God Enough - March 20

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 89:1-18; PM Psalm 89:19-52; Jer. 16:10-21; Rom. 7:1-12; John 6:1-15

God creates.  And while the first action of God might have been to create out of nothingness, every action thereupon action ever since has been taking what is already there and turning it into something beautiful.  God uses water to create living creatures (Gen 1:24).  When God creates humanity, God takes the red clay (Adamah), shapes it, and breathes life into it, and we have humanity (Adam).  God takes what is there and makes it beautiful, meaningful, and useful. 

How often do we turn to the outside to look for help?   The hiring of a consultant?  A self-help book for outside answers to problems that we know better than anyone else?  Or if we can just go away to meet some experts we can come back changed or transformed?  Or maybe more in line with today’s Gospel, we don’t realize our own capacity for God to use what is already there in our life to breathe hope and life into this world.

Maybe even more challenging is the feeling of “not enough” that seems to define the protestant work ethic.  We don’t have enough yet, or not until that next big promotion.  Or our church isn’t quite large enough, or our home isn’t quite big enough, or we didn’t put enough hours in at work?  Or we didn’t get into the best school or college.  Will it really be enough?

Today’s Gospel is the feeding of the five thousand.  Jesus takes five loaves and two fish and the disciples are able to feed more people than could possibly imagine.  Maybe Jesus multiplied the fish and bread.  Maybe people trusted in being generous and that they had more than enough to share and go around. In a world of scarcity, both stories would be miracles.  And in both cases, the disciples (through Christ) have more than they realize, and more than they need.

When I think of this story in the context of our Lenten journey, maybe the stripping down of the excesses in our life is to expose that what is underneath is good enough.  It is good enough because it comes from God and God has given us more than we need.  God takes what is there and makes it beautiful, meaningful, and useful.  God takes you and me.

John+

 

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Where does the feeling of “not enough” intersect with your life?

Daily Challenge:  See what you can eliminate from your life that leads to the feeling of inadequacy.   Consider how Lent can help with this.

John Burruss