Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon 8.15.21 John 6 :51 Pr. Tom Summerfield Have you ever heard the expression you are what you eat? Sometimes you can even tell what people eat. We were living in a place with lots of mosquitoes and I heard that eating garlic helped keep mosquitoes away and so I’d eat two or three cloves of garlic a day. Pretty soon people around me started to notice that I had a distinct odor. People who eat a lot more rice and fish can have a different fragrance than those who eat a lot of red meat and potatoes. In a similar way - sometimes you can tell the difference between those that have been feasting on Christ regularly and those that haven’t. There is a different fragrance about them. God comes to us by way of His word and sacraments. The Word of God and the Word combined with bread and the wine in communion renews us. And little by little God does His work in us. We are what we eat. And this applies to our spiritual diet as well. Reading the Bible might not be as entertaining as watching tv but it’s part of our spiritual diet. According to the Nielsen Wire report, on average Americans watch about 310 min of tv a day, or 153.27 hours per month. In the typical home parents spend 3.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children. Whereas the average child watches 1,400 minutes per week watching television. A majority of 4–6-year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers, preferred television The average American youth spends 900 hours per year in school and 1200 hours per year watching television. Now, we don’t talk about just TV time – in addition to TV we spend time on our mobile devices - phones, iPads, laptop computers - talking sending messages checking Facebook. Many times, phones help us to stay connected and work or attend class from home – which is a good thing. On average we spend close to 4 hours/ day on our mobile devices in addition to the nearly 3.5 hours TV watching. The study counted an hour of TV AND an hour of phone time if the person was using their phone while watching TV. All that is to say we spend a lot of time in front of screens. Franklin Huling tells about a 7 year old boy who took the Bible one day from the library table in his home and asked, "Is this God's Book, Mother?" "Certainly, It is," was her reply. "Well," continued the boy, "don't you think we might as well send It back to God? We don't use It. People in general are reading less. Young adults read on average 7 minutes a day. And that is also true when it comes to reading the Bible.Women (42%) are more likely than are men (32%) to have read the Bible in the past week. (2001) Among Bible readers, the average amount of time spent reading the Bible during an entire week is 52 minutes. (1997) Even Bible readers read just a little over 7 min a day as compared to 310 min a day watching tv. You might be thinking – oh no here goes the pastor getting on my case for watching tv and spending time on my phone. I must tell you that I enjoy a video and watching tv and I use my phone throughout the day. There are some enjoyable shows on the television. But what is our diet? Even for those that do read the Bible they end up spending at least 45 times as much time watching tv as they do reading the Bible. But the idea is not to brow beat and condemn anyone for watching TV. The idea is to reveal our habits and invite us and encourage us to spend time listening to the Lord’s voice. If you are not reading the Bible start with reading a few verses a day – the psalms or one of the Gospels. Or maybe start your day with a short devotional such as Max Lucados – Grace for the Moment. Or Faith Alone which a collection of Martin Luther’s writings. Many of you use the Upper Room devotional. There are other good ones such as Portals of Prayer. If you are reading the Bible each day, I want to encourage you and cheer you on and if you’re not I want to invite you and encourage you to find joy in God’s Word. Or maybe use your phone or computer to read or listen to God’s Word. We are what we eat. Do we as Christians look or “smell” any different than non-Christians? Are we a sweet aroma to the culture around us? 85 percent of the people in the United States call themselves Christians. Here is what research tells us about people in North America who call themselves Christians: • Those who call themselves Christians are no more likely to give assistance to a homeless person on the street than non-Christians. • Those who call themselves Christians are no more likely than non-Christians to speak up when a cashier gives them too much change. 50 percent of Christian churches didn’t help lead one single person to Jesus. In fact, when the Barna Research Group did a survey involving 152 separate items comparing the general population with those who called themselves Christians, they found virtually no difference between the two groups. They found no difference in the attitudes of Christians and non-Christians, and they found no difference in the actions of Christians and non-Christians. Does the fact that we don’t smell or look any different from non-Christians have anything to do with our spiritual diet? Well, you might think that 85% includes a lot of nominal Christians. What about serious Christians like those studying to be pastors? They gave seminary students a test on the Good Samaritan passage that they had to finish in a certain amount of time and then they had to turn the test in in another building across the campus. Between the buildings they had placed someone who pretended to be injured and needed help. None of the students were Good Samaritans. None of them stopped to help the person in need. God has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. By all that he was saying