This week's gospel: John 6:56-69
56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which the ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in a synagogue at Capernaum.
The Words of Eternal Life
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones who did not believe and who was the one who would betray him. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
The message:
And I should preface this by saying that this was after a day preparing for and holding the funeral for our beloved Jane Buchholz, and also after a couple of long days at the shelter.
So … during the downtimes last night, when we were between customers, and it was just us regulars there -- Lisa, Patsy, Paul and myself -- it was easy for a person’s spirits to lag a bit.
Admittedly, I was in a place where I was spent both mentally and spiritually … the after effects of the funeral … and some sustained long days at the shelter.
My gas tank was a bit empty, you might say.
And because of that … it was an easy opening for doubt to creep in about our efforts here at Faith to bring our ministry out into the community.
My condition was an opportunity, I think, for the Evil One to stir up questions about where as a church we should be placing our efforts and lead me to doubt.
After all, we’re still in our fledgling effort we call “Faith Forward,” and none of us knows what initiatives will be successful … and which ones won’t be successful.
I mean, in our efforts to reimagine what our next chapter here at Faith Lutheran looks like, we don’t even know how to declare what success is.
And maybe we won’t know for some time to come. Long after these initial events were held.
So there I was last night, lost deep in my own thoughts … watching as Lisa and Pasty, the DJ, were deeply involved in a conversation and to my left, there was Paul listening to his Twins pre-game show.
For the time being, we were the only folks around. … We experienced a lull in customers after the initial support time rush. … And it was just us regulars hanging out. …
And in that moment, Faith Family, I fully admit to you that it was easy to wonder: Just what does this bringing church into the community thing really look like?
I mean, we have invested a lot of energy into the Food Truck Tuesdays this year. … And there were some really wonderful experiences that took place out there, but on some level, a reasonable person still has to ask themselves, “Was the effort worth it?” … Right?
You know, if we’re going to be honest with ourselves, the question has to be asked?
And let me ask you … what better time to ask those important questions … than when you’re sitting at a folding table … in a parking lot … with the late summer sun beating down on you … and you’re a little bit weary?
It seems that is a situation ripe for reflection, doesn’t it?
Doubt … Faith Family, doubt is a natural facet of faith, and Jesus even gives us permission to doubt. … Because he knows we are human. … And frankly, I’m certain that our infinite God, who created the entire known universe, can handle a little human doubt as well.
So doubt is nothing to be ashamed of. … It’s just natural.
But here’s my twist. … This sermon actually isn’t about doubt.
It’s actually about what comes after doubt. … Because what happened after that moment for me is so much more amazing than the fact that your pastor’s mind wandered a bit when he was weary.
The remarkable part of this story is what came next.
Soon after this moment when my spirits were the lowest, there was a parade of three cars that came pulling into the parking lot.
And out poured three families from the two trucks and one Buick convertible. Three couples, a grandma and at least a handful of young children. … An entire group together, who came to visit our food truck.
For a short bit, as I was still trying to rally my ambassadorial skills, I marveled at the site of our lot going from empty to filled up in the blink of an eye. … And I got enough of a sniff of the Holy Spirit that my own spirit rallied.
Suddenly, I found that I had the energy to get up from my chair and wander over to meet the large group of folks who rolled in.
Turned out they were three families, all from Abercrombie and tightly connected: Two brothers, their wives and kids and a third man, who has been their friend since childhood, and his wife and children. … And then there was a Grandma there for good measure too. … Not sure which set of kids she was Grandma to, but nonetheless, she was there too!
The story was that Grandma had heard about our Food Truck Tuesdays and was headed in our direction last night when all three of the couples learned about what she was doing. … And they too all decided that it was a perfect night to haul the families north and get a bite of delicious Mexican food on a beautiful summer evening.
I ended up having a lovely conversation with all three sets of adults and with Grandma, and I got to hang out with their adorable little ones as well. … And the overall impression the three families had was that our Food Truck Tuesday outreach was … in their own words … “so cool!”
I also will add that all three families agreed that they’d be returning next Tuesday night for our last Food Truck Tuesday of the summer.
All in all, I felt that a very divine connection was made with these new friends.
Interestingly, it was at that moment that behind us, over by Patsy the DJ, something equally as cool was developing. … Turns out another customer who had arrived about the same time as the three families had asked if he could sing a karaoke song with her equipment.
Patsy got him set up, and to everyone’s surprise, the singer was really good. … I mean good to the point that I thought he was lip syncing to the music. But it turns out that, no, he actually was the one singing.
Caught completely off guard, I said to the families, “Now, that’s never happened before. I gotta go meet him!”
I made my way over to a man who had showed up with the singer, and found out his name was “L.C.” and the singer’s name was “Tyler” … and the two were father and son.
At this point, I was so intrigued by the pair that I sat down to learn more about them. … And what unfolded over the next 15 minutes seemed even more divine than my previous conversation with the families.
Turns out that LC and Tyler were on their way back from Breckenridge, where they had just completed their first day’s work on a construction project down there.
They were headed back to their travel trailer parked in West Fargo, when they spotted our food truck. So the hungry pair stopped to get a bite.
Over bites of tacos and nachos the pair shared with me that outside of the travel trailer, which has electricity, but no running water, they have no other home. LC was recently released from prison after a stay because of a possession of methamphetamine charge. And neither had worked in a while.
Being the pair could not find work at home in Oklahoma, they made their way to West Fargo because they have a relative living here. They had decided here was as good of an area as anywhere to build a new life.
And so here they are. The work in Breck yesterday was their first paycheck in I don’t know how long. And all of what they own is in a trailer somewhere in West Fargo. … But after hearing their story, I was able to describe the services we provide at Churches United and share some information that may help them on this new chapter.
Faith Family … tonight, I do not doubt that God’s hand was in our paths crossing last night.
Neither the paths of the three families who decided on a whim to give our Food Truck Tuesday a try, nor the path of LC and Tyler, a couple of hungry guys stopping on their way home after a hard day’s work.
I have no doubt that was the Holy Spirit at work. … And I tell you … both were a welcome buoy to my own flagging spirits. … I mean, talk about, “Come Holy Spirit, come!”
So, no, tonight’s sermon is not one about doubt … but rather it is one about what overcomes doubt … and that is faith.. … Faith in opening ourselves up to the active influence of the Holy Spirit and of God’s design.
Faith Family, I don’t know where our “Faith Forward” initiative will take us in the coming months. … And I don’t know where the Holy Spirit will continue to nudge us.
But I do know this … at some point in this process, the veil between earthly and heavenly kingdoms will part … and we’ll say, “Ahhh, this was where we were headed all along.”
Just like when you find yourself face to face with two men in need of shelter and food … two and a half weeks after you accept the job of running a homeless shelter and food pantry.
Take notice, Faith Family, the Holy Spirit is at work here at Faith Lutheran. … Now we just need to be open to the opportunities that appear before us. … And that is the Good News for this Wednesday evening, the last of our summer services for 2024. Amen.
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