A Fourth Church Sermon by Dana Ferguson

August 6, 2000 | 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.

In the Land of Plenty

Dana Ferguson
Associate Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church

John 6:24–35 (NRSV)

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35 (NSRV)

Perhaps there is no proof a famine exists except the fact that people are hungry. In the land of plenty, the course of that hunger can be difficult to diagnose. It is often not until we have tried to ease it with everything else we know that we discover by process of elimination our hunger for God.

Barbara Brown Taylor
When God Is Silent

We come here today, O God, many of us hunger and thirsty for your word. And, we come here today, O God, many of us with lives so full that we can’t imagine how we can possibly take in anything else. And so, we pray, that you would speak to all of us that we might be nourished by your Word. And, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight for you alone are our rock and redeemer. Amen.

Ted Wardlaw, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, (It’s always good to work in as many Southerners as possible) tells of a visit from a slicked up church supply salesperson visiting him in his early years of ministry. The hot new item for youth groups was a game called “Dollars and Sense.” Sense was s-e-n-s-e. But, as you’ll see it actually made very little sense. It was a board game much like Monopoly, “Great at teaching youth about ‘Christian economics’” touted the salesperson. This is the way it worked: if the players landed on a square labeled “college graduate,” they received a certain sum of money, and if they landed on the square named “middle level executive,” they received a greater sum of money. And, if they were lucky enough to land on the square labeled “company president,” they would get a very large sum, indeed.

Now remember, according to the salesperson, this is all a lesson in Christian economics. More rules of the game: Regardless of the amount of money they received, if they gave 10 percent to the “church” square on the board, they would reap a bonanza should they land on the “shower of blessings” square, being showered in this case with all the money in the game’s jackpot. Dollars and Sense.

Wardlaw was, to say the least, not impressed. “I think that’s a crass lesson to teach a child,” he said to the salesperson. The salesperson didn’t flinch. Looking Wardlaw straight in the eye, he said, “Yes, Reverend, but isn’t that the way the world works?”

The way the world works in the land of plenty. According to statistics, we are looking for it all and buying it all. In 1998, we Americans spent 179 billions dollars on clothing. We spent 40 billion dollars on household furnishings; 187 billion dollars on entertainment; 217 billion dollars eating out; and 317 billion dollars on new cars. In 1997, Americans spent 36 billion dollars for lottery tickets—an increase of 8 billion dollars over 10 years. In Illinois alone, sales totaled over 1 billion dollars. In Manhattan, the average person spent $3,000 on lottery tickets annually. The land of plenty.

Well known preacher, Barbara Brown Taylor says, “I know it sounds odd to speak of famine in the land of plenty, especially when there is so much apparent evidence that God’s harvest is as rich as ever. Perhaps there is no proof a famine exists except for the fact that people are hungry. In the land of plenty, the source of that hunger can be difficult to diagnose. It is often not until we discover by process of elimination our hunger for God. Our problem is not too few rations, but too many.”

In this sermon, Taylor is talking about the abundance of words. How we misuse them and overuse so that they no longer have meaning. That we can’t hear the word of God around us because there are so many other words. I’m expanding her thought. We do have too many words around us and we have too many things around us—so many things that it is often impossible, as Taylor puts it, to “diagnose our hunger for God.” The “way the world works” complicates things. The world attempts to teach us that we won’t be happy or fulfilled unless we have all of this stuff, unless we accumulate lots and lots of things or win the lottery. It’s even more complicated by folks buying into what the slick salesperson calls “Christian economics”—the belief that we can earn God’s blessings. If we do enough good deeds or give enough money to the church or pray hard enough, we’ll hit the jackpot. But, this isn’t Christianity. God intends not to feed our souls for a day but for an eternity.

That’s what the followers we encounter in the scripture today are learning. We pick them up today just after the story of the feeding of the 5,000. They’ve eaten. They’re full. And they follow Jesus. But Jesus tells them that they are following him for the wrong reason. They want more food. In this, Jesus perceives that the crowd is following him because he can make their lives better, but on their terms and in their categories. Jesus wants to give them life. They want an improved lifestyle.

In the land of plenty, there is a lot on our wish list to an improved lifestyle—lots of things we think we want and need. And we’re tempted to hold God accountable for them—to think that God loves us if we get what’s on our list—if we hit our defined jackpot. Just like the followers of old who are concerned about their bellies being full—they want Jesus to make life better—on their terms and in their categories. The temptation remains for us today. But that isn’t God’s job. As Will Willomon, chaplain at Duke University puts it, “Jesus isn’t a short order cook preparing food to suit our whims.”

