Created To Be - A Sermon for Sunday August 4th 2024

GOSPEL: John 6:24-35

The holy gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Many of the five thousand people Jesus fed in the wilderness continued to follow him throughout the countryside. Jesus challenges them to consider the real nature of their quest.

24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were [beside the sea,] they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

  25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

  35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON 

Jesus fed 5000 on the hillside;

a mysterious sacrament

seeing 5 loaves and 2 fish multiply

to feed the crowd,

then gathering an abundance of leftovers.

The people were there to see Jesus.

Some wanted to be cured of there illnesses,

others wanted to hear Jesus speak.

There were many reasons

why the people came to Jesus.

Amidst the hungry commotion,

Jesus invited the people to sit down,

like disciples sitting at the feet of their Rabbi,

to learn, to trust,

and all who sat were fed.

Sitting down might not seem like much,

but I consider it a miracle.

When you are hungry,

waiting is the hardest thing to do.

When you are sick and in need,

waiting is the hardest thing to do.

The people had to sit, wait, and trust

that Jesus would feed them.

Some time passes,

and when the people notice Jesus isn’t around them anymore,

they go searching for Jesus.

Jesus says -  Very truly, I tell you,

you are looking for me,

not because you saw signs,

but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Busted.

Seems all they want is more bread.

But - I think there’s more to this crowd

than just wanting a free lunch.

How far would you walk or drive for a free lunch?

These people crossed the sea.

I don’t know how far,

but we’re not talking about a trip downtown

to try a new restaurant.

You might not cross a lake for free food,

but maybe for Jesus you would.

It was a gift to serve as resource pastor at Camp Kuriakos.

Some children were there for the first time,

but most were returning campers.

Why did they come back?

Maybe it is just the camp food,

or the chance to be silly

or the parents or grandparents sending them.

Maybe it’s Jesus.

I wouldn’t cross the province,

let alone Sylvan Lake for a free lunch,

but maybe for Jesus I would.

The theme for camp this year is “Created to Be”.

It is very similar to the themes from our Vacation Bible School

  curriculum “Just Like Me.”

Here are the 5 foci for each day:

We are created to be Free,

Authentic,

Brave,

Disciples (together),

and Disruptive.

Some of the youth and children loved the word disruptive.

Maybe it is as simple as

children who don’t want to behave

hear it as permission to act out.

But when we talked being created to be disruptive,

It is not about reeking havoc

or getting silly

or pulling pranks.

Our faith is not silent,

Our faith is not passive

nor is it solitary.

Our actions and advocacy

are guided by the Holy Spirit

and by love for our neighbour

in the church, society, and the world.

Put another way,

we are created by God to disrupt the ways of this world

that do not allow humanity to be:

free, authentic, brave or disciples together.

You can’t know what God desires to be disrupted

without some discernment:

so we do faith together,

we serve together,

love together,

listen together,

that we might discern what needs faithful disrupting.

We follow Jesus,

we listen to God’s Word proclaimed in community

and we go.

You can’t faithfully disrupt without courage:

God created us to be brave.

one person’s bravery

might look different than another’s.

Disruption has to be for the good of the community,

and you can’t truly be part of community

if you aren’t authentically yourself.

Community isn’t real community

if the members are pretending

to be something they’re not.

It’s just like the VBS theme song “Just Like Me”;

“Just like me is who I want to be.

God loves me the way I am.

No matter what people say,

we’re better together,

we can weather whatever…

You be you, and I’ll be just like me.”

And you can’t really truly be authentic

without be free,

and we give thanks to God

through our Saviour Jesus Christ

that by grace we have been saved:

we are freed from sin, death and the devil,

and we are freed for a life that is free,

authentic,

brave,

together,

and faithfully disruptive.

I was particularly struck by the confession and forgiveness

that we participated in on day 2,

as we considered what it means to be

our authentic selves;

to be authentically me.

I’d like to invite you into this confession now.

Confession

Leader: Today’s worship is about authenticity: letting go of the people we pretend to be and learning how to live as God created us to be. Let us confess the ways we do not live truthfully. As each short confession is read, you may respond with echo, “Yep, that’s me.”

We pretend to be other people to fit in. Yep, that’s me.

We stay silent instead of speaking up because we are afraid of what other people might think. Yep, that’s me.

We are so afraid of seeming different that we hide the parts of ourselves that make us beautiful. Yep, that’s me. 

We do not sing with our full voices because we think others will judge us. Yep, that’s me. 

We do not live authentic lives because we fear that we will lose love when we reveal our true selves. Yep, that’s me.

Leader: But Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” With Jesus, there is endless love. Jesus loves you exactly as you are, not who you are pretending to be. Jesus loves your voice. Jesus loves your song. Jesus loves the parts of you that you are trying to hide. Everyone say, “Yep, that sounds like Jesus.”

All: Yep, that sounds like Jesus.

I found hope with this message,

and it’s the next generation that inspires me.

As we shared the confession,

Every single time I agreed, yep that’s me.

but not everyone did.

some of the kids were genuine and authentic in their response:

For example: We stay silent instead of speaking up

because we are afraid of what other people might think.

One kid yelled out - no way, I always speak my mind.

another said - yeah, me too!

Thanks be to God.

Then: We are so afraid of seeming different

that we hide the parts of ourselves that make us beautiful.

Three kids yelled out - No, I love being different.

Thanks be to God!

If you are the person who is authentically,

unapologetically yourself,

Thank you, and thanks be to God!

If you are the person who struggles with this,

if you are like me and you’ve said Yep, that’s me,

I offer you this blessing:

Please, be you.

The world doesn’t need another Pastor Aaron,

I’m enough.

The world doesn’t need another Elon Musk

nor Taylor Swift

nor Connor McDavid.

They’re already here.

God doesn’t need another. God already loves them.

Please be you.

That’s the you God loves.

God created you to be you.

By Christ’s life, death and resurrection,

you are free to be you,

free to love and serve.

By the Holy Spirit,

you are brave in your own way,

God wont call you do do something you cannot do,

or to be someone you are not.

Be you, with courage.

By the Holy Spirit,

we are the body of Christ, together.

and with faith, courage, and authenticity

we disrupt faithfully, together, as disciples of Jesus.

The crowd of 5000 crossed the lake

maybe just to get another meal

but certainly they crossed the lake to see Jesus.

The good news is Jesus received them.

Just as they were.

They were not sent away.

Jesus, the Bread of Life

feeds any who come forward with open hands,

authentic or not.

Jesus said to the crowd,

“it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  

For the bread of God

is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world.”  

They said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Put another way,

it is an authentic request,

made by God’s faithful,

those who hunger and thirst for God,

asking please, God,

give us this bread always.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

May we join the crowd of 5000 and the Kuriakos campers,

and cross the lake again to come to Jesus,

the Bread of Life.

May we be free, brave, disciples together,

and faithfully disruptive

for the good of humanity

and the good of the neighbourhood.

May we be authentically ourselves

for that is who we are created to be.

Thanks be to God. Amen.