Tag Archives: Strength

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on July 26, 2015
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Where? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

July 26, 2015
Sunday

“When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”  John 6:5-10a

“The story of the feeding of the 5000 appears in all four gospels, but only John’s gospel says the loaves and the fishes came from a boy. Like the New Testament widow who put her last two coins in the treasury, like the Old Testament widow who used the last of her meal and oil to make bread for Elijah, this young boy gives all he had. These three people are nameless, yet their acts of faith, trust and generosity are still remembered.” “Thoughts by Pastor Lisa” website March 24, 2011

“Gandhi used the spinning wheel as both physical embodiment and symbol for radical change. Today, the foundation for social justice is healthy food — our “spinning wheel” for the 21st century.” Francisco Ramos Stierle

Jesus said to his disciples “Where…?” Where will the bread come from? Where will the food come from? Where will we find things for all of the needs that we have? Where? Where? Where? The answer for the feeding story comes in the form of the least likely source they could have thought of. Surely an adult, one of the disciples, or even a leader in the Synagogue would have an answer. Why did they not consider someone from the crowd? Because sometimes the most likely answer is right in front of us and we miss it — because it just doesn’t seem possible. But G*d is in the business of doing the impossible — one day’s oil lasting eight days — five loaves and two fish feeding 5000+ people. With all of the things that we do and don’t have, G*d can still work miracles — we just need to be willing to listen, and follow.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on July 18, 2015
Tags: , , Strength   

Facing the World — Rev. David J. Schreffler

July 18, 2015

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:21-25

“The talk soon deepened into a discussion on matters more philosophical and moral; and when the priest had left the room, the two young men broke out into generous expressions of admiration, saying truly that he was a remarkable man… Then there fell a curious reflective silence, at the end of which one of the undergraduates suddenly burst out, “All the same, I don’t believe his sort of life is the right one. It’s all very well to like religious music and so on, when you’re all shut up in a sort of cloister and don’t know anything about the real evil in the world. But I don’t believe that’s the right ideal. I believe in a fellow coming out into the world, and facing the evil that’s in it…”
G. K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936) “For All The Saints” volume IV, (p. 245)

Many have lived a life of the monastics — separating themselves from the world. In the process they try to get closer to G*d — but further away from the temptations and the evils of the world. For some people this leads to deep faith — but not all of us can leave the world behind to work solely on our relationship with G*d. Many of us need to face the world straight on in our day to day living, with the hope that we will learn just as much about life, as we do about faith. Martin Luther said, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in G*d’s Grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

You can take that check to the bank and cash it.

Pastor Dave