First Lutheran Church

August 1, 2021

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-152The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.”

9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’ ” 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

John 6:3535Jesus 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.”

Sermon “What is it?”

Pastor Greg Ronning

I love road trips, I like to get in the car and drive, - even drive for days.  I will always choose driving over flying, as long as I have the time to make the trip.  So it is, my wife Melissia and I, have driven all over the country.  And most of the time we do pretty well on these trips, we get along as we move along the highways and the byways.  However, we are not entirely free from conflict on these long trips, there’s one thing that always seems to interrupt a good drive, a state of being that can quickly rise up in either one of us, a carnal reaction that leads to a Jekyll and Hyde transformation. Inevitably, at some point during a long day on the road,- one of us will suddenly become “hangry.” “Hangry,” an adjective, a clever combination of hungry and angry, the slang word for “feeling irritable or irrationally angry as a result of being hungry.” And as we all know, being with someone who is “hangry” is not a pleasant experience!

I imagine we’ve all been there, we’ve all experienced being “hangry” or being with someone who’s “hangry.” It’s even become a condition identified and described by doctors, “When you haven’t eaten for a while, the level of sugar in your blood decreases. When your blood sugar gets too low, it triggers a cascade of hormones, and adrenaline to raise and rebalance your blood sugar. And one of these hormones, cortisol, can cause aggression. At the same time low blood sugar may interfere with higher brain functions, such as those that help us control impulses and regulate our primitive drives and behavior.” And all of the sudden, you’re “hangry.”  Desperately in need of an exit with a fast-food restaurant!

In today’s Old Testament reading, the Israelites(who have just recently been set free from their slavery in Egypt,) have been traveling, wandering through the wilderness for some forty odd days, - and they have suddenly become “hangry.”  Blood Sugar levels have become low, adrenaline and hormones have been released, they can no longer hold back their frustration, and they become agitated.  They complain and whine to Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Despite all their melodrama, “We were better off as slaves,” “If only we had died, ”God mercifully hears their cries and responds, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you.” And sure enough, it happens.  (Throw wafers up in the air) The next morning the Israelites wake up to discover something strange covering the ground.  They are confused, they bend over and pick it up, look it over, smell it, and they say to one another, “Manna?” which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” To which Moses eventually replies, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

I can’t help but wonder if the Israelites were a bit disappointed, I can only imagine what my beloved wife would say if in a moment of being “hangry” I offered her up “one of these things.”(a communion wafer)So perhaps they were disappointed, but after some time, I’m sure they began to realize that this strange and unexpected Manna was keeping them nourished and sustaining them as they continued to journey for 40 more years, traveling to their destiny in the Promised Land!

This great story from Exodus, the story of Manna from heaven, reminds us once again that God is present, and that God provides for us, more often than not in ways that we don’t always immediately recognize.  The story invites us to pause and to reflect.  How many times have we passed by “Manna” because we simply were not aware what it was?  What is God doing all around us to help provide for us as we seek to live out our faith? Where is God raining “bread from heaven” in our life, in our life together, in our community in order to lead us to freedom? The first lesson to be learned, in today’s first lesson from Exodus; God knows what we want, but more importantly God knows what we need.  “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.” God will provide Manna!  May our hearts be humbled and may our eyes be opened to its presence!

In today’s appointed Gospel Jesus connects himself to this ancient story by proclaiming “I am the Bread of Life.” Jesus reminds us that he himself, the bread that falls from heaven, will sustain us on our journey to our promised land, the adventure that is set before us, the journey that is our life well lived with meaning and purpose.

In a just a few minutes, we will celebrate and partake in a special meal, Holy Communion; we will gather to feast on that very Bread of Life.  Each of you will make your way up to the altar, you will hold out your hand, and I will say, “The Body of Christ given for you.” And as you look down at the less than inspiring wheat wafer you might be tempted to say, maybe with a slight melodramatic hint of complaint, “Manna, what is it?”  How is this enough, how will this get me to the land of promise, how will this sustain me in my journey, how will this make a difference? “Manna, what is it?”

Well perhaps the answer to that question is found in the wafer itself!  In its simplicity we are reminded what life is truly all about.  It’s not all about attending great feasts, it’s not all about steak and a fine wine, it’s not all about champagne and caviar; No, it’s all about something more basic, more down to earth, more human, more universal. 

