WTTW HIS WORD "ACCEPTING HIS POWER"

TEXT: JOHN 6:16-24  SERMON: “Accepting His Power”

In today's passage, John tells his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith by:

1. Not accompanying them on the boat vv 16-17

2. Making them face the wind and waves v 18

3. Walking to them on the water vv 19-20

4. Brining them safely to shore v 21


The first thing John told his first century readers was that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith by:

1. Not accompanying them on the boat vv 16-17

Explanation:

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

Darkness was falling

Wait until last minute hoping Jesus would join them

Cross from Bethsaida to Capernaum

Illustration:

Have you ever gone on a trip with someone?

With your family or your friends?

And maybe you don't all fit in the same car so you are taking more than one vehicle?

And some are ready to go and others aren't quite ready yet and those who are ready are impatient to get going, to get on the road, and so they take off, expecting that you will be coming right behind them? And it is getting dark out.

How would you handle it in a situation like this if there was only one vehicle and if you needed to get going in order to meet a deadline and you have waited as long as you possibly can and if you don't go now you will be so tired driving during the night you know you will have trouble staying awake?

Well there must have been some compelling reason for the disciples taking off without Jesus just as there would be if your circumstances led you to take off without a loved one who wasn't there or wasn't ready in time for you to meet the deadline you have for taking off and you have to leave to order to get where you are going in time for something important.

Application:

So this morning John seems to be telling us there are times on our journey through life where we are asked to get in the boat and take off even when we don't see signs of his tangible presence around us or with us-when we don't have visible evidence he is with us as we cross over from one side of the lake to another as darkness falls-as we journey forward in life based on faith rather than sight.

John seems to be telling us through this introduction to the miracle of Jesus walking on water that our journey in this life is like that of the disciples getting in the boat at dusk, with nightfall upon them making it even more difficult to see where they are going-where we are going.

Where Jesus' presence is not perceived to be immediately and tangibly available to us but yet he is asking us to move forward, to cross over to the other side for Him, to Him, to get in His boat-to get going, to continuing moving forward in our lives based on our faith in who He is-not based on our ability to see how everything that lies ahead is going to go-how it is going to turn out.   

We are being asked to travel through situations, circumstances in our life-to cross through them-based on faith in Jesus Christ.

Transition:

Well, John also told his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith by:

2. Making them face the wind and waves v 18

Explanation:

¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

Sea of Galilee - 600 ft below sea level, cup-like depression in the hills

With sunset, air cools and rushes down hillside across lake with the wind causing waves

Rowing from east to west they were rowing into the wind making little progress

Illustration: 

Well now you've taken off in your car at dusk, leaving behind your trusted companion-a relative, a friend because the circumstances, the situation left you no choice.

You've had a deadline you've needed to meet, you've waited as long as you possibly can and to avoid driving to your destination during the middle of the night you've taken off at dusk as the sun is going down.

And you realize one of your headlights hasn't been working for some time and you've neglected to replace it so your vision isn't as good as it should be.

As you make your way along you drive into dense fog-so dense you can barely see in front of you and you have to slow down from 65 mph to 20 mph and sometimes even slower in order to not drive faster than you can see ahead.

Driving becomes "white knuckled" as you squeeze the wheel tightly and the bleed is squeezed out of your fingers.

Tension mounts as you begin to fear driving into vehicles on the road that are either going slower than you or have come to a complete stop due to an accident on the road ahead and you fear someone driving faster than you ramming you from behind.

Application:

So here, John seems to be adding something to the story of our faith journey.

He is telling us that our faith will be tested by obstacles that lie ahead on our journey.

For the disciples it was the wind and the waves.

In our illustration it is a dense fog.

Making it more difficult to navigate on our own power, our own strength, our own skill.

John has gone from telling us to get in the boat, to get going on this new journey with Jesus, to do it by faith, but not to travel through life on our own strength and power.

What are the wind and waves in our lives today?

What is the fog that is making our journey through life perilous, dangerous, frightening?

Is it unemployment, our financial situation, our living situation, even having a place to live, the loss of a relationship, a broken relationship, separation, divorce, the death of a loved one, concern about your children?

All of these situations, circumstances require us to live by faith rather than sight, but our faith is not misplaced - it is in the person of Jesus Christ AND...

Transition:

In today's passage, John also told his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith in another way, by:

3. Walking to them on the water vv 19-20

Explanation:

¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles,^[a] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

v 19 "frightened" - "terrorized" - to see a human form coming towards them

Mark 6:47 ⁴⁷ Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.

