Grace and Glory. John 6: 1 21; Eph. 3: Why are there two miracle stories in today s gospel lesson?

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1 Grace and Glory John 6: 1 21; Eph. 3: Why are there two miracle stories in today s gospel lesson? It seems like one miracle story would be more than enough. Jesus fed 5000 people. It s recorded in all four of the Gospels. It demonstrates God grace for all God s people. It s not just grace its Amazing Grace. The people didn t earn it. It grew out of Jesus compassion for them. It wasn t just a spiritual thing as Matthew s gospel suggests: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness For they will be filled. It was also an act of Jesus Christ that addressed the people s physical needs Blessed are you who are hungry now, for your will be filled. (Luke) In the feeding of the 5000 was Jesus addressing both the physical and spiritual needs of the crowd who gathered before him. In the Feeding of the 5000 Jesus was living out the grace of God In ways that everyone could understand and internalize. Later in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) Jesus would feed the 12 disciples with the words: This is my body broken for you.

2 Gospel of John doesn t have a separate Lord s Supper So many believe that this is John s version of the Lord s Supper. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. And this is where the second miracle comes into play. While the disciples and the 5000 people were with Jesus They were satisfied physically and spiritually. Jesus was teaching them and healing them and feeding them. They were able to share their resources with each other In the presence of Jesus just as the boy shared his bread & fish. They weren t worried about whether they had enough stuff Because they were one community around Christ. They were experiencing the actual, living out, embodied grace Of the Lord Jesus Christ as they sat on the lake side. I ve been to the spot where the feeding of the 5000 happened Tabgah These communion vessels are from the Church of Tabgah Which was built to commemorate the feeding of the It is a holy and sacred spot. A place of God s Amazing Grace. As you look over the Sea of Galilee you can imagine Jesus teaching and healing and feeding the people, including yourself.

3 But then you have to leave, just like Jesus had to leave. Jesus went off to a mountain to pray. Mountain language is code for God. And while he was gone the disciples also got in their boat and started off for Capernaum their home base. Why they left without Jesus is a mystery to me. I guess it s symbolic of having an experience of God s grace at church, camp, mission And then leaving that experience behind as we get back Into the regular struggles and storms of life And the disciples did encounter those storms almost immediately. The sea became rough because the wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus Walking on the water and coming near the boat, And they were terrified. Do you ever have that experience? We like to pick and choose the times we want to be in Christ s presence, But sometimes when we are in those stormy, scary parts of life, Some storms that we have helped to created and others That seem to come out of nowhere, we think we can make it on our own. The disciples rowed three or four miles on their own before they saw Jesus.

4 They were terrified. And Jesus cried out those familiar words. Ego eimi It is I; do not be afraid. At this point Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Man is revealed as Jesus the Christ, Son of God. He uses the same words Ego Eimi that he would use when he declares Later in John 6 verse 35: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. We are reminded of the words he would later say to these same disciples This is my body broken for you. This is the place where Jesus reveals God s Glory. It is not glory which would pronounce Jesus as king that is the world s glory. The glory of Jesus Christ is the Glory of God who walks with us In the very storms of life that threaten to undo us. The glory of Jesus Christ is the Glory of God that hungers with us Eats with us, walks with us into the valley of the shadow of death, And reminds us that we will fear no evil because thy rod and staff they comfort us. The glory of Jesus Christ is the glory of God that is willing to die with us And for us on the cross that we might be dead to sin and alive to God.

5 Paul explains that glory to us in Ephesians 3 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love. (Eph. 3: 14,15) Paul didn t write this when he was giving a speech to powerful people, Or on the campaign trail to become president of a great nation. He wrote this when he was held as a prisoner. In fact the sentence right before today s text was: I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my suffering for you; they are your glory. Paul was suffering in prison when he wrote to the Ephesians But he was sharing in the glory of God in his suffering. How many of us can do that??? The families of the nine people who were killed in Emmanuel AME Church did it. They demonstrated BOTH God s grace and Glory as they offered forgiveness to the shooter who killed their loved ones. There was a lot said about the grace of that act but I will suggest That it was an act of both grace of Jesus Christ and the glory of God. They were reminding us that their loved one gathered to worship God.

6 They were reminding us that their loved ones were glorifying God when they died. They were reminding us that our heavenly father has a place for us Eternal in the heavens and that our savior Jesus Christ Has come to take us to that place so that we might Be in the very midst of the glory of God. You see the glory of God is not when we make ourselves bigger and badder The glory of God is when we step down and point to God. When Jesus spoke of his death to his disciples he said: Now is the Son of man has been glorified, And God has been glorified in him. (John 13: 31) The glory of God is when we invite Jesus into our boat, Not when it s perfectly clean and all put together But when we re in the midst of the stormyness of life. The glory of God is when we acknowledge that we can t do it On our own and we have to rely on God. And find that the adundance of God is greater Than we could ever imagine. That s what Paul meant when he wrote to the Ephesians:

7 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. (Eph. 3:21) Do you suppose that Paul was telling the Ephesians to build prettier churches? Or bigger churches? Or churches with taller steeples? Those are all images of glory for us worldly people. And we have a glorious church right here, around us, with an incredible ceiling, Amazing woodwork around the doors, beautiful chandeliers, a wonderful pipe organ and big pulpit and beautiful paraments. But what makes this church glorious to God is what we celebrated in the First few minutes of worship it is the people who glorify God. We glorify God when we gather, we glorify God when we pray, We glorify God when we offer our gifts to God, We glorify God when we read scripture and preach, And we glorify God when we sing. In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified; in my life Lord, be glorified today. In my song, Lord, be glorified, be glorified; in my song Lord, be glorified today. In your church Lord, be glorified, be glorified; In Your church Lord, be glorified today. Amen

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