Eucharist, Reflection on Matthew 14:19-21

Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the crowds.

At the last supper with his disciples, "While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26).

We remember these steps each time we participate in the Eucharist.

If you want to know more about how United Methodists view this sacrament, read United Methodists and the Sacraments by Gayle Felton

The Hour is Late, and the Crowds are Hungry, Reflection on Matthew 14:13-18

Matthew was talking to people that would have been familiar with the Scriptures--what we call the Old Testament. So, they would have known that God provides food for people in the wilderness (See Exodus 16:13-35; Numbers 11:7-9, 31-32) and that God can feed a lot of people with only a small food supply (See 2 Kings 4:42-44). [Thanks to Allen & Williamson, Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews.]

Of course, Jesus' disciples would have known those texts. Why did they think that they were incapable of feeding the crowds, that the only solution for hungry folks is to find their own food?

Well, we've read the same texts, and we've read Matthew's Gospel, as well. How much have things changed? Look at this article from the Wall Street Journal.

Richest Americans

Mary and Martha

Read the biography of Mary and Martha compiled by James. E. Kiefer

The Nation's Flag in God's Sanctuary

From Yahoo News: Becky Akers asks Does the American flag belong in church?. She says:

All in all, American Christians seem as devoted to their government as Ruth was to Naomi. But should they be? Do either the flag or the Pledge have any place in the Lord's house? Is congregational commitment to the republic for which these emblems stand consistent with Biblical Christianity? Is political power?

Seeing God face to face, Reflection on Genesis 32:29-31

When Jacob wrestled Esau's blessing away from Isaac, he then went into exile for a couple of decades. Blessings can carry costs.

We're told in verse 24-25, that a man struggles with Jacob. Yet, in verse 30, Jacob says that he has seen God face to face? Who was he struggling with? Is it possible to wrestle with anyone without that struggle being with God?

How much has Jacob changed because of each of his wrestling matches? He walks away from this match, limping. Will he continue to limp?

How much of this is about the man Israel and how much about the nation Israel? How much is about us?

Daily Prayer, Reflection on Psalm 17

Psalm 17 can provide language for us to use in our evening prayer:

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words (6).

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness (15).

Sacred Places

Sacred Places

Look at the article from USNews and World Report about sacred places. They note that sacred places are as varied as the human sense of the sacred and as various as the world's many spiritual traditions. They explore the history, significance, and enduring power of places here and abroad that people consider most sacred.

Favorite Hymns of UMC

Dean McIntyre writes: Since 1994 I have made periodic efforts to learn what are the favorite hymns of United Methodists. As technology has progressed and its availability grown, my methods have become more sophisticated and more accurate. Early attempts involved polling a number of identified experts (music directors, pastors, professors, hymn writers) for their opinions, not of their own personal favorites, but of the denominational favorites. From an initial sample of under 100, the number of respondents has grown in the latest polling into the thousands – nearly 20,000 of them – including United Methodists from congregations all over the USA. The results reveal the most accurate and detailed data yet about the favorite hymns of our denomination. Here is a summary of the top ten favorites identified in the 2007 research:

Favorite Hymns

Wrestling at the Edge, Reflection on Genesis 32:22-28

Jacob sent his wives and children on ahead, sent them with everything he owned, but he stayed behind for the night, stayed alone. But, not alone, after all. A man wrestled with him until daybreak.

Jacob had left home because of fear of his brother's retribution. He's not over that fear yet.

Before he enters his homeland again, a man wrestles with him. This image evokes the memory of Jacob and Esau wrestling in the womb. Further, it evokes images of metaphorical wrestling matches--Jacob getting his brother to trade his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup and later tricking his father into giving him the blessing that would have gone to Esau as the elder son. He has also engaged in metaphorical wrestling matches with his father-in-law Laban.

James Kugel reminds us that the name, Jacob, sounds like the Hebrew word for "he struggles." He then points out that although his new name, Israel, can be translated as "God rules," it also could mean "God struggles."

Who is Jacob wrestling with this time? Who has he been wrestling with all along?

Inseparability according to Wesley, Reflection on Romans 8:31-34

Paul asked "Who will separate us from the love of Christ?" His answer was "Nothing and nobody."

Here's John Wesley's sermon on this passage: Free Grace .

From the United Methodist website.