So, I preached a sermon yesterday on "Filling the W/hole." Here are the basic points:
We have an emptiness inside of us that only God can fill.
We try to fill that emptiness with other things: work, family, church, relationships. All of those things have a proper place in our lives, but if we try to fill the place within us that is made for God then eventually our lives will be as distorted as if we were trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. We may no longer feel the emptiness, but neither will our lives be whole and healthy.
Lots of scriptures talk about how we are made for God, but the scriptures that I suggested were these: Psalm 42:1-6; Psalm 84:1-12; Colossians 1:9-23; Ephesians 4:10-32; 1 John 4:1-21. (See http://www.biblegateway.com/ for a searchable online bible if you need one.)
I also used the story about the loaves and fishes from Matthew 14:15-20
15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.
My point here was that Jesus filled them not only with bread but with the bread of life, his presence. He first gave it to the disciples and then the disciples shared it with the people. As people who are moving towards more faithful discipleship, we are to receive from Jesus, be filled with his Spirit and then share with the world the life-giving love and forgiveness that we have received. (If you want to hear the sermon, go to www.svumc.org and click on sermons.
I ended the sermon with a challenge: spend an hour this week by yourself, with perhaps only the scriptures above for company. No music, no tv, no computer, no phone. Spend an hour thinking about what you are filling your life with. If you would like to share what insights you have gained, then feel free to post here.
Blessings,
Martha
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I heard an interesting theory on this story of the fishes and loaves (actually, the version in John 6). The suggestion was, when Christ offered to share what he and the disciples had, it inspired those observing to share what they had. The lesson taken away is that corporate generosity results in an overflowing of supply.
ReplyDeleteThe person with the theory did not suggest Christ did not have the power to miraculously multiply the food. Certainly, this theory is an interpretation without much textual evidence, but I was left with the question of which is a more powerful statement?
1. Christ as the God-Man had the power to miraculously multiply food.
or
2. When people follow the example of Christ, the need of the people is met with overflowing excess.
Thoughts?
Yes, I have heard the theory as well. And I would say to your question of which option is true that both are true! Certainly these days I have not met anyone who can duplicate Christ's miracle of loaves and fishes, but I do know that the second is still true: when we follow Christ we are able to meet needs with abundance.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also think that the feeding in these stories went well beyond the physical to the spiritual feeding of the people.
Thanks for commenting!
Hi Martha,
ReplyDeleteI love that you are writing blogs. Keep probing for more readers. Penning personal experiences and their Christian relevancy can be exciting from both sides of the blog.
Here are three thoughts given to me by an occasional contributor to bational magazines.I have found them helpful when choosing a topic for a speech or a document. .
1.Speak to your audience in a way that makes them laugh, weep, smile, and even get angry. To do this, you must live their struggles, their pains, and their needs. This demands that you not wander into the deep and dangerous waters of theory.
2.Always begin by relating, through natural humor, a personal story or an ordeal you faced this week.
4.Use action words. Choices are in “find related words” at http://www.rhymezone.com
Jane & I are in Wisconsin, where the geese are honking nightly as they head north. See you and Mark in August.
…………..Gene Hoffmann