Matthew 14:26 ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

Job 9:8 ⁸ He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

reveals his power over nature!

v 20 calms them by speaking to them, his voice comforts them

Matthew 14:27 ²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Illustration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3St1GgoHQ

Now in the midst of our journey, in the midst of the pea thick fog, we see a set of fog headlights in our rear view mirror coming towards at a rather fast pace.

They seem to becoming at such a fast pace we begin to worry that the vehicle is going to strike us from behind and we get ready for the collision.

At the last minute the vehicle, a large SUV pulls up alongside our car and to our amazement it is the trusted companion we had left behind motioning us to pull over-which we do.

We can hardly believe what we're seeing but our companion has rented an SUV fully equipped with fog lights- a vehicle large enough to hold everyone.  

Application:

At the height of the danger in the disciples crossing of the Sea of Galilee all of a sudden Jesus appears walking toward them on the water and their reaction is one of fear-of terror.

Jesus, the one with the power to create has power over his creation as demonstrated by his being able to walk on water-and the disciples are fearful of Him and his power over the creation until he speaks to them-his speaking to them comforts them.

So to with us, our companion's arrival with a fully equipped SUV with fog lights frightens us when we think we are in for a powerful collision, but comforts us when we see who is alongside us and what he has done to save us from this difficult situation.

Jesus is always with us even when we aren't experiencing HIm, but when he comes to use during times of trouble His shear power and strength can overwhelm and frighten us even though his presence ultimately comforts us in our time of need when he speaks to our hearts and minds.

To be in the presence of the Lord is a humbling experience. He is Holy, we are not. He is Almighty, we are not.

Without His reassuring voice we will tremble in fear.  

Transition:

In today's passage, John also told his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith by:

4. Bringing them safely to shore. v 21

Explanation:

²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Some think this is another miracle

The boat's safe arrival is credited to Jesus

Illustration:

4. His presence providing us immediate assurance v 21

Upon pulling over and finding a place to park our car we all get into our companion's SUV and continue safely on our way arriving at our destination in no time. 

Our companions knowledge of driving in the fog and his fully equipped SUV with fog lights saves the day providing the protection we have needed to make it to our destination. 

Application:

And like the disciples who after being reassured by Jesus' presence and power take him into their boat and immediately arrive safely at their destination,

In our lives, at our time of need when we let Jesus into the situations of our lives, the difficult or dire circumstances we are facing and stop trying to cope with them or solve them on our own strength, our own power,

The creator of the universe, the One with the power over water such that he is able to walk on it, has the power and the strength to handle whatever situation or circumstance we can ever find ourselves in.

Once we allow Jesus into our boat, into the situation or problem that is bothering us, instead of continuing to try and fix it on our own.

He will bring us safely through the situation, the problem.

He will bring us to the other side of it-the side where it no longer exists.

The side where it no longer troubles us. The side where it no longer controls us. The side where it no longer frightens us. The side where we are set free from it.

Transition:

In today's passage, John tells his first century readers that Jesus tested his disciples’ faith by:

1. Not accompanying them on the boat vv 16-17

2. Making them face the wind and waves v 18

3. Walking to them on the water vv 19-20

4. Bringing them safely to shore v 21

Conclusion:

In today's passage, John tells us today that Jesus tests our faith by:

1. Not being visibly present to us vv 16-17

2. Having us face trials during our life's journey v 18

3. Revealing Himself, His Power to us when we need it vv 19-20

4. Bringing us safely through the trials we face in life v 21

In the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Amen. 

WTTW HIS WORD "REFOCUSING"

TEXT: JOHN 6:1-15  SERMON: “Refocusing”

The miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand is the only miracle mentioned in all four Gospels highlighting its significance!

In today's passage, John tells his first century readers that Jesus’ disciples lacked faith in his ability to feed the people because their focus was:

1. On (what is shouldn't have been)
A. The People (The Number) vv. 2, 5, 10
B. The Impossible (The Money) vv. 5-7
C. The Improbable (The Resources) vv. 8-9

2. Off (what it should have been)
A. His Identity (His Sonship) vv. 1-3
B. His Power (His Provision) vv. 4, 10-13 - including the signs he had already done
C. His Purpose (His Kingship) vv. 14-15

The first thing John told his first century readers is that Jesus’ disciples lacked faith in his ability to feed the people because their focus was:

1. On
A. The People (The Number) vv. 2, 5, 10 - the crowd, the masses
B. The Impossible (The Money) vv. 5-7 - or the lack of it
C. The Improbable (The Resources) vv. 8-9 - a boy's lunch, a pitiful 5 loaves & 2 fish
 

Explanation:

¹ Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).

