PENTECOST 11b					
August 16, 2009

Be Prepared for Grace
by Linda Kraft

John 6:51-58
Ephesians 5:18b-20
			
Out here in New England we can get some pretty strong storms in the
winter.  When the weather forecasters predict a Noreaster, the parking lots
at the grocery stores are jam packed.  Everyone, it seems, runs out and
stocks up on the "white sale."  That is, we buy the basics: bread, milk and
toilet paper. We may also buy candles and some canned goods and bottled
water and stop by the gas station to fill a 5-gallon jug with unleaded for
the generator.  We want to be prepared in case the power lines are torn down
by wind and a heavy load of ice, in case we have to hunker down for several
days before the snow plows can get to their remote streets and rescue us.
	
Now, this account makes it seem like we're living at the North Pole
rather than in civilized suburban America.  But that's us humans for you, we
want to be prepared for anything.
	
We say we don't, but we seem to enjoy playing the "what if" game.
What if that upset stomach is more serious? What if that roof needs repair
after the warrantee has expired? What if the kids rebel against all we've
tried to teach them?  What if...

The people of Jesus' time were the same as us in many ways.  Oh,
their day-to-day routines may have been different and their culture a world
away, but anxiety was as much a part of their lives as it is ours today.
One of the things they had to be anxious about, though, is something we
DON'T have to worry about.
	
For centuries, the Chosen People of God had wondered when and if God
was going to send a deliverer.  And during the Roman occupation of the
region of Palestine, their concern grew even deeper.

+	God promised US this land, but now we live in fear.  How long will
this occupation last?
+	Could we be facing another exile like our ancestors suffered?
+	What kind of deliverance will the Messiah bring?
+	Will the Messiah ever come?
+	Could this amazing preacher from Nazareth REALLY be the One?
	
Our Middle Eastern ancestors in faith were not prepared for Jesus.
They thought they had God pretty much figured out -- in much the same way as
you and I sometimes think.  They had been taught that good things happened
to good people.  Blessings would be showered on the righteous person.  And
bad things were the result of too little faith, not observing all the tenets
of the Law of Moses, not agreeing with the religious leaders or any number
of conditions one brought on oneself. They would be very familiar with the
question, "What have I done that God is punishing me like this?"
	
No, they weren't ready for Jesus.  They didn't expect God to walk
among them and bring God's love right into their everyday lives.  They
weren't prepared for grace.

I often run into people unprepared for grace today.  They may expect
God's love, but they're sure it needs to be deserved.  Sometimes when I'm
preparing a funeral for someone whose deceased family member hasn't been
near a church for who-know-how-long, I get this comment: "Well, Pastor,
Uncle Buford didn't go to church anywhere, but he was baptized Lutheran.
You'll do the funeral, won't you?  After all, he was a very good person.
I'm sure he's in Heaven now, aren't you?"
	
I'm sure glad it's not my call whether Uncle Buford is in Heaven.  I
leave that completely up to the Lord.  Because if it were MY call, I'm
afraid my humanity would probably take over and I'd challenge them with some
very un-pastoral things to think about.  My natural tendency would be to
come down on the side of the LAW rather than on the side of GRACE.  Maybe
I'm no more prepared for grace than people were 2000 years ago.  And I don't
think I'm alone.

In today's gospel message, Jesus repeatedly invites EVERYONE to
feast on HIM, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the bread that came down from
heaven, unlike anything that had ever been provided before.  In this passage
-- well, really in the entire record provided by the Gospel writer, John --
Jesus' gift of grace is boundless.  There is NO ONE excluded from Jesus'
invitation to the feast.
	
You and I and our "organized religion" have forgotten that Jesus'
invitation is so open to all.  Jesus is prepared to offer grace to all
comers -- no questions asked, no preparation necessary.  But you and me?  We
aren't comfortable with that wide-open welcome.  It just doesn't seem right
somehow. We may have grown up with some traditions that made perfect sense
within the community of our origin.  They may have seemed so logical and
correct that we never thought to examine them and ask if they corresponded
to what Jesus says in the Bible, especially in places like our Gospel from
John today.  I know of a few assumptions that may sound familiar to us: 

+	*I* had to wait until I was confirmed to receive Holy Communion.
That's what's right; that's the way it ought to be.
+	I can't take communion today; I forgot to fast.
+	I'm not worthy to receive the Sacrament; I haven't confessed my sin,
done my penance and been absolved.
+	I can't take Communion here; I'm not a member of this congregation.
+	I can't receive the host in the palm of my hand; I'm not worthy to
touch the Body of Christ.
+	I can't take Communion; I'm hiding the fact that I'm gay.
+	I will take you to the altar for a blessing, but you mustn't expect
to receive the Sacrament; you just don't understand what you're doing yet.
+	I can't possibly go to church to receive the Sacrament; I haven't
paid my dues because I've fallen on hard times.
+	I can't go the altar dressed like this, so I can't take Communion today.

If any of these sound the least bit familiar, I invite you to
examine yourself and your ideas.  Could it be that you, too, are not
prepared for grace?
	
Jesus doesn't tell his listeners that day in Capernaum that they
must be fully righteous to be worthy to receive the Bread of Life.  Jesus
doesn't tell them they had to have celebrated their Bar Mitzvah or
Confirmation. Jesus doesn't tell them they have to fast or go to confession
or belong to a certain religious denomination.  Jesus doesn't tell them that
they have to pay for this gift or be heterosexual or wear the latest
designer clothes.  Jesus doesn't tell them they mustn't touch the Body of
Christ.  Remember, Jesus is a very "hands-on" Savior.
	
Whether or not you and I allow it, Jesus reaches out to embrace each
of us within his grace.  The gift that Jesus offers is free for the
receiving.  Grace can sustain us through any trial and tribulation.  Grace
can increase our joy in celebration.  Grace can console us, like everyone
else in this world, when bad things happen to good people.  
	
Be prepared to open your heart to grace.  It's already yours.  The
One who loves you unconditionally offers you this gift freely, of his own
choosing.  You don't have to do anything to accept this grace; it's already
yours.  So, as Paul wrote the Ephesians,  "be filled with the Spirit, as you
sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and
making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at
all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Amen

(Comments to Linda at kraftylynx@yahoo.com.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Trumbull  CT   06611