Sermon Preached by The Rev. Sam Frazier, Vicar
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Haw River, NC
August 23, 2009
12th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16, Year B

In the Gospel this morning we hear about how Jesus’ disciples responded to hard things and hard ideas that were difficult to accept.  The same problem confronts us today when it comes to belief in God.  For the past 3 Sundays we have been studying Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, and how Jesus is our Bread of Life.  We have explored some of the implications for our own lives in Christ.  Our Gospel today is the conclusion of the passage in Chapter 6 about Jesus being the bread of life. Chapter 6 began with great expectations as described in verse 2: A LARGE CROWD KEPT FOLLOWING JESUS, BECAUSE THEY SAW THE SIGNS THAT HE WAS DOING.  These are optimistic words, words about success, great success.  But, it all ended like this near the end of Chapter 6: MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES TURNED BACK AND NO LONGER WENT ABOUT WITH HIM.  Somewhere along the way something terrible happened.  Somewhere along the way it all went sour.  Somewhere along the way the train was derailed.

Jesus elicits strong reactions from us; there is no question about it!  Does the Gospel ever introduce us to anyone whose reaction to Him is lukewarm?  I do not know of any such person.  Early on, Jesus attracted people like a magnet.  They flocked to Him.  They threatened to crush Him by their great numbers.  They literally overwhelmed his resources, and they created traffic gridlock.

But the other Gospel truth is that Jesus also had a negative effect on some people.  Some of them left him.  They turned around and walked out on him before he had even finished speaking.  Jesus= words caught some of them in their wallets, but mostly what he said got stuck in their throats.  They just could not swallow it, and so they left.  JESUS SAID, I AM THE BREAD WHICH CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN…THE ONE WHO EATS THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER.  WHEN MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES HEARD THIS, THEY SAID, THIS TEACHING IS DIFFICULT; WHO CAN ACCEPT IT?  The point here is that the way of the Kingdom is not always easy, and unless we are single minded, some of us may not be able to stick with the journey.  Some of us may lose heart.  Some of us may run away - or drift away.  Some of us may: LOOK BACK.

We look back in many ways.   Sometimes this is through laziness, discouragement, fear, duty, or simply some other substitute such as work, family, money, sex, drugs, food, or alcohol.  We look back to find an easier way, a softer way.  We look back when we try to find a church that will entertain us, but not challenge us. We often look for the easy, soft way in our relationships with our loved ones - it is easier to drift in a relationship and let it slowly die, instead of fighting to keep it alive and well.  THIS TEACHING IS DIFFICULT; WHO CAN ACCEPT IT?

This statement in the Gospel reminds me of an incident that occurred when I was Vicar of Galloway Memorial Episcopal Church in Elkin, NC, where my youngest son Chris was born.  One day I got into an argument with an old fundamentalist preacher from way up in the mountains on whether or not the county should remain dry or vote to approve ABC stores where liquor could be purchased.  I reminded him that at the wedding in Cana Jesus turned several big barrels of water into wine, which Jesus and the guests enjoyed.  The preacher, silent for a moment, but undaunted, shot back: YES, AND I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT A LOT MORE OF HIM IF HE HADN’T MADE ALL THAT WINE!

I would have thought a lot more of Jesus if he had not done that!  Isn’t that what we too often say when confronted by the hard things Jesus tells us we must do?  If we are honest at all, we must admit that there are things Jesus said and did that are difficult for us to accept; things, that, if omitted from the Bible would make us feel more comfortable about being a Christian.

But Jesus did not come to us to make us feel comfortable.  He came to save us.  And he told us some hard things that we will have to do in order to be saved.  To follow Jesus is not to put on rose tinted glasses and sail through life.  To follow Jesus is to do hard things, things that we are not always prepared to do.   To follow Jesus is to believe hard things.  Just as He asked His disciples, Jesus asks you and me: DO YOU ALSO WISH TO GO AWAY?

The Gospel puts the ball squarely in our court.  Some of us may look back and take the easy way out, and some who have been following him may turn away.  As the Gospel says, MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES TURNED BACK.  But with Jesus the door is always open.  The Holy Spirit is not a chain that keeps us bound to our church pew.  When we have finished this Eucharist, each one of us will get up and walk out the door.   The freedom of response is ours.  The decision to follow Jesus and accept his hard sayings is ours, and it is a decision that we all have to make again and again every day of our lives.

God wants our decision to be in relationship with him to be a completely free choice, not one born of guilt, obligation, or half-hearted interest.  We are free to choose God or idols or false gods if we wish to do so.

In the end, the Israelites did choose Yahweh.  And although this is the God who saves us, responding to his call and making a covenant with him is no easy matter, and it is certainly not a once and for all time kind of decision.  Rather, our relationship with God is a lifelong process of give and take.  Our relationship with God is a lifelong process of struggle and witness.  No one, no one knew this better than Jesus, who in the following words met the doubt of his followers with sober acceptance: AThe words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  But I know that some of you do not believe.@ (John 6:63-64) And the lack of belief of some of Jesus= followers caused them to leave him and to return to their old way of living.  The Gospel writer sadly concluded: AMany of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.@ (John 6:66) My friends, it has always been true that we are free to choose God or not, and sometimes we make that enormous choice on a daily basis.  We need to always remember that if anything can help us decide to live in obedience to God=s word, it is knowing God=s heart.  Our disobedience and our long spiritual absences break God=s heart.  Perhaps if we remember that, we might be able to make better choices today and tomorrow.  But the good news is that even if we turn away from the Lord, even if we look back like Lot=s wife did, he will still always be there.  He will always be there for you and for me.  He will never give up on us, because in Paul Tillich=s words, AHe is the ground of our being.@  Thanks be to God!   AMEN.