Sermon - Pentecost 

August 23, 2009 

One day, my watch stopped. There was no way that I could fix it. I did not take the watch to the grocer to fix it, I did not take it to postmaster, nor did I take it to the man who changes the oil in my car. I took it to the jewelry section of the store where I bought it. I knew where to go for what I needed.

For the past four Sundays, we have listened to Jesus speak about himself as "the bread of life." He is in the synagogue at Capernaum. I mentioned at the beginning of this series that I have been to that synagogue, and I remember how it was surrounded by a mass of ovens for baking bread. The scent of baking bread was likely in the air as he spoke these words. In this setting, Jesus speaks of himself as the "Bread of Life," and today we hear the results of his teaching.

Remember, the crowd came to Jesus because he had fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. The people wanted Jesus to stay and continue to feed them with this bread. They think there would be no more need of ovens, and no longer a need to pay for bread. However, Jesus turns the talk of bread into a discussion of the Living Bread of heaven. Jesus talks, and the people listen. Then, Jesus comes to the part we read this morning. Some of those listening to him in the Capernaum synagogue begin to grumble. The talk of eating flesh and drinking blood went too far for some who were there. "This is more than we can stand to hear!" they said. "Why listen to such talk?" Still thinking in terms of the loaves and fishes, many of his disciples dropped out, and no longer associated with Jesus.

The response of the twelve is different. Jesus asks them if they too want to leave him. Speaking for the group, Peter answers, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." We have faith and we know that you are the Holy One of God." Although Peter most likely did not fully understand what Jesus was saying, Peter knew to whom he could turn to fix what was broken in his life. Jesus had the words of eternal life. Peter did not have the words of eternal life, nor did the disciples, nor the ones who left Jesus. Only Christ had eternal life and it was him the twelve would continue to follow.

What happened in Capernaum is a reflection of what happens throughout history when it comes to Christ. People want Jesus to be what they make him to be. When he is not, they become angry and abandon him. Humans want God to be in our image rather than we conform to God's will. We feel that we make so much more sense than some of the things Jesus says and does. However, our words do not contain eternal life, they contain only the image of us and what we want.

The theme for the ELCA this year has been the phrase, "God's work. Our hands." The phrase sounds good. It has the sort of symmetrical balance that makes it appear meaningful. However, something in that phrase has bothered me for some time. I the very symmetry that makes the phrase sound meaningful, in fact places us on an equal level with God. It was God's work that saves us not ours. It was Christ's hands that were nailed to the cross, not ours. The only "us" and "our" on the cross was Jesus dying for us and suffering for our sins. It is by his stripes we are healed. It is by his wounds we are made whole. It is not us who fix the human condition, it is Christ.

There is something presumptuous about the phrase, "God's work. Our hands." It is as if God cannot work without us. The truth is that God made the world without us. Who are we to place ourselves on God's level? A better phrase might be, "God's work - may we be his instruments." That would more closely reflect the words of Peter, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."

All who were in the synagogue heard the same teaching, all knew the same Jesus. However, there are opposite reactions. Some reject what Jesus says and then desert him. Others welcome his words. They confess their faith and draw closer to him. The same man, the same message, but opposite reactions. Where does the difference lie?

The disciples who leave hear what Jesus says as a threat, a threat to their way of life, their accepted notions, their grip on reality. Those who continue to follow hear what Jesus says as a challenge. A challenge to their way of life, their accepted notions, their grip on reality. These disciples who remain may not completely understand what Jesus says. They may be uncomfortable with it. Never-the-less, they sense that he is the one who will fix what is broken in their lives. They have looked beyond the loaves and fishes towards the Living Bread of eternal life.

"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." Peter says this on behalf of the others. Jesus tells us to eat his body and drink his blood. Some leave because to them these words sound repugnant. However, we do eat his body, and we do drink his blood every time we partake of the Lord's Supper. My worship professor told me that we need to preach Holy Communion in such a way that the congregation realizes that when communing, they are literally eating and drinking God. We eat and drink because it is by his body and blood we are made whole. It is through him we are saved. It is not our hands, it is his work and his sacrifice that gives us life.

God's work redeems our sins. God's cross gives us victory. Christ's body and blood are the living bread that feeds us with his salvation. This is the Christ we joyfully and humbly serve and by whom we are fed. Amen.