08/08/21 Sunday sermon

First Congregational Church
August 8, 2021
11th Sunday after Pentecost and Communion
John 6:41-51, Ephesians 4:25-5:2
“Out of the Mouths of Grace”
Rev. Dinah Haag, preaching

It’s always interesting to see how a change of direction on life’s journey can lead to places we’d never thought we’d encounter. Not being able to go fishing at the go-to place in Canada for the second year in a row allowed me to experience Couch Church, watching in pajamas and coffee, just like so many of you have done. And I’ve got to say, I understand the temptation.
Being in the U.S., with television reception during an Olympics year, with no regular bedtimes allowed me, like so many of you, to learn new lingo, like sail fish five, kick flip 540 and allie oop three over the hip. And if you don’t recognize those terms, they belong to the new competition addition of skateboarding.
Or these terms: knee scumming, pistol squat and bouldering - which come from? Sport climbing - another new addition. And had I been in Canada, with no internet or outside news, I would have missed the best of Olympic commercials - the one with the cat that fetches sticks, herds cattle, and goes out in a fishing boat for the ad about the Chevy Silverados. It IS an amazing cat - regardless of what the pick-up guy says.
The gospel passage for this morning has a lot of Christianese lingo - words and symbolisms that can be off-putting if you really think about them. Bread from heaven. Seeing God. Eating of bread that leads to living forever. Odd phrases.
It is more salient, remembering that right before the gospel passage, Jesus had just lead the huge miracle of feeding 5,000, plus women and children, with plenty of leftovers. Then he walked across the water to the disciples, during a rough storm, and in the morning, the crowds wondered and marveled at how that could have happened, being that there was only one boat, and no one saw Jesus get in it. Then right before this passage, the crowd asks for other miracles, to which Jesus answered that he is the Bread of Life.
John 6:41-51    Paul Robinson 41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” 43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’[a] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Like so much of what Jesus taught, his reference to bread was not multi-grained, but multi-layered. The first layer is, of course, that Christ came to give his life for us so that we could understand the bigger idea of God’s grand plan for our eternal life. But then there is the comparison of Jesus’ death and resurrection to wheat being crushed and remade into a life-giving form we call flour. And it’s the same with grapes and wine - or juice - crushing and remaking into something new. All the instances: Jesus, bread, grapes, lead to transformations far greater than if left alone, for the benefit of our body, mind and soul.
God could have chosen other ways to extend God’s grace and love to us, or chosen not to give any of it to us. And it’s so easy, being human, to get caught up in the daily aspects of our lives, that we forget about what a huge gift it is - all this that God has given us. When we are cognizant of the immense gift(s) we’ve been given, how do we react? Our second scripture passage gives us some rather ingenious ideas.
Ephesians 4:25-5:2    Mary Osborn 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,  forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Thank you, Mary. I have to say, it was rather tempting to drop the mic at that point and walk away, letting those words have the last say. But that would be missing an opportunity to embrace another of those gifts of grace through our Lord’s Supper.
One of the Reformed theologians referred to The Lord’s Supper as “spiritual food and drink for the time between” Christ’s first and second comings. We partake of Christ’s holy gifts so that we can edify and elevate the world around us with grace, seeing beyond the surface of life, because we see the face of Christ in every person who is poor, ill, naked or in prison - which, of course - is all of us at one point or another in one manner or another.
From the mission of the gospel passage - to bring life - to the implementation of the letter from Ephesians - to choose a lifestyle that brings even greater life - we have this multi-layered food of distinction.
It’s so simple, you can take it with you to the beach, especially since beverages come in more portable containers these days. And yet, it has the flavors of thanksgiving, illumination like the disciples realizing Christ in their presence at that shore breakfast after his resurrection, eternal and unending nourishment, a testimony of our unity and fellowship as Christ’s church, as a seal on our relationship in covenant with God - and more. The complexity of aroma and harmony and incorporation is practically culinary-inducing.
In our rush-about, fast-paced, instant-satisfaction world, I wonder how many of us take a little time to think about really, seriously changing ourselves for the better. We hear often enough, that we aren’t getting old, we’re getting better. But I’m talking about something more specific. What is - I’m not going to say “if” because we all have something on which we can work - what is the one thing - even a little thing - that you can work on, to become a better person - for God - out of gratitude for all that God has done for you? (pause)
We don’t need to broadcast this goal, because the one who really matters in seeing the results of it is God, and God already knows. So how are you going to go about this one thing? Will you need to do some “re-dos” - even stopping in mid-sentence or mid-action - to back up and take another path or move or voice? Will you need to decide to give up something to which you cling, so that you will discover the far greater and life-giving thing just around the corner? Might you need to practice seeing to see or hearing to hear? Might we all need to yearn more to transform the expression, “Out of the mouths of babes,” to the reality and life of “out of the mouths of grace?” As we allow our hearts to prepare for our Lord’s Supper, let us bring our freedom of choice in becoming greater partners in Christ’s mission to the table.
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper You will want to open the smaller end of the cup combination first. You may also wish to partake of the bread together, symbolizing our unity, and then to drink from the cup as you feel lead, in acknowledgment of God’s love for the unique you. This is an open table and all are always welcome.
Let us pray. God of all time and all life, thank you for that with which you’ve blessed us - especially for that which is so much greater than we often realize. Thank you for giving us second, third and even infinite chances to live our best lives, even to bringing others closer into relationship with you. As iron sharpens iron, sharpen our own abilities to put aside that which takes away or shatters life, to be able to be what you have seen in us from so long ago. Thank you for our mission and helping us to bring about the best fulfillment to all the aspects that this journey has for us. And all your people say, Amen.