Psalm 130
“Have You Thought About Heaven Lately?”
By Rev. Ken Sauer
www.parkview-umc.org
Anyone who has been around a
t-v lately has got to wonder: “My gosh are we ever going to get out of this quagmire that the world is in?”
I mean, what a mess!
I’ve spoken to folks recently who have given up on watching the news simply because it is either too frustrating, too depressing or both!!!
“Crisis”, “Danger”, “Terror” are some of the many words that are used by newspersons and politicians when describing our current climate today.
And how couldn’t they use these words?
Just think of the near-miss terrorist attack that was thwarted, by the grace of God, just this past week!
In our Psalm for this morning, Psalm 130, the Psalmist begins with: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord hear my voice!”
I think that there are a lot of folks who can relate to this plea!
“Hear my voice, O Lord, as the world appears to plummet further and further into war and violence.”
“Hear my voice, O Lord, as the future comes to feel less and less stable and secure.”
“Hear my voice, O Lord, as I look for meaning beyond what I read in the newspapers and see on t-v!”
“Hear my voice, O Lord, there must be more to life than this!!!”
“There must be more to this life than meets the eye!”
And in our Gospel Lesson for this morning Jesus brings us the good news by telling us that there is much more to this life than meets the eye!
He tells us that there is a hope and that there is a future.
And then He tells us where we need to look in order to find this hope, and what we must believe in order to have this future.
Having fed the 5,000, having walked on water, and having begun to speak to the crowds using metaphors such as “bread of God” to declare His identity Jesus continues with: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
But the people listening to all this begin to “grumble” about Jesus because for them…they do not understand that there is more to Jesus than meets the eye!!!
He is more than a carpenter’s son.
He is more than just another person from Nazareth!
So Jesus says to them: “Stop grumbling among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”
Now the word that Jesus uses for “draws” is interesting.
It’s the same word which is used in the Greek translation of the Hebrew when Jeremiah hears God say: “I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
But this word also almost always implies that there is some kind of resistance to the drawing.
For instance, it is the same word that is used in John Chapter 21 for drawing a very heavy net full of fish to the shore.
And in Acts Chapter 16 it is the same word that is used to describe how Paul and Silas were being dragged before the magistrates in Philippi.
Back in John Chapter 18 it is the same word that is used in describing a sword being drawn from a belt or a sheath.
God draws us to God’s self with loving kindness…but it appears that there is always some kind of resistance on our part.
Are you resisting the draw of God on your life?
Am I resisting the draw of God on my life?
If so, what is getting in the way?
What is causing us to resist?
What is keeping us so attached to this world that we are resisting the draw of God’s loving kindness?
In verse 45 Jesus tells us that “Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
Are we listening to God as He is wooing us to Himself?
Are we listening to God as He is calling out to us in His loving kindness…
…in order to draw us into His heaven, His eternity?
This world is in a mess.
Extremists across the globe are lobbing bombs and missiles at one another, and here in our own country we do not feel so safe and secure ourselves.
Daily we are reminded that another event such as what happened on September 11, 2001 could be right around the corner.
And financially, many of us do not feel so secure either.
As the gas prices continue to increase and housing costs skyrocket we wonder: “How are we going to be able to afford to live?”
And as more and more companies continue to outsource, we wonder: “What does the future hold for the United States of America?”
Interestingly, with a little child, I find that I am continuously looking at the labels that come with Mary Ellen’s clothes and toys.
I’m hoping that “something” is still “made in America.”
I can’t remember looking at the bottom of any toy or on the label of any shirt, shoe or outfit and being relieved to find that it was manufactured in this country.
“Made in China.”
That’s all I see.
That doesn’t help me to feel real optimistic about the future of our economy.
So with all this negativity in the world what is there to be optimistic about?
And to that, Jesus poses the question: “Have you thought about Heaven Lately?”
In our Gospel lesson Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.”
Now why does Jesus call Himself the “bread of life?”
He does this because bread is something we must eat!
It is something we must consume.
It is something that must become part of who we are…living inside of us and thus causing us to be able to live and grow!!!
It’s not just there to look pretty or smell good.
It nourishes us.
It sustains us.
It gives us life.
It has to become part of us in order to do us any good!
And the same goes with Jesus!
Yes, there is more to Jesus than meets the eye, and when we allow God…out of God’s loving kindness for us…to draw us to Jesus we will find—much to our joy and relief—than there is much more to this life than meets the eye!!!
“Your forefathers ate manna in the desert,” Jesus tells us in verse 49 and 50, “yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
Remember the manna from the Exodus story?
The Israelite community had come out of Egypt, and had been grumbling because of the rumbling in their tummies.
So God fed them bread from heaven.
This bread was called manna.
But even though they were fed this bread, those grumbling Israelites still later died.
What’s more, they died without even being able to enter the Promised Land.
As a matter of fact, the Rabbis of Jesus’ day had a saying: “The generation in the wilderness have no part in the life to come….they were condemned to wander until they died. Because they would not accept the guidance of God they were forever shut out from the Promised Land, and also missed the life to come.”
The people who were listening to Jesus grumbled against Him when He declared to them: “I am the bread of life,” and yet they are the very same folks who had eaten to their fill during the feeding of the 5,000 when Jesus caused a miracle by creating a feast out of 5 barley loaves and two small fish.
How similar these folks were to the Israelites who were fed manna in the wilderness, and yet died!!!
Jesus is telling us this morning that He is not simply a temporary quick fix to life’s problems.
If we eat earthly bread we will be satisfied for a short while, but then soon and very soon the grumblings in our tummies will return.
And if we are not fed by more bread we will starve.
But there is another kind of bread…
….there is a bread of which we can eat and not die.
This bread is Living Bread.
This bread has come down from Heaven in order to be with you and me.
This bread will cause us to live forever, if only we will believe!!!
This bread is the flesh of Jesus Christ, sacrificed on the Cross of Calvary which Jesus has given “for the life of the world.”
Again, “Have you thought about heaven lately,” or are all your hopes still pinned on what the future holds in this world?
The footing in this world is becoming ever more slippery, dangerous, and less secure.
And the bread that we buy in the grocery stores can only go so far.
After eating this bread, we will be hungry again and again and again!
But thankfully, God has bigger plans for you and for me!
And Jesus is the completion of these plans.
He is the “bread of life.” And if we allow God to draw us to Him we will never again go hungry.
And if we believe in Him we will never again be thirsty.
Because in Jesus Christ, there is much, much more to life than meets the eye!
Bread spoils.
Nations are at war.
Terrorists are prepared to strike.
But do not allow these things to sap the life out of you.
Have you thought about Heaven Lately?
There is more…
…Yes!
Thanks be to God!!!
In Jesus Christ there is so very much more!!!
Let us pray: With the Psalmist, Out of the depths of the pain and misery of this life we cry out to You, O Lord.
Out of the depths of war, terror, oppression, and fear we cry out to You!
We are hungry for more than what this world has to offer to us.
Lord hear our voices as we ask You to supply us with Jesus, the Living Bread.
We pray, that through Your grace, You will continue to draw us to Yourself…
…and as You do this, we pray that we will let go of the things which cause us to resist You.
Give us that everlasting rest, that everlasting life.
We want Heaven Lord!
We desire Jesus, the Bread of Life.
We want to come to Him and therefore never go hungry.
We want to believe and never be thirsty.
In Jesus’ name and for His sake we pray.
Amen.
