Sidney UMC - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 08/29/21 - Sermon - “Dirty Hands Vs. Dirty Souls” (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 5 of 5)

Sunday 08/29/21 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:                “Dirty Hands Vs. Dirty Souls”

                    (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 5 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9                                     

New Testament Scripture: James 1:17-27

Gospel Lesson: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

          I remember sometimes when I was kid, we would have a nice Sunday family dinner. As a typical kid, I liked to play outside and get dirty sometimes. To come to mom or grandma’s dinner table however, you better have washed up before you come to the table. If I attempted to come to the dinner table dirty or with dirty hands, I would not have made it to the table. In fact, if I tried that I might not be standing here right now.

          It was not that me being clean made me a better person, it was more that if I got the table, the linens, or other parts of the table dirty, then that would be bad. It also showed respect to my mom, my grandma, and my family. Washing our hands, our face, and behind our ears was showing love and respect. I never did figure out why we cleaned behind our ears, as I cannot see my ears getting the dinner table dirty. That’s a whole different conversation, however!

          Having our hands, our faces, and behind our ears washed was not something that I learned in Sunday School. It was also not something that my parents taught me that God wanted from me, but it was more part of the culture or the tradition of my family. We washed up for dinner, as did and do many families. It was good hygiene, and it made sense. When I was younger, we also had to finish the food on our plate, and sometimes we asked to be excused from the dinner table. The whole thing about not talking as kids during dinner, was sure not the case at my house. We were always a chatty and jolly bunch.

          It was important, as I said, in my family to wash up for dinner, but whether we did this or not was not a reflection on us as a person. If I did not wash up, my family would not say that God was mad at me, but they sure might have been. It was not required by God, but it was part of the culture and the tradition of my family.

          A couple of summers ago, Melissa and I hosted a teacher from Japan at the church parsonage for a month. It was a great experience! I ate a lot more rice, I learned to bow as a sign of respect, Melissa was given a Kimono to wear, and I learned that most Japanese people do not wear their shoes in the house. In fact, most Japanese people take off their shoes at the door and put slippers on in the rest of the house. Does anyone here have a take your shoes off at the door policy at your house? When I do visits, I try to remember to ask if I should take off my shoes at the door. I do not think taking off your shoes at the door is biblical, but it is part of some cultures and traditions.

          I have also always enjoyed officiating weddings where “the bride to be” had to have, as that that old rhyme goes, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”. Certainly, a tradition that some still follow, like not seeing the bride until the marriage ceremony itself. None of these traditions are strictly biblical though. There might be some loose biblical references to them, but in general, it is culture, it is tradition. If we think about it, all of our families have elements of our culture and traditions that are not always required of us by God in the scriptures, but we have incorporated them into our lives.

          This is exactly what Jesus, and his disciples encounter in our gospel Mark reading for this morning. Before jumping into our gospel of Mark reading for this morning however, I want to recap this five-week sermon series, ending today, called once again, “Feeding the Body and the Soul”. In the gospel lessons that we have had for the past four weeks and today, we have parallels and connections between the realities here on earth, and the realities of God, or heaven.

          So far, we discussed the importance of sharing our faith in Christ with others, and also living out our faith through caring for the bodily needs of others. We talked about that while we are living on this earth, we should strive to be focused on God and heavenly things, more so than being focused on earthly things. We talked about how Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper is both earthly and divine, as bread and juice, or bread and wine, become something holy and divine in Holy Communion, and bring us into the real presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Last Sunday we talked about looking at someone’s flesh versus someone’s spirit or their soul. Jesus is interested in our souls, much more than our bodies. God is interested in our hearts, our spirits, and our souls while so many on this earth are only focused on the flesh or the body. May we be focused on the internal beauty, the spirit, and the soul of a person much more than their outward appearance.