A. The People (The Number) vv. 2, 5, 10

v 1 - "some time" - after Jesus had healed the man at the pool at Bethesda and after the testimonies about who he was had been made he crossed the Sea of Galilee to the other side    http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CP051GOSPELMAPS.htm

v 2 "great crowd" - follows him because of the signs they had seen Jesus perform

retreats to the North side of Sea of Galilee due to Herod Antipas' response to his miracles

v3 Jesus sits down on a mountainside

v 4 Passover is nearing

v 5 "great crowd" - emphasized again

*desiring to involve his disciples in the responsibility for ministry Jesus asks (tests) Philip - "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"

John 1:43-44

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.

v 10 - 5000 men

B. The Impossible (The Money) vv. 5-7 - the lack of money, insufficient funds

Jesus asks Philip because he is from Bethsaida

v 7 Philip: “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

eight month's wages - statistics to show futility of what can't be done (actually 10,000+ people)

v 8 Andrew (Simon Peter's Brother):

John 1: 40                                                                                                                                    ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.

Jesus calls the disciples attention to their responsibilities

Jesus leads the disciples by proposing a plan of action



C. The Improbable (The Resources) vv. 8-9 - a mere boy's lunch

Andrew's hope contrasts with Philip's pessimism: positively presents a boy's lunch

However Andrew doubts the value of his suggestion

v 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

v 9 barley loaves - cheap bread, the food of the poor

*2 Kings 4:43                                                                                                                                                           43 “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked.

But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”

v 10 5,000 men - women and children not included

Illustration:

Miracles, C.S. Lewis

Chapter 8 Miracles and the Laws of Nature

pp. 87-89

Are Supernatural interferences with Nature impossible?

Three conceptions of the Laws of Nature:

1. They are brute facts known only by observation, with no discoverable rhyme or reason about them (we know that Natures behaves thus and thus but not why and we see no reason why)

2. They are applications of the laws of averages (their foundations are in the random and lawless - but number of units are so large we can calculate with practical accuracy; impossible events are so overwhelmingly improbable by actuarial standards we don't need to take them into account)

3. The fundamental laws of Physics are really what we call "necessary truths" like the truths of mathematics-in other words if we clearly understand what we are saying we shall see that the opposite would be meaningless nonsense.

So we observe five loaves and a few fish and we observe 5000 (really 10,000+) and the laws of nature state the probability of being able to feed this many people is statistically so low that its occurrence is so improbable we don't have to take it into account.

Therefore Andrew doubts his own suggestions: His observations are that there are too many people, not enough money and not enough bread and fish to feed them, i.e. the statistical probability is so low that they would be able to feed them they didn't even have to take it into account - even though he has witnessed Jesus' signs prior to this.

Application:

So today what is John telling us?

Take our ministry.

Like the disciples Jesus wants to call our attention to the responsibilities we have for the ministry he has given us at Have Ministries.

Like the disciples Jesus is leading us by proposing a plan of action.

And like the disciples Jesus is telling us His plan is not based on the statistical probability of our being able to meet the needs of all the people that come to us for help and healing.

Jesus is telling us that his plan is not based on the statistical improbability of our being able to do this based on our observations of how many people there are, how much money we have, and how many resources we have.

John is telling us today that like 2000 years ago when Jesus faced a numerically improbable and impossible situation he has a plan that involved us as his disciples to take responsibility for the ministry he has given us based on our knowledge of him and his leading.

And this is true of any ministry, your ministry is not based on the statistical improbability of your observations of what you don't have but on your knowledge of Jesus and your faith in his leading. 

Transition:

Well, John told his first century readers something else about Jesus’ disciples lacking faith in his ability to feed the people, it was because their focus was:

2. Off
A. His Identity (His Sonship) vv. 1-3 - that He was the Son of God
B. His Power (His Provision) vv. 4, 10-13 - His miraculously providing for other before this
C. His Purpose (His Kingship) vv. 14-15  - that He was the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior

Explanation:

¹ Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

The first thing the disciples focus was off was:

A. His Identity (His Sonship) vv. 1-3

v 2 "signs" & "mountainside" - Sonship - indications he was the Son of God with the authority to heal, to restore His broken creation, something God could do

B. His Power (His Provision) vv. 4, 10-13

v 4 Jewish Passover was near - Jesus is the Passover Lamb - He was the Provision!

v 10 - sit in the grass

- stabilizes crowd so there won't be a rush, a stampede

- organizes crowd to make it easier to serve them

v 11 - Jesus gives thanks and gives them as much bread and fish as they can eat

Jesus breaks the food indefinitely until everyone was full - His Power demonstrated!

