Filled with the Fullness of God

Jesus during the years of his ministry spent a lot of time around the sea of Galilee.  Crowds of people would follow him, and on one occasion they followed him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.  Jesus healed many who came to him because of illness or disease.

Whenever I read these wonderful stories of Jesus around the Galilean sea I think of the time when Carol and I visited Israel several years ago.  One of the places fixed in my memory is lunch with a rabbi friend on the beach by the sea of Galilee.  We ate fish from the sea and drank Israeli beer.  It was a wonderful experience.

In our gospel reading we are told about a time that Jesus was alongside the sea.  When the crowds followed him and gathered around he saw that they were hungry.  It was near the feast of the Passover so he had compassion on them and took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread and distributed it to them.  He then took the fish and shared it as well.  He fed their hunger.  

Part of our ministry today is to feed the physical and spiritual hunger of all people in need. We are able to feed their spiritual and physical hunger because we are fed ourselves and recognize the incredible gifts we have been given.  Among those gifts the greatest one is the relationships we enjoy in the midst of all the diversity of races, nations, and religions that make up the awesome mystery of human life. 

St. Paul wrote about this eloquently in his Letter to the Ephesians in commenting about our relationship with Christ.  “I pray that…you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Being filled with all the fullness of God in our lives in this 21^st Century has to do with our relationships.  How we interact across lines of national origin, ethnic background, economic or social standing, tells us how thankful we really are for all the gifts we have received.  Too often we separate ourselves from others by many defensive measures, some of which we are not even aware.  We also use devices that sometimes result in discrimination toward those who intrude into “our space.”  We miss much in life because we either refuse to accept the gifts offered or we have not been sensitized to recognize or accept them as gifts.  We can even turn against the gift bearers and reject them.  Jesus noted the prophets were killed.  There are prophets today who are also killed.

It was near the Jewish festival of Passover when Jesus responded to the crowds by sharing the loaves and fish.  Passover was and continues to be a time for remembering the drama of liberation, the journey through the wilderness and the provision of manna – just enough food to fill the people so they can continue through the wilderness to the land of promise.

There is more to this story than a miraculous account of feeding a hungry group of people with bread and fish.  There is more to it than the fact that twelve baskets of fragments were left after everyone had been fed.  The “more” of this story is about God’s all-encompassing love that is freely given.  Christ is waiting to feed us with enough food, both physical and spiritual, so we can live with a new vision of faith and compassion for others. 

Marcus Borg, biblical scholar and teacher has said, “The metaphorical use of hunger and thirst can be very powerful.  We hunger, often even when we are satisfied; we feel empty and long for something more, even though our stomachs may be full.  We thirst as if we live in an arid and desert wasteland, our throats dry like parchment.”

“In John’s gospel…Jesus refers to the story of manna in the wilderness and then speaks of himself as the true bread from heaven: ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never be hungry.’  Salvation is having one’s deepest hunger satisfied.”

God’s grace is among us.  Christ is present as we are fed in our weekly communion meal of bread and wine, the physical and spiritual nourishment we need to be “filled with the fullness of God.”  The ending of  Paul’s letter is a doxology, a word of praise and thanksgiving to God: “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.  Amen.”

Called to Serve

The Gospel of Mark tells the story of Jesus' charge to the twelve disciples.  Jesus sent the disciples out two by two, and he pointed out the rigorous conditions of their mission.  He charged them to "shake off the dust" of any place where their testimony refused to be heard.  Christ's followers were to live a simple life, enhancing the moral quality of their message.  Jesus said, "Take nothing for your journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money.… Wear sandals and just one tunic."  At the same time, they were called to cast out demons and to anoint and heal the sick. 

The message Jesus gave to his disciples not only reflected a moral imperative but even more, it proclaimed limitless hope for those able to hear it.  Live simply; travel light.

The disciples went forth with a walking stick, the clothes on their backs and the sandals on their feet.  Not only did they leave their homes but wherever they went they had to be ready to leave where they were not welcomed.  How would we feel under such circumstances?  Mark does not tell us how the disciples felt, only that they were able to accomplish two things: first, "proclaim that all should repent," and second, "cast out demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."  As it was in Jesus’ time so today it does not take a lot of baggage to proclaim in word and deed the good news of God's kingdom.

We are living in a time of tremendous economic inequality.  Poverty and homelessness are sad and troubling realities especially in a country of abundance.  There are many people who have known both the peaks of affluence and the valleys of lost income because of unemployment due to circumstances beyond their control.  In our capitalist system the stock market rises and falls dramatically with the ebb and flow of global markets.  A company merges with another and restructuring results in layoffs.  Long-term employees find themselves suddenly out of work with reduced or even lost pensions. 

For many who have been laid off it is not long before unemployment benefits run out and no job is in sight.  As a result a cherished relationship might break up, or a serious illness could happen without warning.  On the other hand there are times for a few lucky people when a new relationship develops, a promotion comes along, or a new employment opportunity emerges.

What is important in these peaks and valleys of our lives is how we are able to cope with them and respond to others in both their good and bad fortunes.  Jesus ordered his disciples “to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.” This model of the disciples in choosing a simple lifestyle and being flexible in responding to circumstances beyond their control can help us to live gracefully as we ride the tides of change in our own lives. 

The powerful and marvelous word of God, and the example of Jesus and his disciples demands our response.  The disciples are called, as is everyone who is baptized, to stand firm in proclaiming the Good News supported by the knowledge that it is the Lord who speaks. To have "authority over unclean spirits" is to be involved in casting out the demons in the issues of our lives that need change.  It is accomplished by helping people to turn toward and enter into relationship with the One who is already in relationship with them.  It is about anointing and healing the sick, caring for others and sharing God’s love and compassion.

Jesus encouraged his disciples by telling them that if they are not welcomed in a place they visit, or if "they refuse to hear you," they are to shake off the dust that is on their feet and leave.  They were to have confidence in their mission. 

A prayer by Archbishop Desmond Tutu from his book, An African Prayer Book resonates with Jesus' commission and with the blessing of praise to God's glory:

For your blessing we thank you, God;

faith in you.

Increase it, we beg, so that we no longer doubt.

Drive out all our miserliness, so that we do not refuse you anything.

Increase our faith, for the sake of those without faith.

Make us instruments of your faith, for those with only a little.

Fill our bodies with faith, our bodies that work for you all our days.

Help us to avoid the enemies of our faith, or to overcome them.

You are with us in confrontations;

this we believe.

In your hands we place ourselves, and are secure.

            Make haste to enter our hearts; make haste.

Let us renew our calling as Christians to lives of hope and joy by offering praise and glory to God.  It is our calling to reach out to others by building relationships of love and compassion for those in need.  Amen.