Opening to the Mystery of Jesus

Opening to the Mystery of Jesus 8/12/2024 - by: Julie Britton - Starting With Scripture Share Julie Payne Britton is a Member in Discernment in the Franklin Association of the SNEUCC and Pastoral Assistant at Hadwen Park Congregational Church in Worcester, MA. She lives in Worcester with her wife, 3 cats, new rescue dog Peetie, and house bunny Clarence. Scripture: John 6:51-58 (Inclusive Bible) “I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If any eat this bread, they will live forever; the bread I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Temple Authorities then began to argue with one another. “How can he give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus replied, “The truth of the matter is, if you don't eat the flesh And drink the blood of the Chosen One, you won't have life in you. Those who do eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Everyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in them. Just as the living Abba God sent me and I have life because of the Abba God, so those who feed on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not the kind of bread your ancestors ate before they died; Whoever eats this kind of bread will live forever.” Reflection: Opening to the Mystery of Jesus It is so tempting to come at this passage head-first… We could Bible Nerd out and focus on the Greek: how ‘eat’ can be interpreted as ‘munch’ or even ‘chomp’ [1] and how ‘life’ in the beautiful Abba God lines is set in the present tense. [2] That could lead to sermons about Jesus the Provocative or about life everlasting in the here and now. Alternatively, we could set the passage in conversation with the feeding of the 5,000 and expound upon communion in a very big-Protestant-brain way. All of that would lead to meaningful messages this Sunday. But this is the landscape of deep mystery. I suspect that to really enter in, our good brains are not enough. We have to bring the text into our body, much as we do that warm grape juice and that good crustless bread. When you do that, what do you notice? Can you feel these words? What happens when you sit in a quiet place, maybe with one hand on your heart and the other on your soft stomach, whispering one line at a time, pausing after each line? Maybe you feel self-conscious, only aware of the low rumble saying breakfast was hours ago. Maybe your mind starts reviewing the unending To-Do list or flies off to someone who needs you. And maybe something else happens too – a window opens somewhere deep in your core and a cool breeze blows in. When we let the mystery and wonder of Jesus become our center of gravity – that which is closer than our own breath or our own story – then we can be lit from within with life everlasting. I think that’s what this text calls us towards. In the mid 2010s, I saw a TV ad featuring close-ups of many kinds of faces. So many races, ethnicities, ages, sexual and gender identities. The faces were tattooed and freckled and wrinkled and every other thing. “I am Jesus.” That’s what each person said, one after another. That was the whole ad. I have no idea who sponsored it or what they were ‘selling,’ but it stays with me still. This is the mysticism at the heart of this passage. When we draw him deeply in, I am Jesus and so are you. Of this text, Disciples of Christ pastor Bob Cornwell says: There is in this passage an invitation to allow Jesus to so permeate our lives that we in essence feed on him, he becomes the source of our energy and our power, and as long as we feed on him there is life. It is a conversation about relationship, not just a personal relationship where Jesus becomes our buddy, but a relationship in which his life defines our lives. [3] There is a responsibility to this deep union. As Spanish mystic Theresa of Avila said so long ago: Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. [4] We are called to embody Jesus’ ministry and mystery in this groaning world. Let us offer our full embodied selves in service of Jesus’ call to Belovedness and justice and lead others to do the same. But first, we have to let him in. References: Brian Peterson. “Commentary on John 6:51-58.” Working Preacher, 8/16/2009, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-20-2/commentary-on-john-651-58-2. Accessed 16 July, 2024. (see also below) “John 6.” Greek Interlinear Bible (NT). https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/joh6.pdf. Accessed 16 July, 2024. Bob Cornwall. “The Living Bread – Reflections on John 6:51-58”, Ponderings on a Faith Journey, 8-19-2012, https://www.bobcornwall.com/2012/08/the-living-bread-reflections-on-john.html. Accessed 16 July, 2024. Theresa of Avila (attributed). “Christ Has No Body But Yours.” Journeying with Jesus. https://www.journeywithjesus.net/poemsandprayers/3637-Teresa_Of_Avila_Christ_Has_No_Body. Accessed 16 July, 2024. PRAYER Jesus of our heart, we draw you in. (breathe in, breathe out) We dwell in your mystery. (breathe in, breathe out) Help us bring you into the very marrow of our bones (breathe in, breathe out) So that we may abide you (breathe in, breathe out) And you may abide in us, (breathe in, breathe out) Just as you abide in the Expansive Creator. (breathe in, breathe out) We give ourselves to you. (breathe in, breathe out) Thank you for giving us the tools (breathe in, breathe out) With which we may do your work (breathe in, breathe out) In this aching world. (breathe in, breathe out) Amen. New Prayer Requests: We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org. Prayers of Intercession: Prayers for peace as wars and conflicts continue to escalate around the world. Injustices and inequalities manifest as racism, discrimination, gender-based violence, economic disparities, and other issues. For those grieving or suffering due to the ~10,300 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the year. For Church Safety in politically trying times. Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving: For letting the mystery and wonder of Jesus become our center of gravity. For finding rest, relaxation, and deep contentment this summer For those holding the Vision. This Week in History: August 14, 1935 (89 years ago): The the Social Security Act was signed into law which guaranteed an income for the unemployed and retirees, in the hope the act would prevent senior citizens from ending up impoverished. [History] “Study the past if you would define the future.” — Confucius j.britton photo.jpg Julie Britton Julie Payne Britton is a Member in Discernment in the Franklin Association of the SNEUCC and Pastoral Assistant at Hadwen Park Congregational Church in Worcester, MA. August 12, 2024