Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
On July 11, Brother Curtis, a monk at the Society of
St. John the Evangelist in Cambridge, wrote this reflection. “Whatever kind of
spiritual armor you need for your own protection, pray for that. It is a good
way to begin the day. This is a way of co-operating with God’s provision,
protection, and power to face the challenges of life with confidence and
freedom.”
I have been captivated by the issue of power recently.
Our Old Testament readings frequently mention the power of kings throughout the
history of Israel and how they ruled their people with singular authority. And
yet “when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to
make him their king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Why would
he do that? Why would he not agree to the desires of these people? Just imagine
all the good that he could do as their king!
Human power is imperfect and, as we know, it can be
used for evil, ugliness, violence, and division. And it can also be used for
good. Weapons can protect us as well as do unimaginable harm. Knowledge can
bring us power and yet it can also paralyze us. Our media is powerful. It can
lure us into thinking falsely or it can empower us to do good, to be good, and
to act in ways that benefit others.
Psychologists describe our human reactions to threats
and perceived harm by using 5 words that begin with the letter “F.” We flee, we
fight, we freeze, we fawn, and we flop. Shots are fired and we flee. Shots are
fired and we raise our fist and yell “fight.” Shots are fired, and terrified we
freeze in our tracks. Or insidiously, we fawn over powerful people, outwardly
acquiescing to them, while inwardly disgusted by their behavior. We flop in the
face of powerful people and institutions, dropping our integrity like a bad
habit.
“How do we deal with people who abuse their power in
such egregious ways?” Joanna Harader, a Mennonite pastor and author, asked in a
recent article. “In situations where I feel pitted against people or
institutions with a great deal of power, it is tempting to simply slouch away
and hope nobody notices me,” she wrote. (Christian Century July 2024, p27)
When I was serving as a prayer partner with the young
adults in the Life Together program, the leaders would often talk about their
process. At the beginning of their time together, there would be an orientation
to the program. Activities included some education, communal prayers and
meditations, relationship building exercises, and expectations for their
behavior. Learning to live as a beloved community in the face of challenges and
differences was integral to the program.
Naturally,
disorientation would eventually follow. Scales would fall from the eyes of the
participants as they realized that their leaders had clay feet, their roommates
were not just different but difficult, and the institutions that they
championed were broken and faulty. “It is easy to feel disappointed, even
disoriented, when we find out that our would-be heroes aren’t so heroic after
all,” wrote Joanna Harader. (Xian
Century, p27, July 2024)
Today’s gospel passage from St. John is well
known for a variety of reasons, most notably that it is the only miracle story
that appears in all four gospels. Interpretations by preachers and teachers
often begin with the basic premise that God works miracles through Jesus.
Literally, God’s power multiplies the fishes and loaves of bread for the crowd.
Metaphorically, it echoes the early church’s communion liturgy, where bread is
taken, blessed, broken, and given. Spiritually, the gospel story assures us that
God’s power will provide for us, protect us, and feed us every day.
One of my favorite
stories is about a mother and her son who would go to the rail to receive
communion. Because her son was not yet baptized, the mother would not let her
son receive communion. Sunday after Sunday this is what occurred, until the
little boy’s disappointment surfaced. When the priest walked by him that
morning once again, the boy looked up at him and loudly declared, “You’re not
sharing!”
So an oft repeated
interpretation of today’s feeding of the 5000 is a moral one. Sharing is
caring, and this little boy in today’s gospel story was willing to share his
meager meal with everyone. Because of his example, others in the crowd began to
pull out their own little lunch boxes and share their food with others.
Presumably, anyone who is listening to this story is shamed into letting go of
some of their own stash.
However, “while such an interpretation may explain
what happened, it diminishes the story by downplaying the miraculous aspect.
God is no longer a miracle-worker unbounded by human laws, but a social
manipulator who reminds people to share,” wrote Karen Marie Yust. Indeed, “God
is reduced to a divine therapist counseling charity among greedy people, an
omnipresent social worker reminding us of our duties,” she added. (Karen
Marie Yust, Feasting, p286)
God knows that we need some behavioral
modification these days. We need to tone down our political rhetoric, lower the
temperature of our debates, stop the hate-speech, and refrain from violence in
all its forms. We need to think less about the scarcity in our personal lives
and more about the abundance in our communities. We need to see the power of
God that surpasses all our understanding, and enables us to do more than we can
ask or imagine. Empowered by God, we can not only see miracles but we can also work
miracles.
Overwhelmed by
despair, like the disciples in today’s gospel story, we may shrug our shoulders
in the face of such overwhelming human need, and argue that we are not enough,
slouching away and hoping no one notices. It cannot be ignored that at many
times in our lives we shall feel powerless. However, we do have the power to
change our attitudes, and be grateful. We can change our thinking, our
feelings, and our behavior. Or as Brother Curtis said, we can pray daily,
“co-operating with God’s provision, protection, and power to face the
challenges of life with confidence and freedom.”
How can we face the
challenges of life with confidence and freedom? By remembering that we are all
passing through things that are temporal and by not losing sight of things that
are eternal. When we remember the “height, depth, width, and length” of God’s
love, we have entered into the spiritual realm of the saints.
“Love is power that
can save us,” wrote Presiding Bishop Curry. “Don't underestimate it. Don't even
over-sentimentalize it. There is power in love to help and heal when nothing
else can. There's power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will.
There's power in love to show us the way to live,” he preached. Love can move
swiftly, crossing boundaries and borders, to bring us peace and prosperity. It
can multiply like the fishes and loves in today’s gospel story.
Why doesn’t Jesus want to be king? Maybe it’s because
he knows the temptations that human powers can offer and He wants to remain
fully connected to the power of God. Maybe that’s why he quickly withdraws to
the mountain by himself. There He can reconnect with God without the voices of
his disciples or the crowds around him, whispering, demanding, and encouraging
him to be their king. Jesus was on a different mission. He had a different
agenda.
Put on the whole armor of God, St. Paul wrote in his
letter to the Ephesians. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
power. For God’s power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly more
than we can ask or imagine.”
Diseases and demons, bullets and bullies, can kill us
which is why we need to wear this spiritual armor every day. “Whatever kind of
spiritual armor you need for your own protection, pray for that. It is a good
way to begin the day”, wrote Brother Curtis. And our secret service, which is
the Spirit of God, will protect us with a divine power that is beyond our human
understanding and will raise us to new life. Now that is a miracle.
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