Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

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Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

Spirituality is our innate ability to feel the difference worldly or godly thinking makes to the way scripture translates to our daily life and relationships.

All Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. He is the complete revelation of God’s will of grace for salvation. Grace is the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for the Christian life.

The Gospel of grace is: rather than trying to be more faithful to become faithful, we become faithful by feeling the Faith God already has for and in us.

The Strength of Christianity is Grace

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Another name for Jesus is "Grace". Another name for God is "Grace". We are saved by GRACE. "Love" is not Love if it is not grace. This is true for "Faith", "Hope", "Joy" and all other theological words of significance in the scripture.

Until someone experiences the grace gift in their lives, all other theological words have no real meaning. Why not begin to use the word "grace" in place of "Jesus", "God", "the Spirit", "Love" and so on? It might seem inappropriate to do so. However, until it is actually experienced it will make no sense at all.

That is what this year is all about. Grace, did you get it?

Promise them everything, give them grace.

We get a feel for our abiding Joy through conscious insight.

Pray this prayer from the Collect for this Sunday:

”O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church, help, protect and govern it by your goodness.”

Now quietly move into God's Presence and pray the prayer again:

“O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church, help, protect and govern it by your goodness.”

Did you feel the difference?

Matthew 14:13-21 The Purpose of Miracles

Do you read this scripture literally comparing the miracles to our life?

Or do you read this scripture as a grace on the difference between being “up and in” or “down and out?”

What to do with miracles? Some miracles are one shot occasions, such as the changing water into wine. Other miracles are for individuals only and mostly only for one time. Peter’s walking on water was just for him at that one moment. Some miracles are done by empowering the followers of Jesus such as healings by the disciples. Some miracles are done on several occasions only by Jesus. It is to show forth His glory and that He is God incarnate.

Jesus is handling His grief over the death of His closest friend, John the Baptist. He wants some alone time but the crowds still follow Him and await His landing. Why is He willing to go into the crowd, rather than tell the disciples to turn around and go to another place? The only logical reason is because He has priorities that tell Him He had limited time to do the work. With about five thousand men waiting, besides women and children, this is a high priority. He had compassion for them and cured their sick. The grief work can come later.

At evening, the disciples said to send the crowds away to find food. Jesus said. “You give them something to eat." They replied that all they had were five loaves and two fish.
Bring them here to me. He took the loaves, blessed, broke and gave them to the crowds. Left over were twelve baskets.

The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the miracles done only by Jesus to show the power of God incarnate. He probably did this miracle on other occasions as He did it with the 4,000.  These miracles had one purpose only. They proved the power Jesus had was something only God could do. Forget about trying to do it yourself. This does not mean God will not answer prayers for food. It means it is something Jesus did to show the thousands who He was.

John explains it in more detail. The following day after the feeding they came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him they said, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

Jesus immediately knew why they were there. It was for the wrong reason. “You seek Me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and your bellies were filled.” You want more food. You need to come because of the power of the miracle that only God can do. “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

They wanted to be able to do what He did the day before. “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”  

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

This is the message of the Gospels. It is the Gospel of Grace. It is to change our rational thinking that labors to create the feeling about the event which perishes. We need to seek the conscious feeling of the Presence that creates the Wisdom in the event that is everlasting. The Son of Man has already given to us this grace. All we need to do is consciously open our hearts to Him. The work of God will follow.

We need always to “expect a miracle.”  However the miracle may not always be the one we expect.

Did you get the grace?

“O Lord cleanse and defend your Church, help, protect and govern it by your goodness.”

THE DISCIPLE-SHIFT: The Virtual Small Group: Members share once a week with their group through the internet when a shift from being out to being in the Presence made a difference.