          This takes me to the final sermon of this five-week sermon series for this morning, called “Dirty Hands Vs. Dirty Souls”.  Like going to the dinner table, “Dirty Hands” are earthly, but “Dirty Souls” are of a divine nature. As a result, we have the same reality of this sermon series called, “Feeding the Body and the Soul”.

          So, what is worse then, “Dirty Hands” or a “Dirty Soul”? If we are clean, if we are well groomed, and if we dress fancy, but do not know Christ, and do not love others, we look great on the outside, but are dark and unloving on the inside.

          It is interesting then that we read in Psalm 45:2  

² You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore, God has blessed you forever (Ps. 45:2, NRSV).

          This imagery in Psalm 45, of the Messiah, of Jesus, seems to indicate that the Messiah, that this Jesus, will be good looking. More than this though, this scripture is discussing that this Messiah, this Jesus will abound in inner beauty and inner grace. Jesus will be perfect inside and out.

          In our reading from the Book of James from this morning, it says in James 1:26-27 once again:

²⁶ If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (Jas. 1:26-27, NRSV).

          So again, there is what we believe, and there is what we do. What is better, “Dirty Hands” or a “Dirty Soul”? If we come to the dinner table physically clean, but morally and spiritually dirty, which one is worse?

          This is what Jesus encountered once again in our gospel of Mark reading for this morning. In looking at our gospel of Mark reading for this morning once again, it says starting in 7:1:

7 Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, ² they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. ³ (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; ⁴ and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles) (Mk. 7:7-4, NRSV). 

 

          The practice of hand washing, washing food, and washing dishes and cookware is very much part of the historical Jewish tradition and culture. These practices, however, are not strictly listed in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. I think that being clean and sanitary are great things. During the Middle Ages in Europe sometimes when an episode of Black Plague or Bubonic Plague would break out, Jews were sometimes blamed and persecuted for supposedly causing the plague. This, among other reasons, happened because often Jews were washed and were cleaned, so they did not get sick as much. This was mis-construed that the Jews were poisoning others, when they really just washed more, and were often more sanitary. This being said, and while washing and being sanitary is a good thing, these are not direct biblical laws from God.

          The gospel of Mark reading for this morning continues on saying:

 

⁵ So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; ⁷ in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ ⁸ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition” (Mk. 7:5-8, NRSV).

 

          Jesus and his disciples have not committed a sin, nor have they dishonored God, instead they have broken with the culture and the tradition. When it comes down to it though, what is more important the laws of God, or tradition? Jesus says what is in our hearts and what is in our souls is more important than the traditions that we have. Jesus tells the Pharisees and the scribes that they are correct that some of Jesus disciples are eating with dirty hands. Yet, while the Pharisees and the scribes have clean hands, Jesus accuses them of trading God for tradition. Jesus is telling them that they have taken their own traditions and placed them above God’s laws. It is good to have clean hands, but it is more important to have God in your heart and your soul. This is why my sermon title for this morning is called “Dirty Hands Vs. Dirty Souls”.

          If I were to come to church this morning with incredibly dirty hands then, it would be seen probably as inappropriate and not good. Yet, I would not have offended God, broken any of God’s laws, or hurt anyone. Our tradition would say it is wrong though. In general, it is good to wash your hands, but dirty hands should not take the place of the value and the love that we and God has for a person.

          In fact, Jesus ends this gospel lesson for this morning by saying once again:

¹⁴ Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” ²¹ For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²² adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³ All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mk. 7:14-15, 21-23, NRSV).

 

          So, Jesus doesn’t mean never wash your hands or eat anything at all no matter how crazy it is, but what he is saying is that it is what is inside of you that counts the most. We can dress right, we can act right, we can wash right, and we can pretend to live right, but if we do not know Jesus, and if we are not pure on the inside, then we are little more than hollows shells that are beautiful on the outside, but are broken and fallen on the inside. We look holy, we act holy, we present as holy, but inside we are broken and sinful.