Jesus calls himself the bread of life, and in doing so identifies himself with one of the core needs of every human being in his day, “bread.” In the time of Jesus bread was the essential staple food. It was so basic that in the Hebrew language “to eat bread” and “to have a meal” was the same word.  Bread is the food that everyone needs and deserves, bread is the meal served at the table where there is a seat for all, bread is life, bread is grace and mercy, and ultimately the sharing of such bread is the sharing of love.  These are the things that make for life, these are the things that we all need, these are the things for which we all truly hunger, these are the things that truly sustain each of us, these are the things that shape a life of meaning and purpose, these are the things of the kingdom, this is the bread that is Christ.

So, is anyone feeling “hangry” today?  Did you skip breakfast and now your body and your mind are slowly becoming a bit irritable and agitated?  “How much longer will this sermon go on, I’m dying of hunger! ”Or perhaps, more significantly, is anyone experiencing a “spiritual hangry?” Hungering for something that will truly fill you up.  Do the mechanisms of this world, the things that move us around, and tell us where to go, increasingly no longer feel right to you, no longer fulfill your expectations?  Have you consumed all the things that world has offered you but still feel empty?  Have you conformed to the way things are, fought your way to the grand banquet table, but now realize you don’t belong?  Have you lost interest in pursuing the things of this world, things that no longer satisfy or sustain?  Are you longing for something different, something that makes a difference, something that will fill you with meaning and purpose? Are you“ spiritually hangry?”

Jesus taught us to pray, in the midst of these troubling queries, as we encounter the great existential questions of life, as we wrestle with our physical and spiritual hunger, “Our Father who art in heaven …. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  And to this end, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  May our eyes be opened to see - in Manna, in daily bread, in Jesus the “Bread of Life,” in the simplicity of bread broken and shared; - the very task and presence of the Kingdom of God.  And in the gathering up and sharing of daily bread, may we become that which we receive, the body of Christ given for the whole world.

As we engage the hard questions of faith, as we honestly seek out the Kingdom of God, as we respond to the calling of the Spirit in our life; let us be assured that God is not leading us out into a place where we will not be provided for.  Let us remember what God promised to Moses and the Israelites, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.” God will provide each of us just what we need to make the journey before us, to live faithfully, and to survive even though we may wander in wilderness places.   God is with us every day, sustaining us physically and spiritually providing “bread from heaven.” Bread for us to eat, and bread for us to share in love and service to others.  The bread that satisfies the heart, the soul, the body, and the mind. Today Jesus reminds us, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  May it be so, Amen.

All Of Your Little Pieces

Pr. Jasmine Waring | 9th Sunday after Pentecost!

July 25, 2021

" The last sermon I preached, I talked about how the Kingdom of God is a reality we can live into which is counter-cultural to the world we live in. The Kingdom of God is a world within a world where we can experience nourishment, grace, equity, and hope. You might remember the illustration I used from the movie, “Hook,” where a grown-up Peter Pan is learning how to use his imagination again through the Lost Boy’s feast. In the beginning, Peter was frustrated because there was no food at the table. The Lost Boys were feasting on what looked like just air, but after some time, Peter experienced a real water-into-wine moment when he scooped a spoonful from an empty bowl and launched colorful mouse onto Rufio’s face. It was this revelation that allowed Peter to see the abundance of food set before him. You’re doing it, Peter!!

" We see a similar scene of a miraculous abundance of food in our Gospel reading this morning. Jesus sees a crowd approaching, and asks his disciple, Phillip, to get food for them. Being the rational one, Phillip says from a viewpoint of scarcity that six months of wages wouldn’t be enough to feed them. Which means, Jesus’ check would have bounced if they had bought it. Yet, Jesus takes the loaves and fish they do have, and gave thanks for them. The words, “Given thanks” translates to the Greek word that is also the source of the term “Eucharist," a foreshadowing of the Lord’s Supper we participate in every week. Jesus, the bread of life, feeds the people himself, which is unique to the Gospel of John. Finally, after everyone has had their fill, Jesus asks the disciples to gather the leftover pieces so that nothing is wasted. Our society has a very different definition of abundance. Abundance is marked by the amount of power or influence one has. The amount of money and capital one possess, and even by one’s health and physical abilities. None of these are inherently evil, but as someone continues to climb hierarchies, and accumulate wealth in excess, the more likely you are to exploit other people’s labor, or exploit the earth, or marginalize identities who have been disinherited. Take Jeff Bezos for example. Recently he spent 5.5 billion dollars for an 11 minute trip to space. I spent more time driving to church this morning! Imagine having that much expendable income. The truth is, Bezos can live 100 more years without making a dollar and still be one of the riches people on earth. I just hope with all his money he can figure out how to thread a camel through the eye of a needle. The book of Ecclesiastes is wisdom literature believed to be written by King Solomon, the Jeff Bezos of his day. He has this to say about his abundance towards the end of his life.! “I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing (or feasting on) the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (Ecc 2:4-11). ! This is the opposite of the banquet table in Hook, where you see an abundant feast before you, but when you eat it, it never satisfies. ! " If society’s definition of abundance ultimately leads to emptiness, then what does abundance mean in the Kingdom of God? In our Gospel reading, there is a line that does not get as much attention in the story. Jesus has his disciples gather the leftover fragments of bread and fish so that nothing goes to waste. Is Jesus just being frugal, or is God trying to show us something more here? There are many moments we can look back on in our lives, and call it a waste. Wasting time at a dead-end job, wasting energy in a toxic relationship, or wasting money on a bad investment. We can look back on these fragments in our lives and feel a world of regret. Yet, the Kingdom