and doing Jesus was in effect saying “hear I am hear I am. I am the Messiah I am the Son of God in your midst.” Last week we talked about how God the Father has hauled us - practically dragged us to Jesus. Remember no one comes to Jesus unless they are drawn by the Father. Now that we have been drawn to Jesus, Jesus lets us know that he will abide in us and we will abide in Him. And he says this in a very strange way – he tells us “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. And then again 54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Eating flesh and drinking blood sounds strange to practically everyone in the world, but these things are strictly forbidden in the Jewish law. Even when preparing kosher foods for Jews today packing plants go to great lengths to drain all the blood out of the animal. And, of course, Jewish law prohibits eating the flesh of any human. This is God’s way – he takes evil things and turns them around to use for His good purposes. He takes the cross - an evil means of putting people to death – and uses it to save mankind. Similarly, God takes the terrible notion of eating flesh and drinking blood and turns it into a way that He uses to come to His people and renew them. This whole idea of eating flesh and drinking blood was a hard thing for Jesus’ followers and many turned away from him at this time. But for those that remained as well as for us - Jesus comes to us - and look at all the things God promises as we read through today’s passage. It’s a continuation of all the promises we heard about last week. vs 54 Jesus promises eternal life –, and then in vs 56 he promises that we will abide in Jesus, and Jesus will abide in us – and in vs 58 Jesus promises we will live forever. These are promises that we are to enjoy in the here and now – not just in the future. We are what we eat. As we come to the Lord’s table, Jesus comes to us in the bread and in the wine. He renews us as He gives us forgiveness and eternal life. May he abide in us and we in him to the Glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - Amen Prayer of the Day Almighty, eternal God, increase in us your gifts of faith, hope and love; and in order that love may abide in us, help us to celebrate what your love has done for us. Grant this, we pray, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. First Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2aAnd Joshua said to all the people, 14“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” Psalm 34:12-22 12Who among | you loves life* and desires long life to en- | joy prosperity? 13Keep your tongue from | evil speaking* and your lips from | lying words. 14Turn from evil | and do good;* seek peace | and pursue it. 15The eyes of the Lord are up- | on the righteous,* and his ears are open | to their cry. 16The face of the Lord is against those | who do evil,* to root out the remembrance of them | from the earth. 17The righteous cry, and | the Lord hears them* and delivers them from | all their troubles. 18The Lord is near to the | brokenhearted* and will save those whose spir- | its are crushed. 19Many are the troubles | of the righteous,* but the Lord will deliver him out | of them all. 20He will keep safe | all his bones;* not one of them | shall be broken. 21Evil shall | slay the wicked,* and those who hate the righteous | will be punished. 22The Lord ransoms the life | of his servants,* and none will be punished who | trust in him. Second Reading: Ephesians 5:6-21 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not become partners with them; 8for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Gospel: John 6:51-69 51{Jesus said to the Jews grumbling about him,} “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. 60When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69and we have believed, and have come to know, that you Prayer of the Day Almighty, eternal God, increase in us your gifts of faith, hope and love; and in order that love may abide in us, help us to celebrate what your love has done for us. Grant this, we pray, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. First Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2aAnd Joshua said to all the people, 14“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 16Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” Psalm 34:12-22 12Who among | you loves life* and desires long life to en- | joy prosperity? 13Keep your tongue from | evil speaking* and your lips from | lying words. 14Turn from evil | and do good;* seek peace | and pursue it. 15The eyes of the Lord are up- | on the righteous,* and his ears are open | to their cry. 16The face of the Lord is against those | who do evil,* to root out the remembrance of them | from the earth. 17The righteous cry, and | the Lord hears them* and delivers them from | all their troubles. 18The Lord is near to the | brokenhearted* and will save those whose spir- | its are crushed. 19Many are the troubles | of the righteous,* but the Lord will deliver him out | of them all. 20He will keep safe | all his bones;* not one of them | shall be broken. 21Evil shall | slay the wicked,* and those who hate the righteous | will be punished. 22The Lord ransoms the life | of his servants,* and none will be punished who | trust in him. Second Reading: Ephesians 5:6-21 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not become partners with them; 8for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Gospel: John 6:51-69 51{Jesus said to the Jews grumbling about him,} “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. 60When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life 69and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Comments are closed.
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