Matthew 14:19

¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

v 12 - "gather the pieces" - bread regarded as a gift from God, required that scraps that fell to the ground during a meal be picked up for use so not wasted

despite his miraculous powers enabling the supply of food Jesus permits no waste

v 13 - twelve baskets - abundant supply - possibly on for each of the 12 Disciples

combines generosity (abundant supply) & economy (not wasting)

C. His Purpose (His Kingship) vv. 14-15 - Messiah, Christ, Savior of the World

v 14 "sign"

points to the Son of Man

he gives food of eternal life

John6:27

²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

the people thought of the Prophet who would be like Moses who provided food & water in the desert (Exodus 16:11-36; 17:1-6; Numbers 11:1-33; 20:2-11)

- they expected no more than this: wanted food & security

-they had no comprehension of his mission or purpose

Deuteronomy 18:15

¹⁵ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

v 15 Jesus responds by withdrawing from them - refusing to become a political opportunist

Illustration: 

Miracles, C.S. Lewis

Chapter 15 Miracles of the Old Creation

pp. 220-223

However,  Another way of expressing the real character of the miracles would be to say that though isolated from other actions, they are not isolated in either of the two ways we are apt to suppose. They are not, on the one hand, isolated from other Divine acts; they do close and small and, as it were, in focus what God at other times does so large that men do not attend to it. Neither are they isolated exactly as we suppose from other human acts: they anticipate powers which all men will have when they also are 'sons' of God and enter into that 'glorious liberty.' Christ's isolation is not that of a prodigy but of a pioneer. He is the first of His kind: He will not be the last.

Let us return to our classification and firstly to Miracles of Fertility... Other miracles that fall into this class are the two instances of miraculous feeding. They involve the multiplication of a little bread and a little fish into much bread and much fish. Once in the desert Satan had tempted Him to make bread of stones: He refused the suggestion. 'The Son does nothing except what He sees the Father do': perhaps one may without boldness surmise that the direct change from stone to bread appeared to the Son to be not quite in the hereditary style. Little bread into much bread is quite a different matter. Every year God makes a little corn into much corn: the seed sown and there is an increase. And men say, according to their several fashions, "It is the laws of Nature," or "It is Ceres, it is Adonis, it is the Corn King'. But the laws of Nature are only a pattern: nothing will come of them unless they can, so to speak, take over the universe as a going concern. And so for Adonis, no man can tell us where he died or when he rose again. Here, at the feeding of five thousand, is He whom we have ignorantly worshipped: the real Corn-King who will die once and rise in Jerusalem during the term of office of Pontius Pilate.

That same day He also multiplied fish. Look down into every bay and almost every river. This swarming, undulating fecundity (fruitfulness) shows He is still at work "thronging the seas with spawn innumerable'. The ancients had a god called Genius; the god of animal and human fertility, the patron of gynaecology, embryology, and the marriage bed-the 'genial' bed as they called it after its god Genius. But Genius is only another mask for the God of Israel, for it was He who at the beginning commanded all species 'to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth'. And now, that day, at the feeding of the thousands, incarnate God does the same: does close and small, under His human hands, a workman's hands, what He has always been doing in the seas, the lakes and the little brooks.  

And therefore Jesus divides the bread and fish.

Application:

So what is John telling us today?

With corn Jesus naturally multiples it in the harvest every year and in the miracle of the 5000 thousand he intervened and sped up the natural process.

With the fish Jesus naturally multiples them through spawning in the streams, lakes and brooks every year and in the miracle of the 5000 he intervened and sped up the natural process.

Therefore John is telling us that the natural process of our resources, the work we are given to do, the reimbursement we get from it, our billing and collecting system, our efficiency in doing what we do, our productivity, our payments, our donations - all of these he can intervene to speed up any or all of these natural processes in order for us to meet what might seem to us at times to be statistically improbable and impossible based on the numbers of people in need we are faced with.

And John is also telling us that Jesus doesn't want us to waste anything he provides us - like with the 12 basketfuls of leftovers his disciples salvaged, he wants us to to make wise use of everything he gives to us.

Furthermore, John is telling us Jesus wants us to be well organized so what we do can be done well, in an orderly fair fashion with maximum impact.