• of God says, “Nothing is wasted here.” It reminds me of the Old Testament story of Joseph, who knew he was called to greatness, but found himself in a pit. Then he was sold into slavery, then found himself in prison, before he became second in command of Egypt. He could have easily said that the time he spent in a pit or in prison were a waste of time and effort. Yet, he says to his brothers who sold him into slavery, “What you had intended for evil, God has turned it into something good.” When abundance is marked by excess in society, the Kingdom of God marks abundance with alchemy. Christ gathers the broken, unwanted, seemingly useless fragments of our lives and miraculously creates abundance beyond what we could ever imagine.

  " Ecclesiastes briefly diverts from its cynicism in a verse in chapter 3 and says, “Everything is made beautiful in its time.” When I think about my own life, I can claim this to be true. Some of you may know that I came out later in life. I was almost 29 years old when I came out as gay 6 years ago. Many of my queer friends and folks I’ve met had been out since they were teenagers, or in their early 20’s. Most of my straight friends were already married and had kids. I felt so far behind. I looked back at how lonely and awkward I was in my 20’s and thought about all the time I wasted trying to be someone I wasn’t. Why didn’t I know sooner? Why did I wait so long to cut my hair? But when I look back on my life now, I can see the beauty in fragments Christ brought together for me. If I had come out 10, 15, or 20 years ago, My mom would not have accepted me. I wouldn’t of had the spiritual maturity to wrestle with my faith and still be a Christian, let alone pursue a call to ministry. I probably wouldn’t have met the love of my life, Mel. And I wouldn’t have met all of the beautiful people of First Lutheran Church Fullerton. My life is beautiful, and every broken fragment of my life has been used for God’s glory. Because of what I’ve been through and how I have seen God work in my life, I am able to be rooted and grounded in love. I am able to begin to comprehend, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the love of Christ is. Because it doesn’t matter if I’m broke or rich, whether I am sick, or the image of health and athleticism, whether I am a leader or a follower, nothing in my life is wasted.

  " I wonder what all the little pieces of your life feels like a waste. What were the moments you wish you could take back your time, energy, and resources? I pray to the One who is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to gather these pieces and make them beautiful in their own time. When we celebrate the Eucharist this morning, and you take the bread, broken for you, may it remind you of all your little fragmented pieces you thought were going to waste, and watch the miraculous abundance of God gather them up, and put it to use in your life. May you be dissatisfied with the abundance the world tries to offer you. !And may you have the power to understand, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep the redeeming love of God is.

  Amen.

First Lutheran Church

July 18, 2021

The Eight Sunday after Pentecost B

Mark 6:30-34  30The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

“Divine Transitions”

Pastor Greg Ronning

When I think of the life of Jesus, one of the first words that comes to my mind is “adventure.”  What an adventure!  Jesus is on the move, and everywhere he goes, something incredible happens.  People are healed, lives are transformed, demons are confronted and are exorcised, social norms are challenged and boundaries are erased, bread and fish are multiplied and water turns to wine, - in the life of Jesus - heaven and earth collide!  I picture Jesus frantically crisscrossing the countryside with passion and a sense of urgency announcing the Kingdom of God is at hand!  The life of Jesus is a quick paced action / adventure movie.

When I think of the life of Jesus what I often forget about is the transitions, the things that happen in between all the drama, action, and adventure.  I forget some of those short scripture passages that complete the whole story of Jesus.  I forget that Jesus was very intentional about caring for himself and his disciples. I forget that in between all the adventure, Jesus took intentional time to transition, Jesus took time to rest and to reflect.