          If our hands are dirty, especially at mom or grandma’s dinner table, this is not good, but it does not mean that we are bad people. The Pharisees and the scribes were often looking to catch Jesus on the smallest and the most insignificant infractions, when they themselves worked so hard to look the part and act the part, but maybe did not live or believe in the part.

          You see, you can look like a Christian, you can act like a Christian, you can go to church, you can give, etc., but if you haven’t been changed by Jesus Christ, you are living what you believe on the outside, but you are still broken and dead on the inside. This is what “Dirty Hands Vs. Dirty Souls” is all about, and why the bible speaks so much on “Feeding the Body and the Soul”. When it comes down do it, it is what we believe, it is our faith, and it is what is in our hearts that matters the most. Our behaviors, our hand washing, our love, our giving, etc., should all flow from our hearts and our souls being changed by Jesus Christ. For through Jesus and his life changing love we can not only have “Clean Souls,” but we can also have “Clean Hands.” Amen.

Sidney UMC - Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 08/22/21 - Sermon - “The Spirit Vs. The Flesh” (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 4 of 5)

Sunday 08/22/21 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:                 “The Spirit Vs. The Flesh”

                    (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 4 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 84                                   

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Gospel Lesson: John 6:56-69

          So, I remember when I was a little kid seeing a beauty pageant on TV. It was not the “Miss America Competition,” but it seemed similar. Various women from various parts of the country came out on the stage in various attire, and they also had a chance to speak. While what the women said when they spoke seemed to carry some weight, it seemed that the physical appearance of the women was the most important thing to winning the competition. I could have been wrong, but that is what it seemed like to me at about 7 or 8 years old.

          I tell you this, because as we all know there is a difference between what we look like bodily, and what is in our hearts, our souls, and our minds. Some of us have heard the term, “beauty is only skin deep,” and in continuing in my August sermon series called once again, “Feeding The Body and The Soul,” I want to talk about “The Spirit Vs. The Flesh.”

          Before jumping into this however, I wanted to briefly recap the last three weeks of this sermon series. In the first week of this sermon series, I compared our earthly realities to our heavenly realities, as I said as Christians that we are called to “Feed People and Feed People.” This means that we can feed souls the good news of Jesus Christ, as well as tend to the bodily needs of people. We can be concerned with earthly needs, while we are concerned with a person’s salvation and spiritual needs.

          In the second week of this sermon series, I talked about “Earthly Hunger and Thirst Vs. Heavenly Hunger and Thirst,” and in doing so I challenged us all to think about how much we are focused on the things of this earth, versus the things of heaven. Are we focused only on realities of our earthly life, or are we focused on God, and our heavenly realities?

          Last week I talked about how Jesus said we that must eat his flesh and drink his blood. In discussing this, I compared the earthly reality of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, with divine part of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper. I talked about how various churches and denominations understand the bread and the juice, the wafer and wine, and etc., when we partake of the sacrament of Holy Communion. In the United Methodist Church, we believe that when we partake of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper that Christ is spiritually present in us and in the bread and the juice. We are encountering the “Real Presence” of Christ in the partaking of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper. This is how the earthly and heavenly realities of the “Bread and Wine Vs. Body and Blood” come together in Holy Communion.

          So, while I have talked about offering people Christ, and at the same time taking care of their human or earthly needs, whether we are more focused on God or earthly things, and the nature of Holy Communion being both earthly and divine, what do we see when look at others? What do we see when we look at ourselves? Certainly, we can see and recognize whether we are more focused on earthly things versus divine things, but when see others and ourselves, what do we see?