And yet, we continue to make lists of the things that we think will make us happy, will fulfill our needs, will satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst. Meanwhile, we can get so side tracked with the way the world works that we miss God’s abundance to us—the things that we really do need.

For when we are paying attention to God’s abundance, we can clearly see that in the wilderness places of our lives, God feeds us with the manna of healing and hope. And, in the lonely places God provides us with the rich meats of compassion and community. In the midst of struggles, God sets forth a banquet of meaning and dignity. Even in the presence of enemies, God sets a table of reconciliation and peace. This is the bread that endures. These are the showers of blessings that count. This is what makes our life worthwhile and brings us fulfillment. These are the things that can satisfy our hunger.

Several years ago I had the privilege of traveling to Israel with a group of Princeton Seminary students and faculty. We spent 10 days exploring the beauty and the history of the country. In all of our travels, there is one scene that is overwhelmingly powerful each time I return to it. We stopped our tour bus on the road to Bethlehem. We got out and someone read aloud the story of the birth as we looked out over the rolling, green countryside with Bethlehem just in the distance. Even in the middle of the day, I could just see the star leading the way. It was stunning with the shepherds even now as scripture says, “keeping watch in their fields.” It was so picturesque that I was sure I could imagine it just as it must have been when Jesus was born. But what made it more profound to me were the little children moving in and amongst us—begging for our spare change.

Right there in the shadow of Bethlehem, right there in the shadow of the birthplace of Jesus, they were begging—begging for things to fill their stomachs or their lives. It’s like the scripture tells us. The crowds were looking for things to fill them when what they really needed was right there before them. Did they know, I wondered, that what could satisfy the hunger of their souls was right there? The blessing of baby Jesus, of the Jesus Crucified and risen. The blessing of Jesus the Christ.

Does God care if our stomachs are full? Does God care if we nourished for the here and now? Yes. God does cares. Remember, the story that directly precedes this passage for today is the feeding of the 5,000. In that story, Jesus is very worried about the physical needs of people. Yes, God cares, but the message is the same. Even with an abundance of physical things, we’ll still be hungry. We’ll still be hungry for real bread—for faith that nourishes us even through the absolute darkest parts of the night.

One of the most popular TV shows in our household is VH1 Biographies. The show features stories of rock and pop singers and groups. My personal favorite, even though it has a sad ending, is the biography of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the group Queen. One of the more popular series VH1 runs is “Where are they now?” You can catch up with teen heart throbs like David or Shaun Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, or even Leif Garrett. The stories continue to fascinate us even though the plot is, for the most part, the same time and again.

Bands and singers struggle and struggle, sometimes for years, hoping for a big break, waiting to be discovered, to hit it big. Then, they do. That’s why they’re on VH1. And, then the downfall starts—be it alcohol or drugs or sex or all of them together. They bottom out. They hit their jackpot but they still aren’t satisfied. So, the story goes, they lose it all or become addicted or overdose. If they survive, and unfortunately a number don’t, then they begin the long road of recovery.

It’s a story whose lesson is similar to the one we read to today. What you think you want isn’t going to satisfy you. The success, the big break, the lottery—that isn’t going to give you true nourishment. But, as Barbara Brown Taylor reminds us, “In the land of plenty, the source of that hunger can be difficult to diagnose.” Jesus diagnosed it for us: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

True nourishment is found right here. Right here in the community of God, right here in the Word of God. True nourishment comes from the community of God living out and receiving the promises of God. True blessings are the spiritual gifts of God and the promise of eternal life. This, my friends is the jackpot.

As we gather around this table today, we find ourselves looking at the “jackpot” square. It isn’t as the world defines it or the slick salesperson attempts to tell Ted Wardlaw, “That’s the way the world works.” For things work differently in the kingdom of God. This table tells us that this community of believers is important—that in it we’ll find lasting nourishment. And, it tells us that Christ continues with us—through the power of the Holy Spirit—we are not alone. It tells us that what we need for life, we find in Christ. And, it tells us that there is hope for the future—a gift for all people—the gift of life eternal.

So how is it that we lay claim to this jackpot? Listen to these words of Christ, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

So how is it that we lay claim to this jackpot? Listen to the words of invitation to the table around which we will gather, “All who believe and profess Jesus Christ as Savior are invited to partake in this meal.”

So how is it that we are part of the gift of Jesus Christ that God offers? Believe.

Believe that through Jesus Christ, we do, indeed, receive the greatest blessings.

Believe that this is the big bonanza, the shower of gifts, the jackpot. Believe, my friends, that this is the most important gift that we can be given—that in Christ Jesus we are given bread for life and for life eternal.

Believe it. And then, go out to live it. All to God’s glory and honor and praise.