Proper 13 -- Nehemiah
9: 16-20; Psalm
78: 14–20, 20-23; Romans 8: 35-39; Matthew 14:
13-21
A homily by Fr. Gene
Tucker, given at The
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Springfield, Illinois, on Sunday, August 3, 2014.
“FEEDING AND SAVING”
The designers of our cycle of readings (known as a
lectionary) have done a remarkably fine job of organizing the Old Testament, Psalm and Gospel readings
for this Sunday.
They have
brought together an Old Testament reading, a Psalm and a gospel reading which
have to do with the provision of food, as God provides for His people, and
saves them.
So, let’s
do some theological reflection on God’s actions.
We begin
with our reading from Nehemiah. Nehemiah
was governor of God’s people in the period after they had returned from exile
in Babylon. The time frame is roughly in
the years 445 – 423 BC. Nehemiah has the
task of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem after it had been destroyed by the
Babylonians over a hundred years earlier.
In the
verses leading up to the passage read this morning, the people of God remember
God’s saving acts in leading them out of slavery in Egypt, through the waters
of the Red Sea and into the wilderness, where God gave them His holy law.
Then, in the passage heard this morning, the
people recall God’s feeding in the desert, the provision of manna and
water. God’s graciousness came their
way, despite their unfaithfulness in building a golden calf.
The writer
of the Psalms picks up this theme.
He writes
that the people of God said, “True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out,
and the gullies overflowed; but is he able to give bread or to provide meat for
his people?” A few verses later, the
answer is supplied: “So he (God)
commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna upon them to eat, and
gave them bread from heaven. So mortals
ate the bread of angels, he provided for them food enough.”
Now, turning to our gospel reading this morning,
we find Jesus in a deserted place, surrounded by a large crowd. The disciples note the need for food, and
bring this need to the Lord’s attention.
After challenging them to provide something for this large crowd to eat
themselves, He becomes the one to supply the food Himself.
There is a
larger purpose in all of this: People
are fed as part of God’s overall, larger plan to save the people He has claimed
for Himself. God provides food in order
that those who have received His blessings might live to tell the world of His
generosity.
In this
connection, it’s worth noting that ancient Israel was created and preserved, in
order that they might be a light to the nations (see Isaiah 49: 6b).
As the
early Christians struggled to understand what God had done in sending Jesus
Christ, they began to make connections between God’s saving acts and God’s
provision of food in the exodus from Egypt.It’s worth noting the parallels: The
exodus from Egypt may be summarized in this way:
- God’s
people were in bondage in Egypt, and were unable to free themselves.
- God
intervenes to make a way for them to leave Egypt.
- They
pass through the waters of the Red Sea into the wilderness, and into freedom.
- God
give His people His righteous law.
- In
spite of their wayward ways, God provides water, manna and food in the desert.
- God
preserved His people, in order that they might bear witness to His saving acts.
- The
people of God make their way to the Promised Land, a place that God had
promised them, in order that they might live with H.im in the place where God
had chosen to dwell, the holy city of Jerusalem.
Now, notice
the similar ways in which the early Christians understood God’s work, done in
Jesus Christ:
- We
were enslaved in the bondage of sin, and were unable to free ourselves.
- God
intervenes by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to free us.
- Jesus
leads us through the waters of baptism into freedom.
- He
feeds us with the bread and the wine of the Holy Communion.
- This
Holy Communion is intended to strengthen us for our journey through the
wilderness of this life, in order that we might tell the world of God’s saving
acts.
- We
make our way to the Promised Land of heaven, where we will live with God
forever.
This
wonderful process finds its way into our worship. Turning to the Book of Common Prayer (1979),
we look at the beginning of Eucharistic Prayer B (page 367), and what we find
there is a recital of God’s saving acts, done in Jesus Christ.
In fact,
such a remembering of God’s saving acts – and our need to receive God’s saving
action – is usually very near the beginning of each one of our communion
prayers.
In
Eucharistic Prayer B, we find the following statements (page 368):
Remembering God’s goodness: “We give thanks to you, O God, for the
goodness and love which you have made
known in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word
spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your
Son.”
We are unable to save ourselves, but God has
saved us: “For in these last days,
you sent him (Jesus) to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and
made us worthy to stand before you. In him,
you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out
of death into life.”
Sometimes,
the truths about God’s saving and feeding acts are implied. At other times, these truths are plainly
stated in the various Eucharistic prayers that the Prayer Book offers to us.
In
Eucharistic Prayer B, we find that God’s goodness is emphasized. We also find that God’s Word, made known
through the people of Israel, is also emphasized.
But our
need for being saved is implied, not clearly stated (or at least that’s how it
seems to me).
Now that we
have remembered God’s saving acts, known chiefly in the life, suffering, death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are ready – in our Eucharistic prayers –
to move toward the heavenly meal that God has supplied for us: The Holy Eucharist.
Essentially,
the Holy Eucharist is a remembrance (as in “putting together again like the
very first time” = re + membering) of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross.
As we
proceed through the Eucharistic prayer, we recall that Jesus is giving Himself
to us in this meal, for He says, “This is my Body,” and “This is my Blood.”
So, this
heavenly meal is a foretaste of the banquet which we will celebrate around
God’s table in eternity one day.
In the meantime,
God has saved us, and God feeds us, in the Bread and the Wine, the Body and the
Blood, in order that we might tell the world, as ancient Israel was called to
do, about God’s wonderfulness, graciousness and love.
AMEN.