          When I was about 7-8 years old and I watched that beauty pageant come on the TV, it seemed to me that the focus was not on, to quote my sermon title, “The Spirit” of the women, but rather “The Flesh”. I could be wrong about that once again, but this was my impression as young elementary student. I also think that if we are honest sometimes, we notice “The Flesh,” before we notice “The Spirit.” Have you ever seen the movie “Beauty and the Beast?” It turns out that the character the “Beast” had inner love and inner beauty before he was restored to his earthly appearance. In fact, most of my friends in high school and college never said, “You see him or her over there, they are really kind or really smart.” Do not get me wrong they did say things like that, but more often I heard comments that we would call “locker room chat.” The comments that were made were generally about “The Flesh” of the person, and not “The Spirit” of the person.

          Yet I have heard the term “Beauty is only skin deep,” and “Don’t judge a book by a cover.” So, what matters to us more, “The Spirit” or “The Flesh”? When I first met Melissa, I thought, as I still do think that she was beautiful. As I got to know her though, I quickly saw her inner beauty. I will admit that like many I was first attracted to her physical beauty, but her inner love, grace, and beauty made even more beautiful to me all around. I saw her spirit, and it made her outer appearance even more beautiful.

          When God looks at us, do you think that God is more concerned with our flesh or our spirit? We have entire clothing, cosmetic, plastic surgery, and other industries completely designed to enhance our flesh. Industries where billions of dollars are spent just so that we can feel better about out physical bodies. Yet, when God looks at us what is more important the “The Spirit,” or “The Flesh”?

          The scripture tells us not to chase pleasures of the flesh, but to pursue spiritual growth. I think that so often though, so many see the flesh, but not the soul. As Christians, as people, do we see people’s souls, or just their outer appearance. Do we take time to really see a person’s heart and their soul, or do we never get past their physical appearance?

In our scripture reading from Psalm 84 for this morning once again, it says in 84:2:
² My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God (Ps. 84:2, NRSV).

          Do our souls long for the Lord, and do our hearts and our flesh sing for joy to the living God? You see we have our bodies, our flesh, and our souls and our spirit. What is more important to us though “The Spirit” or “The Flesh”? The truth is there is both, but do we see people’s spirits? Do we see their souls? Or do we judge a book by its cover?

          In our reading from the Apostle Paul’s epistle or letter to the Ephesians again for this morning, the Apostle Paul once again talks about putting on the whole armor of God. This armor of course is spiritual armor, not physical armor, as the Apostle Paul says once again in Ephesians 6:11-12:

¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:11-12, NRSV).

          So again, we have the comparison of things of this earth, or the flesh, and the things of heaven, the spirit, or the soul. The full armor of God is not physical earthly battle armor, but spiritual armor to fight against the spiritual forces of evil and wickedness. We have “The Flesh” and “The Spirit.” Which one are you more focused on?

          In looking at out gospel of John reading for this morning once again, Jesus begins again as he did last Sunday by telling us that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood abide in him. Jesus says this again a little differently after saying this, and then he says again that he is the bread that came down from heaven. Once again, he says that the earthly bread that his ancestors ate did not prevent earthly death, but that the spiritual bread that is Jesus will feed us eternally.

          Jesus was then challenged by some of those listening that his teaching is hard to believe or accept. Jesus continues on to say that everyone will see him ascend into heaven, from which he came. Next, Jesus says in John 6:63:

⁶³ It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (Jn. 6:63, NRSV).

          Again, we have this comparison between the earthly and the fleshy things and with heavenly and the spiritual things. Whenever we compare “The Spirit Vs. The Flesh” the scripture almost always sides with “The Spirit” over “The Flesh.” After saying this, some departed from Jesus and no longer followed him. Peter and the other disciples stayed loyal to Jesus and kept following him, however. In fact, the gospel lesson for this morning ends with this once again in 6:68-69:

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”            (Jn. 6:68-69, NRSV).

          As I said then, we will all have this struggle on this earth between “The Spirit Vs. The Flesh.” Are we more focused on people’s outer appearances, or are more focused on what is inside of the person? When we really get to know someone, when we really look past the outer appearance, we get to see the beauty and love that a person has in their spirit. So again, what is it for you, “The Spirit,” or “The Flesh”? Amen.

