"Is There Really Room For All?"

May I suggest that within the stories of the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament, we often get distracted by disagreeing whether or not the miracles really happened, without mediating on the story, to get the deeper meaning?  Often belief in the miracles or church doctrine {a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church} divide us into two groups.  The believers and the non believers.  I have a question for you:  Is it imperative that a person believe without a doubt that the Red Sea actually parted or that Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale as stated in the story to be a follower of Jesus or to call yourself a Christian?  Let us never forget that those closest to Jesus, his disciples, would fall into the category of non-believers today.    

For centuries, Christianity has been presented doctrine and miracles as a system of beliefs. If you believe you will become part of the elite saved, if you believe, God will favored you over unbelievers, if you believe, your prayers will be answered.  You name it, but the condition “IF” always seems to appear within the religion, often so settle you don’t even heard it.  Why, because most of us have been trained to accept conditions, as part of God’s love and will, yet we know that God’s love is unconditional, meaning, there are no strings attached?  Conditional love is the way our love works, in the real world, unconditional love seems almost too good to be true.   When Jesus said “believe” he wasn’t speaking of the miracles, or church doctrine, he meant believe in “ME”, follow me, make my way your way, there are no conditions folks.     

Unfortunately because the emphasis’s was and still is for some focused on believing, it has supported a wide range of dualistic thinking, or as the Apostle Paul puts it, double mindedness.  Separating Gods children into “US” and “Them” Yes we all do it folks.  The haves and the have not's.   Systems of beliefs including Christianity have the tailing of Colonialism, white supremacy , slavery, subordination of women, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and promotes exclusion of those who are different, especially those of different sexual orientation, seen today as the unclean.   What would it mean for Christians to rediscover their faith not as a problematic system of beliefs, but as a way of life, Jesus’ way, a way that includes every person?   For Jesus shows us that His Way is the only way to the truth and the life.  It is a way to live and a way to die, free of the tailing's of this world.   It is rooted in God’s unconditional love for all his children and is dedicated to a beloved inclusive community for all?  Could Christians migrate from defining their faith as a system of beliefs and doctrine to expressing it as a loving way of life, to love God, neighbor and self as the commandment states without conditions?  Do we worship a Supreme Being who showers blessings upon the insiders, favors religious institutions or rituals over acts of charity, compassion, love and goodness?  

Do we worship a God of wrath who punishes outsiders with eternal conscious torment?  May I suggest that many do not, "WHY" because Jesus reveals to us God's unconditional love.   He is the one who “eats with sinners,” welcomes the outsider, and forgives unconditionally while being rejected, tortured, and killed. . . . He preached that God was to be found in self-giving service rather than a system of beliefs, doctrine or church ritual.  What would it mean for Christians to understand, experience, and embody God as the loving, healing, reconciling Spirit in whom all creatures live, move, and have their being?
Acts 17: 28 You think about that folks.

Can you see my point here?  As Christians and followers of Jesus, if we all agree upon putting our faith and life in his hand, why should we remain divided folks?   

So let’s take a quick look at the story one more time but let us discard our differences about belief and look for the message that the story can reveal for us in our everyday walk with Christ.   

First you can never get the jest of the human story if you do not read at least a chapter before or after the passage you are studying.  Just before the reading today, Jesus has just encountered a great loss.  His friend and prophet John the Baptizer has just been beheaded on a whim by the request of a young dancing girl.  What a terrible circumstance and great waste of life Jesus must have thought.  When tragedy strikes in your life as it has or will, how do you react?  Who do you blame, who do you go after?   Often thoughts of anger or revenge only create bad circumstances in our lives.  Jesus’ illustrates for us that his thoughts did not go there, "then neither should ours".  There is an important teaching here folks, about anger and revenge.  If we were to go there, we would fall into the evils ones trap you see.  Jesus’ reaction is to go to a quiet place to meditate and grieve.  He shows us by example, seek a quiet place where you can pour your sorrow and your negative thoughts out to God in prayer, then like He, the Spirit will administer to you.  Jesus show us something else, as he doesn’t stay long in grief either, as many of us often do, some for days, weeks, I'm sure you know people who have remained there for years and I have sat at the bedside of some who have died with their grief.  That is a real tragedy. 
Next he shows us how to quiet the negative voices that lead us into anger, revenge, loneliness or depression?  His compassion for other sends him right back to doing his Fathers will, which is to be in service to  others.  He offers a word of hope to all who have ears to hear and open minds to take it in.  Do you not see the power in surrender, compassion, service and love of self and others?  Did you notice that just before Jesus feeds 5000,  he doesn’t go through the crowd trying to figure who is in and who is out.  He offers the bread of life, which is himself and is a servant to all.  My goodness folks, how could we miss it?   Want salvation, then live as He lived, Grace you see abounds in his way of life.  This is a truth within the story.  Live it and you will begin to believe.

Now do you see that the miracle of feeding the five thousand is immaterial as a fact if you cannot see what Jesus is really trying to teach us.  How to deal with loss, and what we are called to do.  There are always sick, lonely, lost, hungry, poor people for us to take care of.  Jesus shows us, grieve your losses but do not get lost in your grief.  Do not get consumed by anger, jealousy, or revenge because of loss, return your losses with service to others.  That is just a small piece of Jesus' real teaching in this story.  Take a long meditative look at the story on your own time, for yourself and you will find an even deeper personal teaching for you.  Praise be to God and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit Amen.        Click the link and Listen to "Seven Is Sufficient"  recorded by the Trio " Mike Lawry and  Sim "  
 https://soundcloud.com/search?q=seven%20is%20sufficient