Being Fed by Bread in Covid Times

This sermon can be listened to here
 Gate Pa – 22 August 2021 in Level 4 Lockdown
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings:
Psalm                          Psalm 84                                                                 
First Reading:             1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43 
Second Reading:        Ephesians 6:10-20        
Gospel:                        John 6:56-69                                   
What I want to say:
Acknowledge various responses to lockdown, and how the readings from John 6 help to respond as disciples, being fed by living God in all we do.
What I want to happen:
people to let go of their fear, and embrace freedom and life of God

The Sermon

      1.    Introduction:

Covid is back in our midst
I wonder how you are all responding to that?
For some not a lot of difference from normal
Some offers welcome rest
-        Return to slower way of being for a few days
Others added stress
-        Think all those work in essential services making this work
-        Especially members of our parish doctors
Those with children at home, and teachers
Those just find this hard, stressful, and lonely time
Want to start by acknowledging all of those responses
Need help please ask
       2.    Readings
Honestly say that readings don’t seem to offer a lot of help here
1st Testament reading – all about Solomon and Temple
-        Talking about holy places
o   when we can’t go to our holy place
o   Our church at St. Georges
Gospel – comes from part of John which is about as close to eucharistic teaching as you get in John
-        All about Jesus the living bread
è What we can’t receive communion – again.
Not seem to be very helpful in our current context.
Despite that want offer couple thoughts

        3.    Context

First is to note kind community that John’s gospel came out of
While it has John’s name to it
Community, with all issues and community life that helped shape it and gave it life
Community that witnesses fall Jerusalem and destruction of temple
Seen their Jewish sect cast out of mainstream Judaism and synagogues
Persecuted by Roman authorities as atheists
From letters of John
-        Suffered serious conflict
-        Like disciples in today’s story
-        Many disciples had left,
Life was hard
Unexpected
Very uncertain
Sounds a little bit like what we are living through today
For church
For world
For us as individuals and community
Life is hard
Unexpected
Very uncertain
Gospel written to remind and encourage John’s fellow disciples
Written for us as we seek to live as disciples today.

       4.    Disciples

Word disciple is tricky
Come to mean someone who believes certain things about God
In Bible - Disciples are people who serves
-        How they lived marked them as disciple
Reading for Friday from Matthew
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind.
Love others, your neighbours, as yourself (Matthew 22:27)
Be a disciple is to love.
Who are we to love during this time?
And how?

       5.    Living Bread

Which might sound like hard work
-        clearly did for some disciples in story
-        And in John’s community
So, John’s community offer this Gospel clear message
-        that God is in our midst
In the hardest of times that they lived through
God was in their midst
-        As living bread from heaven
-        Yes, in bread they shared as they gathered
-        Other ways as well
In times we are living through
God is in our midst
As living bread from heaven
-        Communion
-        More than that
But as we shared when talked about this couple weeks ago
-        In care we offer and receive from each other
-        In care we offer and receive from others
-        In times we spend in our “holy places””
o   gardens
o   Other places that give us life
-        In times we stop for prayer, reading bible, silence

       6.    Lord’s prayer

Lord’s prayer is all about this
We are about use alternative form that prayer from Night Prayer
Where we pray that
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
Much of that prayer is about being fed and sustained by living bread
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
May these words shape how we are disciples during this time.
Invite you to pray this prayer each day
Give thanks for ways being fed
-        including when serve others as disciples
 

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