Sidney UMC - Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - 08/15/21 - Sermon - “Bread and Wine Vs. Body and Blood” (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 3 of 5)

Sunday 08/15/21 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:      “Bread and Wine Vs. Body and Blood”

                    (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 3 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 111                                  

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-20

Gospel Lesson: John 6:51-58

          For two Sundays now, I have been preaching a sermon series called “Feeding the Body and the Soul.” The point of this five-week sermon series, is to compare and to connect our earthly realities with our heavenly realities. As Christians we are supposed to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be excited and wanting people to be transformed in and through Jesus Christ. We should be excited to see people repent of there shame and guilt, come to Christ, and be filled with the power of Holy Spirit.

          We should also be concerned with people’s earthly realities, as well. This means that we can feed, clothe, offer water, etc., to those who need it. We can at the same time share the good news of Jesus Christ with these folks, as well. For all of these reasons, I said on the first Sunday of this sermon series that we are called by Christ to “Feed People and Feed People.”

          Last Sunday, I challenged us to think about and to consider how much of our own time is spent focused on earthly things, versus heaving things. Are we more focused on the things of this earth, or are we more focused on God? I compared this reality to a seesaw, and I think that all of us strive to be fully focused on God, but some days our focus on the world just wins out.

Since we have an entire month this month of these great gospel of John scriptures that compare the earthly with the divine, we will have three more weeks of such comparisons. While in the last two weeks of our gospel of John readings Jesus has said that he is bread of life, this Sunday he gets more specific. I mean after all, the Psalm tells us this morning of God in 111:5-7:

⁵ He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. ⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. ⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy (Ps. 111:5-7, NRSV).

          When Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh on earth had the Last Supper with his disciples, he was telling his disciples and us that his broken flesh and his poured-out blood would happen on the cross the next day on Good Friday, to free us from sin, shame, and guilt. We can be forgiven, renewed, and become new creations in Jesus Christ. To display this reality, Jesus gave his disciples in that Upper Room, the first ever Holy Communion.

          In fact, in the gospel of Matthew 26:26-28 Jesus says to his disciples at the Last Supper as he is instituting Holy Communion of the Lords Supper this:

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” ²⁷ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Mt. 26:26-28, NRSV).

          What started in that Upper Room on that first Holy or Maundy Thursday, the night before Jesus was crucified on Good Friday almost two-thousand years ago, has become what we call Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. The sharing of the bread and the cup is done, in part, because we are recommitting ourselves to Jesus. In receiving Holy Communion, we are reuniting with Christ, and affirming that his broken body, or the bread, and his blood, or the wine or the juice, is for us.

          In many Christian traditions, Holy Communion is significant in the life the church. It grieved me during the height of the pandemic when we received Holy Communion with small pre-sealed cups with the wafer and the juice. There is just something much more family oriented and holy about coming up to receive communion together as a church family.

          Make no mistake as well that Holy Communion as my sermon series is called, is something that “Feeds the Body and the Soul.” There are also a couple Christian denominations, such as the Salvation Army and the Quakers who do not receive Holy Communion from the bread and the cup, but instead interpret what being in communion means differently. The vast majority of the Christian world however, and for centuries, has received Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper.

          How does Holy Communion connect with my sermon series title called “Feeding the Body and the Soul” though? It connects because virtually any church that I have even been in worship at, has generally had communion. In this communion, the church always has wafers, a loaf of bread, pita bread, matza bread, or something like this. The church would always have wine or juice, or both, as well. Some churches use juice like the United Methodist Church, because of alcoholism. It is very true to say that Jesus and his disciples had wine at the Last Supper, but some people struggle with alcoholism, or are recovering alcoholics. The grape juice we have is unfermented, therefore. Some churches also offer wine and or grape juice. The truth is, is that Jesus had a glass or a chalice at the Last Supper with the fruit of the grape vine. It was purple like blood, and while it is more scriptural to have actual wine, grape juice is pretty much the same thing.

