Finding Faith ... in an abiding life in and with Jesus

EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2017 I began a new venture as a synodically authorized minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. The ride over the past 3 1/2 years has been an amazing journey of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Aug. 11, the 12th week after Pentecost. For the summer, we moved to live Wednesday night services that were simultaneously livestreamed.

This week's preaching text: John 6:51-58

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Message:

So, here we find ourselves in Week Four of "The Bread of Life Discourse." If you haven't been keeping score in the past month, yes, we are still in the Gospel of John Chapter 6, and we will be there for one more week. Next week, as well. ... So, five weeks in the span of one chapter!

Throughout most of this past year, and in fact, in the other two years of the lectionary, we seem to zoom through the texts. So, it seems as if the lectionary writers want us to grasp something here in John Chapter 6.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the biblical definition of the word "abide" is to 1.) "to bear patiently"; 2.) "to endure without yielding"; 3.) "to wait for"; and 4.) "to accept without objection."

It might sound strange that I'm focusing on the word "abide" tonight, as it appears only once in our gospel text tonight. But it's important to note that the entire gospel passage tonight boils down to this: Jesus wants a relationship with us that involves abiding in him, and he abiding in us. ... He is Christ, and he will tolerate nothing less. ... Because he is the Son of Man, and he desires only to be in relationship with us, to be our advocate.

Abide in you. ... Now, that's a word that can sound like a scary proposition, doesn't it? Abide means to live in a relationship with Christ, patiently. ... Abide means to live in relationship with Christ without yielding. ... Abide means to live in a relationship with Christ without objection. ... This means no more temper tantrums when impatiently, we are waiting for Christ to improve some situation in our daily lives. ... Abiding means that we trust without worrying, when all of our human instincts are trying to react to the alarm bells going off in our heads. ... Abiding means a full acceptance of Jesus Christ into our lives at all times, not just when it's convenient for us.

So abiding, now that's a big commitment!

But you might be thinking, "Wait a minute, you mean that Christ wants more from me than just going to church every week? ... And hold on, I just had communion up here last week. Doesn't that mean I'm good? Doesn't that absolve me of my sins. ... Oh, you mean Jesus wants a relationship with me? ... All the time?"

That is a lot of pressure! ... Ask anyone here tonight who has been married for any length of time, abiding with someone all of the time. ... It's a lot of work!

But that is Jesus's entire point. In tonight's gospel, he doesn't want an easy relationship with us. He wants one of those relationships in which he is down in the trenches, wrestling in the mud alongside of us. ... He doesn't want us just crying out in need when the world is putting it to us, and it feels like it's screwing us into the ground, or handing us a basket of lemons. ... He wants to be there with us in our everyday choices. He wants to be there in our ups and downs. ... He wants to be there with us or whether it's during service on Sunday, or on Monday at work, or Tuesday at school. ... Christ wants to be there with you here at church and at school, and on Friday nights when you're gathering with family. ... Christ, your lord and savior, wants to be there for you everywhere. ... He wants you to invite him in all of the time, regardless of the situation. ... So that is the $64000 question for us tonight.

As faithful people, we often talk a good game. I mean, we go to church and we take communion and by being nice to people. ... But really? ... Come on Jesus! ... Living in relationship with you, all of the time, in everything I do? ... That's a lot to ask, isn't it?

But that is exactly what Jesus is expecting of us, Faith Family! ... That is exactly what Christ is asking each of us. ... In the gospel, he is asking us to abide in him. ... To abide impatiently, and without yielding, and without objection. ... He wants us to give our lives over to him, just as he gave over his life for us. ... The Gospel of John is unlike the other three gospels; the Gospel of John is sometimes called the "Gospel of Life" because the word "life" is used 36 times in the Gospel of John. ... That's more than double all three of the other gospels together. ... And it just so happens that 17 of those occurrences of the word "life" appear here in this past four weeks and in the next week, all during "The Bread of Life Discourse" that we've been working through.

For John, eternal life is not something that God gives us in our next life, in that next kingdom. It is something that we experience here in this life. ... And Faith Family, Jesus in our text tonight is asking for an invitation into that earthly life of ours because that is what he means by being the "living bread that came down from heaven."

I go back to the text: "Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ... Did you pick up on that? "Whoever eats of this bread I give for the life of this world." ... Those are earthly concerns coming from our Lord Jesus. ... Jesus isn't waiting to develop a relationship with us in the next kingdom. He wants a relationship with you here and now! He wants to abide in relationship with you, and you to abide in relationship with him!

Let me read it from that text again: "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

That is a reference to the manner that God delivers to the Israelites in the wilderness, and it did sustain them. We know that from our old Testament stories. ... But what Jesus is referring to is that figurative "bread of life" will sustain us. ... Faith Family, Jesus isn't just talking about talking about communion a couple of times a month here. ... He's talking about commitment. ... He wants people who are all in, Faith Family! ... People who make a life-changing decision to give over their entire life to him. ... Your life-changing decision to abide in him, in every decision. ... To continue to eat the flesh and drink the blood to develop an all-encompassing life in ... and with Christ ... here, in this earthly life.

So, how about faith family? ... Are you ready? ... Because Christ is patiently waiting.

And that is the Good News this Wednesday, Aug. 11, the 12th week after Pentecost. ... Amen.