Some examples from the Gospels …

In the Fifth Chapter of Luke, Jesus helps the disciples bring in an incredible catch of fish that nearly tears the nets apart, he heals a man with leprosy, he invites a paralyzed man to stand up and walk, and in increasing numbers the crowds descend upon him to be cured of all their diseases.  Amazing things are happening, but what we often miss in this chapter is verse sixteen, a short but not insignificant detail, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." 

In the Eighth Chapter of Matthew, astonishing things are happening; Jesus stretches out his hand and a man’s leprosy is cleansed, he speaks a word and a Roman Centurion’s servant is healed in the moment, while staying at Peter’s house that evening “many” suffering people are brought to him, and they are healed.  The Eighth Chapter continues with Jesus calming a storm while out on the waters of the sea.  And when he reaches the other side, he casts a bunch of demons out of a couple of people and into a herd of swine who promptly rush into the sea and drown themselves.  Amidst all this action it’s sometimes easy to miss Matthew 8:24, “Jesus was asleep.”

In the Seventh Chapter of Mark, in the midst of tense and heightened conflict with the Pharisees, the dramatic encounter with the Syrophoenician Woman, and the curious healing of a deaf man (Ephphatha!); we often miss verse twenty-four, where Jesus enters into a house with instructions to not let anyone know where he was staying.

Which brings us back to today’s appointed gospel reading, and the often-missed transitional verse, Jesus invitation to his disciples, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”  These words are preceeded in Chapter Six with the story of how Jesus sent out the twelve disciples, two by two, to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God, cast out demons, and anoint the sick with oil.  As the disciple come back, successful in their mission, they are excited, energized, and ready to go!  But Jesus slows them down, invites them to take a deep breath, to pause and to reflect deeper on their experience, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Or as another translation of our text puts it, “Come away with me.”  Then, and only then, after that is done, the adventure continues.  Next up in Mark’s Gospel, the feeding of the five thousand, and walking on water!  After a pause, the adventure continues.

Today God is inviting us to shift our focus away from the adventure for a bit, to ensure that we know what shapes and fuels the adventure, - rest and reflection!  Life is filled with many escapades, risky encounters, quests, and even odysseys, but how those “chapters” in life play out depends greatly on “the short verses” that help us make the transition.  Jesus moved from town to town, miracle to miracle, encounter to encounter, healing to healing, transformation to transformation, new beginning to new beginning, by taking time to transition correctly, by taking time to get away, reflect, and rest.

And if Jesus needed to take a break – So do we!  The incarnation of God, God fleshed out in Jesus, reminds us that it is OK, even divine, to pause, to get away, to withdraw, to take a nap, - to rest.  For it is in the doing of these things that we are made ready to continue to engage the journey before us, live out our unique calling in life, be a part of the ever-emerging Kingdom of God.

So, how do you transition?  How are you transitioning from pandemic to post pandemic life?  How are you transitioning from old work to new work?  How are you transitioning from work to retirement?  How are you transitioning from month to month, week to week, day to day?  Are you taking the time that you need, are you creating that divine space of rest and reflection, are you doing all the things that will allow you to continue faithfully and boldly with your life?  

To be honest, I don’t think we are very good at such “intentional transitions.”  Just as we skip over those verses in the story of Jesus, we often don’t write those verses into our own life.  It is in our fallen human nature not to rest, not to reflect, not to pause, but rather to keep going onward.  And it is deeply embedded in our culture not to practice sabbath but rather to always see and value time as something measured in terms of productivity and transaction.  Unfortunately, we are better at “doing” than “being.”  And what is not practiced and valued all around us, easily can become not valued or practiced with us.  Without thinking we conform, even to our own demise.  So, we skip over the transitions of life, we miss out on those liminal and life-giving spaces, as we just - keep on keeping-on.

However today we have been gathered up by Christ the Good Shepherd.  We have been tended away from the busyness that so often consumes us and have been invited to lie down in “green pastures” – “beside still waters.”  And even in “the valley of the shadows of the fear and death” that seek to lead us astray, we are restored, and put back on the right path, the path that leads to abundant life.  That’s one of the chief reasons we gather together on Sundays, to practice some kind of sabbath, to learn the pattern and bring it more fully into our, sometimes, weary life.

In the story of Jesus, in the transitions along the great adventure, it has been made perfectly clear that we are called to make faithful transitions, to be intentional about creating time to reflect and spaces in which to rest.  Once again, if Jesus needed to do it, so do you and I!  It is in this divine transitional time that adventures are truly shaped and formed, inspired and energized, engaged and lived out.  And in the end, and even now, and unto tomorrow - the kingdom comes.  Amen.