          So, Jesus told us to eat this bread and drink this cup, but how does connect to the idea of “Feeding the Body and the Soul”? Well depending on the Christian denomination or the church that you have attended and received communion in, there was likely some great spiritually significance placed upon Holy Communion.

          In some Christian traditions, the church teaches that the bread and grape juice are symbols and a memorial of Christ’s death on the cross for us. These Christian denominations and churches teach that the bread and grape juice are mere symbols that should cause us to turn to God, repent our sins, and draw closer to Jesus. Therefore, the bread and the grape juice after consecration have no spiritual power in and off themselves.

          While a couple of Christian denominations do not have the bread and the cup at all then, some that say the bread and the cup themselves have no power, other than the power of the Holy Spirit to make us more holy and righteous.

          Let us look once again though at what the gospel of John 6:51-58 says this morning. Starting in verse 6:51 it says once again:

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?” (Jn. 6:51-52, NRSV).

          Jesus then says this in response:

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.” (Jn. 6:53-58, NRSV).

          After reading words from Jesus like this, the obvious question that has been asked by Christians for centuries is, “So what is Holy Communion”? What is the bread and the wine? What is the bread and the grape juice? Should we have Holy Communion merely because Jesus asked his disciples and us to do this to remember him, or is there something significant about the bread and cup?

          The highest percentage of the Christian world historically would say that when we receive Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, we are not just receiving bread and wine or grape juice, but that the bread and the cup itself also has power. Such power in fact, that we call Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper a sacrament in the United Methodist Church. A sacrament is a special impartation of God’s grace that occurs uniquely and specially with the bounds of the sacrament in question.

          So, if the majority of the Christian world, well over 60% says the bread and the cup have power, then what does this mean. Do we believe that we are actually eating the literal flesh of Christ when we have communion? Do we believe that we actually drinking the real blood of Christ when we have communion? In our United Methodist Great Thanksgiving liturgy, we say the words body and blood. So, what does this mean?

          In the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches, they believe that they are receiving the body and the blood of Christ. They would argue that wafer or the bread, and the wine changes during the communion prayer. The bread and wine become the body of Christ. They still look, smell, and taste like bread and wine, but as part of the great mystery of our Christian faith, they are the actual body and blood of Christ. Since Jesus has ascended to heaven however, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians are not eating the body of Jesus like cannibals. This body and blood are physical, but the literally the flesh of Christ. It is called “Transubstantiation,” and it is the body and blood of Christ, but not his crucified flesh. It is complicated, but also considered part of the great mystery of faith.

          Many high church Lutherans believe that the bread and wine when prayed over are “Consubstantiated.” Well, what does this mean? This means when the bread and the wine are consecrated, that the bread become a mixture of Christ’s body and bread, and the cup become a mixture of Christ’s blood and wine.

          So, what do United Methodists believe about Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper then? We do believe that the bread and grape juice are symbols, and that they stay bread and grape juice, but we believe that Christ is spiritually present in them. Christ is spiritually present in the bread, the cup, and in us. We call this “The Real Presence of Christ” in Holy Communion. When I pray over the bread and cup, we believe that God shows up, that Jesus is present in the bread, in the cup, and in us.

          In some Christian denominations and churches, you have to be a member to receive communion. In the United Methodist Church, we see the sacrament of Holy Communion as a means of God’s abundant grace. Through receiving Holy Communion, we encounter God, are filled with Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. So powerful is Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, our table is open to anyone, so as long as they have a desire to know Christ more.

          Some Christian denominations or churches also hold that communion is only offered to baptized Christians. As United Methodists we would say that we would love all people to receive the sacrament or the special means of God’s grace through Holy Baptism, but that Holy Communion is powerful. People’s faith and love for Christ grow through partaking in Holy Communion.

          For all these reasons, as United Methodists our communion table is open to all people who want to know Christ more, connect to God, and to continue to be transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit.

