WATCHWORD:
5 All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. 6 For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord? 7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne. Psalm 89:5-7
This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day… John 6:50-71
Meditation:
An Invisible Presence
In a back issue of The Evangel, a publication of the Association of Lutheran Churches, there is an article by James Hoefer, entitled The Invisible Enemy. We may immediately think of the pandemic and how it upended our lives and created changes in our usually socialized existence. It would be hard to argue about that.
In his article, Dr. Hoefer speaks of the power of darkness. He makes this statement: “But a deeper dive into the Biblical portrayal brings some surprises! There we find that everything we see in the visible, physical realm is caused, provoked, or at least influenced by something in the invisible, spiritual realm.”
Spirits? Humbug! Everything can be answered with science or our five senses. Everything! Really? How about, who you are? Or, science? Why are you here, reading this?
Let me get my two cents in here: How would you explain how an 86-year-old man writing a Christian book for the first time has it published? Or how about this, the same man, now 88-year-old, gets his second book published? Or, one more, the now 90-year-old man gets his third Christian book published? Hmm. How do you explain that with science or the senses? Just wait until muy next book comes out. That one will really surprise you!
Allyson Kieda, author for Our Daily Bread, has reflected on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, writing “There are different kinds of gifts…service…working…but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. The Spirit gives spiritual gifts to all believers in Jesus.” I believe that my writings, or the writings of any number of authors or journaling person, or painter, or sculpture, or composer, or singer, these are all the result of inspiration or gifts given by the Creator, King of the Universe. Every one influenced by an invisible, spiritual force.
Okay, back to humbug. If you have difficulty getting your heart and mind around the concept of a Holy Spirit influencing our lives, inspiring our acts or otherwise leading us on God-given pathways. I understand. Our earthbound language is sometimes difficult in translating the spiritual factors that we believe are bound in biblical works in an understandable and translatable form the key to unlocking the language of the Bible is an open mind, a belief in God and a heart attuned to the murmurings of the Holy Spirit.
The point is, we don’t really know nor do we fully understand the whole concept of the spirit world or eternal life. Yes, we read the Bible, and, maybe, carefully research it in great depth, but until we are there, face to face with our Creator God, we can’t really know, we just need to believe.
Elie Wiesel tells of a conversation with a child: What are you writing, the child asked. Stories, Elie replies. True stories? Stories about people we know? Some. Are they true? Some are. Well, if they aren’t true, they must be lies. Wiesel struggles with a response. How to explain the truth of story, when the content is inspired or written to teach?
We are that child, and the stories are God’s story, His Holy Word. How do we understand His Word? Do we dig deeper? We may resist literal understanding of what we read in the pages of His Journal, our Bible. To me, there are three shades to understanding the Bible: If it is written in the Bible, I believe it, and I do. If it is written in the Bible, I believe it, but I struggle to understand it, and that is alright. Better yet, if it is written in the Bible, I want to understand it and I want God to help me find meaning. So, if you are like me, in the end, we talk to Him and He communicates with us. Right? That is where the Holy Spirit within each of us comes into the picture.
So, how does Elie Wiesel answer the child? If a story is not true, yet teaches, is it a lie? How could a man become ‘living bread’, and feed us? How, indeed. Do you believe it? That requires thought and prayer, and faith. Amen.
Join the Samaritan on his Journey:
The Inn on Jericho Road is a story of doubting the miracles of God even when they play out before our very eyes. Join the ‘Good Samaritan’ on his travels just days behind the ministry of Jesus, in the aftermath of Jesus’ miracles and it may open your understanding of the human trait of doubting what can’t be seen, even when you have the taste of the bread Jesus gave. Get it in hardcover, paperback or as an eBook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite online bookstore.
Closing Prayer:
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief. This is a prayer that most of us have as we surrender our lives to the Lord. We pray that you will understand fully, and come to our age, to strengthen our faith. Help us to be a turn to the Holy Spirit within, and be willing to follow the memories of that voice. You are our Lord and Savior, and it’s in your name we offer these prayers. Amen.