And the same goes for any ministry, for your ministry. John is telling you that Jesus can intervene in impossible, statistically improbable situations you face and speed up the natural processes that make your ministry come alive whether it is in giving you more strength to do the work, more people to help with the work, or more of the kind of resources your need to succeed in your ministry for the Lord. But, He wants you to be organized, efficient, and good stewards of what He provides and following His plan based on knowing Him, being focused on Him, and having faith in Him rather than being focused on numbers, money and resources that tell you what is statistically impossible.    

Transition:

In today's passage, John told his first century readers that Jesus’ disciples lacked faith in his ability to feed the people because their focus was:

1. On
A. The People (The Number) vv. 2, 5, 10
B. The Impossible (The Money) vv. 5-7
C. The Improbable (The Resources) vv. 8-9

2. Off
A. His Identity (His Sonship) vv. 1-3
B. His Power (His Provision) vv. 4, 10-13
C. His Purpose (His Kingship) vv. 14-15

Conclusion:

In today's passage, John tells us that we lack faith in his ability to provide for us because our focus is:

1. On "What Can't Be Done" Because of
A. The Number of People
B. The Lack of Money
C. The Limited Resources

2. Off "What Can Be Done" Because of
A. His Being the Son of God
B. His Power to Provide
C. His Purpose as Messiah

All that we do is part of the Messiah's work of the new creation, His re-creation of that which has and is becoming disordered.

However, Ultimately, as Messiah, Jesus purpose was to provide food that gives eternal life as He told us in John 6:27

²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

C. S. Lewis, speaking of this says,

But the miracle of Lazarus though only anticipatory in one sense, belongs emphatically to the New Creation, for nothing is more definitely excluded by Old Nature than any return to a status quo. The pattern of Death and Rebirth never restores the previous individual organism. And similarly, on the inorganic level, we are told that Nature never restores order where disorder has once occurred. 'Shuffling,' said Professor Eddington, 'is the thing Nature never does'. Hence we live in a universe where organisms are always getting more disordered. These laws between them-irreversible death and irreversible entropy-cover almost the whole of what St. Paul calls the 'vanity' of Nature: her futility, her ruiniousness. And the film is never reversed. The movement from more order to less almost serves to determine the direction in which Time is flowing. You could almost define the future as the period in which what is now living will be dead and in which what order still remains will be diminished.

But entropy by its very character assures us that though it may be the universal rule in the Nature we know, it cannot be universal absolutely. If man says 'Humpty Dumpty is falling' you see at once that this is not a complete story. The bit you have been told implies both a later chapter in which Humpty Dumpty will have reached the ground, and an earlier chapter in which he was still seated on the wall. A Nature which is 'running down' cannot be the whole story. A clock can't run down unless it has been wound up. Humpty Dumpty can't fall off a wall which never existed. If a Nature which disintegrates order were the whole of reality, where would she find any order to disintegrate? Thus on any view there must have been a time when processes the reverse of those we now see were going on: a time of winding up. The Christian claim is that those days are not gone forever. Humpty Dumpty is going to be replaced on the wall-at least in the sense that what has died is going to recover life, probably in the sense that the inorganic universe is going to be reordered. Either Humpty Dumpty will never reach the ground (being caught in mid-fall by everlasting arms) or else when he reaches it he will be put together again and replaced on a new and better wall. Admittedly, science discerns no 'king's horses and men' who can 'put Humpty Dumpty together again'. But you would not expect her to. She is based on observation: and all our observations are observations of Humpty Dumpty in mid-air. They do not reach either the wall above or the ground below-much less the King with his horses and men hastening towards the spot.

The Transfiguration or Metamorphosis of Jesus is also, no doubt, an anticipatory glimpse of something to come. He is seen conversing with two of the ancients dead. The change in his own human form had undergone is described as one to luminosity, to shining whiteness.

With Jesus' death and resurrection came the bread of life which provides eternal life for Humpty Dumpty and for you and I-restoring order to the disorder of our past lives and our bodies that each day are becoming more physically disordered.

Jesus main purpose was that of Messiah, as Savior, as the one who restores the creation including the Natural process of disorder that turns death into life.

At Haven, we need never forget Jesus' purpose, HIs Mission, which we participate in with him.

At Haven, we need to remain focused or refocus on His Purpose in our encounters with those we meet each day and that we need to acknowledge that the provisions we have come from Him and the restoration that comes is from Him and are signs of his greater purpose, the greater provision and greater restoration He ultimately brings us through his death and resurrection.

 

May all of us refocus on what is possible focusing on and having faith in the Son of God, His Power and His Ultimate Purpose.

In the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Amen.