Sermon, Pentecost +9 (A)

Do you remember you school days, that kid in class who was always asking questions?

"What does this mean?" or "How do I do that?" The one who took apart calculators to figure out how they functioned, or who accidentally blew up the chemistry lab? The one who raised their hand - and the rest of the class rolled their eyes?

Well - that was me. Lots of questions! Abundant curiosity. Trying to find ways to make sense of things.

And this sense of curiosity came out again this week, as I was reading, studying, and praying the scriptures for this morning.  

And what struck me, is that throughout the readings, I have more questions than there are answers.

Let's start off with Jacob, heading out with his wives and maids and kids and entourage and goods - and he sends them all across the river. And suddenly: "a man wrestled with him until daybreak."

Whoa - wait - what?

Who is this man? Where did he come from? Was there conversation before the wrestling, or did he just tackle him? Why did no one come back across the stream and help him in this hours-long fight? Why is the man needing to get away as daybreaks? Why does Jacob demand a blessing? Why does he accept the name change from this stranger? Why does the man refuse to give a name? Where does the wrestler go after the blessing?

You get the point - there's a LOT going on here, that we may never fully understand.

And while some of these can be answered: Israel means 'striven with God', so of course Jacob took that... Peniel means "face of God" so again, that's logical.

And there are commentaries and traditions for other questions - like the hip injury, or the daybreak significance, or...You get the idea. Still more questions than answer.

Yet throughout this awkwardness and confusion, a prevailing message of being faithful to God; and of being blessed by the (unlikely) journey.

 

The psalmist takes us on another journey of questions... why would he assume to be considered lying? What offence is he defending himself from (and who is he throwing under the bus?) Why does he feel the need for God's sword to be vengeful against his enemies?

It can feel unsettling when we realise the desperation of the psalmist, to seek mercy and help; yet whatever the world is subjecting this man to, he knows to turn to God for ultimate assistance and support.

And how comforting, throughout this awkwardness and confusion, a prevailing message of being faithful to God; and of being blessed by the (unlikely) journey.

 

Paul, in his letter, is starting off a section of 3 chapters, that question what the Gospel means to people who don't believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

And so we wonder how people heard this: Why is Paul starting by defending his truth? Is he suggesting the future in Christ erases the covenant of the past? Is the placement of adoption significant in the list of divine possessions, given Paul's own history? Is the verb tense of belong (present, not past) important?

It's dizzying!  Yet the whole section - with its hyperbole and extreme commentary, shows us Paul's unceasing commitment and zeal to comprehend God's faithfulness to us - and thus, throughout the awkwardness and confusion, he shares a prevailing message of our being faithful to God; and of being blessed by the (unlikely) journey.

 

And so we dive into Matthew. And - Jesus can't get a day off, even on a boat, so he engages the crowds. And our questions begin. Like... whose boat was it? What did he do with it? How did he cure the sick within the great crowd?

And the multiplying of the loaves - how did it happen? Was it all at once so the disciples carried it? Did the loaves grow back once a piece was broken off? Did a tiny morsel grow in your hand as you were eating, or replicate itself when you were distracted?

And the people who came - they knew it was a deserted place, and evening, did they have a snack in their bag, that was shared along with the wondrous bread - how else would everyone be filled? Who got the leftovers - and where did those 12 baskets come from to hold them?

Again, more questions than answers - but again, as before, we're invited to see what's really happening here. The people trusted. They believed. They loved. They engaged. They saw beyond the realities of human limitations. And so they - and we, as we read this passage - interestingly the only passage that is shared in all 4 of the Gospels - in the midst of awkwardness and confusion, they are gifted the prevailing message of being faithful to God; and of being blessed by the (unlikely) journey.

 

So I'm going to invite us now to consider the next piece of God's Word: and that is the reality of our lives today. We're at a precipice, if you will, where change is about to happen. We are going to have a lot of questions; we are going to have fewer answers.

For, as I shared last week, starting next Sunday we're intending to resume worship in the church building as well as being live-streamed online. There are restrictions and limitations, to be sure, and there are questions: and the Tuesday mailing will be addressing many of them.

But we have other questions we can - and should - be asking ourselves. Questions like:

How are we going to maintain community when the flow of worship will be different?

How will we continue our connections when some will choose to be in the building and some will choose to stay online?

How do we intend to reach out in our community, to the most vulnerable?

How will we show the world our commitment to justice and peace?

What actions will we take to BE the church in our new reality of the world?

These are not easy questions - and sorting out some answers will take some time - and creative thinking - and willingness to try new things, even if it means not getting them all right.

BUT - when we fumble and foible along in these times, as we ask more questions than have answers, in the midst of awkwardness and confusion, let us live the prevailing message of being faithful to God; and of being blessed by the (unlikely) journey.

 

The questions will always be there; and the more detail we look for, chances are the more answers we won't have. So let's keep our focus on the Big Picture- of loving God, and loving the world. And if we can do that, the details will sort themselves out.

And maybe, when we're not distracted by the questions, we'll celebrate miracles among us. For miracles - as the loaves and fishes remind us, are not just magical drop-ins by God, but divine opportunities for engaging with the world. If the disciples had stopped sharing the bread, it would have stopped increasing; but they took what God had given them and shared that with the people in their midst. And a miracle blessed them all.

 

One final thought this morning, from Jesus's teaching: compassion.

Jesus stood in the boat, saw the crowds, and had compassion for them - compassion - a word that means a sharing of emotion or feeling. We are invited to be extend compassion to everyone - for as we all make COVID-time decisions - for ourselves, our families, our communities - we know that they are not easy, and are not taken lightly. So whatever decision is made, whether we agree or not, let us be compassionate to our siblings in Christ.

For we're all in this together - wherever we sit, and whenever we pray, and however we question. We share the journey, we share the miracles, we share the blessing. Let us share the bread of compassion until all the world is filled.

Amen.