          In taking Jesus’ words from the gospel of John this morning, the sacrament of Holy Communion is how we symbolically and spiritually sharing in the bread and the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just like how people need to be feed physically and spiritually, and like how need to focus more on God and less on the stresses of earth, there is also an earthly and a heavenly part to Holy Communion. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are drinking real grape juice and eating real bread, but in the great mystery of our two-thousand-year Christian faith, Christ is present. Christ is spiritually in the bread, in the cup, and in us. Holy Communion bridges earth and heaven. Through Holy Communion we are “Feeing the Body and the Soul,” and this is the connection between “Bread and Wine Vs. Body and Blood.” Amen.

Sidney UMC - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - 08/08/21 - Sermon - “Earthly Hunger and Thirst Vs. Heavenly Hunger and Thirst!” (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 2 of 5)

Sunday 08/08/21 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:                                                                                             

“Earthly Hunger and Thirst Vs. Heavenly Hunger and Thirst!”

             (“Feeding the Body and the Soul” - Series: Part 2 of 5)

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 130                                      

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Gospel Lesson: John 6:35, 41-51

          Last Sunday I started a five-week sermon series called “Feeding the Body and the Soul”. In this sermon series I am comparing our earthly lives and needs to our spiritual lives and our heavenly needs. Both of these sets of needs matter, and as Christians we should seek to help with and to feed both.

          In fact, last Sunday my sermon was once again called, “Feed People and Feed People”. In this sermon I talked about physically feeding and caring for people and their bodies, as well as offering people spiritual food. The church is called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, and to bring people to Christ as our primary mission. Yet, we are called to care about people’s physical needs. We can both feed people physically and spiritually. This means that we should be concerned about people’s eternity, there transformation in Jesus Christ, and their salvation, but should also be concerned if they need food, water, or clothing. We can “Feed People and Feed People”

          Like last Sunday, as well as this Sunday, we were and are given the same verse from the gospel of John. This verse 6:35 says as I just read once again:

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (Jn. 6:35, NRSV). 

          While the rest of our gospel of John reading for this morning is different from last week’s gospel of John reading, we have this “I Am” statement once again from Jesus. In this statement, Jesus is saying that if we put our trust in him and live for him and like we that can draw spiritual food and drink from him, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

          So, as we talked about last Sunday, as Christians we are called to “Feed People and Feed People,” but this morning I want to go a little deeper with this. Specifically, I want us to think about ourselves for a minute and to look at own lives for a minute. For this reason, my sermon for this morning is called, “Earthly Hunger and Thirst Vs. Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”.

Imagine for a moment then that you are looking in the mirror in your bathroom. You are just looking at yourself in your mirror. What do you see? Do you like what you see? Why or why not? When you look at yourself in your mirror do you see the love of Jesus Christ in yourself? Or do you see something else? What do you see?

Do you see a person who is seeking “Earthly Hunger and Thirst,” or “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst? If you were to look at yourself in your bathroom mirror every day like this for a month, how many days would you see your personal desire for “Earthly Hunger and Thirst Vs. Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”? Would you say that you had many more days that you had a desire for “Earthly Hunger and Thirst,” or “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst? Why would this be?

          You know it is interesting for me to talk with some people who are older and to talk with some people who are younger. Not all, but many young people that I talk to are in the process of accumulating possessions and other earthly things, and many, but not all of the older people that I talk to are in the process of downsizing and getting rid of things. Fascinating how that works.

We certainly all need some things to live, but what are we focused on most days of our lives? What do we see when we look in the mirror? Are we focused on “Earthly Hunger and Thirst” or are we focused “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”? I think if we are all honest, we can say that sometimes say that we are focused on one or the other, or a combination of the two. If you look at yourself in the mirror every day for a month and all you see is “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst” then you are doing great. Maybe one day though you are really excited to buy that thing you want or do that thing you have been wanting to do. This earthly reality is so strong that on that day is squashes your “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”.

