  I was broken.