          I think if we are honest, our walks with Jesus are ones that should bring us increasingly into being focused on “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst,” but we all have times where we are focused on “Earthly Hunger and Thirst”. It is this “seesaw” of sorts, where we grapple with being focused on God, and getting caught up in the world. It really is a day-to-day struggle to be in the world, but not of the world. Some days some of us are entirely in the world, and some days we are so focused on God that we are indeed in the world, but not of the world that day.

          The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 3:2:

² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,                (Col. 3:2, NRSV).

          This is very easy to say, but sometimes it is very hard to do. The great Mother Theresa had times where she was completely connected to God, and times where she felt that God was very distant. We all go through these ups and downs, but hopefully, prayerfully, as we continue to walk with Christ, we will all increasingly be focused on “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”.

Infants certainly are not focused on “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst,” but instead are focused completely on physical needs. A small baby is driven by its need to eat, to be changed, to be held, to have human interaction, and etc. The idea that there is something beyond an infant’s physical needs and wants or their parents, is beyond them. As we learn about God, as we begin to follow Jesus, may we continually focus on our “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”.

          In our reading from Psalm 130 for this morning, we hear once again in 130:5-6,

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; ⁶ my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning         (Ps. 130:5-6, NRSV).

          I would love to say that every minute of every day that I am fully focused on waiting for the Lord, and that am always fully connected to God. Being connected to God, however, is something that we have to pursue and something that we have to work at. I am certainly more connected than I was ten-years ago, and hopefully will be even more connected ten-years from now.

          I had the honor and the privilege of officiating the burial service for John Short this past Thursday. What I said at his service was that I found John to be a kind, Godly, and very Christlike man. When I visited him, I left feeling holier and closer to God. When I looked at someone like John Short, I was convinced that he had less days looking in the mirror and being focused on earthly things, and more days being focused on “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”. I can imagine that John’s faith grew over the years, as hopefully our faith has grown to. This faith grows in us individually, and within the community of faith. We are in the world, but not of the world, but some days the things of this world draw us in and consume us, don’t they?

          In fact, in our reading from Ephesians 4:25-5:2 for this morning, that Apostle Paul reminds us in 4:31-5:2:

³¹ Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³² and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. 5 ¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God                            (Eph. 4:31-5:2, NRSV).

          If we are living like God, and imitating God, then we are feeding our heavenly hunger and thirst. We can also do this as we are feeding our and others physical hunger and thirst, as well. This is not always easy as I said either, but I am the happiest, I am the most at peace, and my life makes the most sense when I pursue my “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”. We all do it through don’t we? We are trying to stay focused on God, and then boom we see that shiny new fishing boat. We really want to buy that shiny new fishing boat! We plan to do buy that shiny new fishing boat, and that temporarily becomes our focus, rather than our “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”.

          In our gospel of John reading for this morning once again, we hear Jesus tell his listeners that he is the bread of life, and the source of spiritual hunger and thirst. Once again, the gospel then says:

⁴¹ Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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”                                   (Jn. 6:41-51, NRSV).

          We need to eat physical food and drink physical water, but is this all life is? Jesus tells us in Luke 12:24-28:

²⁴ Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  ²⁶ If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! (Lk. 12:24-28, NRSV).

          It is not that we do not physical food or drink, but these things are not all that life is. Jesus is saying focus on him and the things of heaven. It can be hard to do this sometimes, believe me I know!

So where are you doing with this today? On this day, are you pursuing “Earthly Hunger and Thirst,” or “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst? Why are you pursuing “Earthly Hunger and Thirst,” or “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst? Further, are you happy and more at peace when you are pursuing “Earthly Hunger and Thirst,” or “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst?

          It is my hope and my prayer that as we continue to feed our bodies and souls every day that more and more we can be focused on “Heavenly Hunger and Thirst”. Amen.