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Tenth Sunday after
Pentecost
August 13, 2006 Sermon
by The Rev. Bill Van Oss, Rector
Readings
Recently, I saw a wonderful little film
entitled, “The Lunch Date.” It’s a brief little video in black and
white, and one of the interesting things about it is that no words are
spoken.
The opening scene is in Grand Central Station, New York City. It shows
an older woman, nicely dressed, with handbag, high heels, fluffy hat,
fancy packages held tight, hurrying to catch a train.
She runs up just as the train pulls away. Disappointed, she checks the
big board for the time of the next train, looks at her watch, and then
looks around for something to do.
She spies a lunch counter. With time before the next train departs, she
proceeds to order a big salad at the lunch counter, and to sit down in a
booth nearby, ready to enjoy her lunch. Except, darn it, she’s forgotten
a fork.
The rich, older lady gets up to get a fork at the counter, and when she
returns, who’s sitting in her booth but a black man, poorly dressed,
worn out overcoat and stocking cap in his head, gloves with the fingers
worn through. He’s sitting in her booth – it seems – and he’s eating her
salad! Happily munching away, he even puts a little salt on the lettuce.
Well, the woman just stands there for a moment, bewildered, and the
black man keeps munching away. Pretty soon, she sits down in the same
booth, across from him, watching him eat, and he simply glances up at
her. But she can no longer resist. With the fork she got up to retrieve,
she spears a forkful of salad and puts it in her mouth.
He looks up at her, seeming a bit confused, even annoyed. He resumes
eating and she stabs more salad, slight smile appearing on her face. His
face, to, has softened, and the two begin to share the salad.
Nearing the end of their lunch, the man wipes his face and gets up,
returning a short time later with 2 cups of coffee, one for him and one
for her and there’s a wonderful exchange as he offers her sugar and
lifts his cup as if to toast her. And then, he departs.
The woman sits for a long time in the booth, looking satisfied and even
happy, and when she gets up, she glances down at the booth next to the
one she and the man had shared, and what does she see, sitting untouched
in that neighboring booth.
Her salad, the one she had purchased and then left behind to get a fork.
She laughs to herself as she re-imagines the situation: she had returned
to the wrong booth and eaten the poor man’s salad.
She’s laughing and shaking her head as she exits the restaurant, and in
the saddest moment of the film she walks right by the poor, black man,
who’s standing in the train station, hand outstretched to the passing
crowd. She walks right by and doesn’t even notice him.
Hunger is a universal human experience. Everyone gets hungry and needs
to eat. Without food, people die.
The people of Israel, in the desert, cried out to God in their hunger
and God fed them with manna, they hungered for a land of flowing streams
and wheat and barley, vines and figs, honey and endless bread. They
hungered to be filled with good things.
And the crowds, in the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John, the crowds
hungered for bread and Jesus fed the 5,000 with 5 barley loaves and two
fish. And they were satisfied, and there were 12 baskets left over.
The people Israel hungered, the crowds hungered, rich old ladies hunger,
poor black men hunger, and you and I hunger.
We all hunger for food, to have our stomachs full. But our hungers are
deeper than that. We have hungers food will never satisfy. That’s what
the lady and the man in the train station restaurant discovered. They
had deep hungers. Hunger for acceptance, hunger for equality & respect,
hunger for friendship, and yes, hunger for love.
That’s what Jesus keeps driving at in this “Bread of Life” discourse in
John, Chapter 6.
People keep coming to him, yelling, ‘Feed me, give me bread,” and Jesus
keeps saying, “I can give you so much more than bread.” I can give you
life, I can give your lives meaning and purpose, for I have come to fill
you with compassion and mercy, forgiveness, generosity, hope and love.
You will live forever on the food I have come to bring, Jesus says. The
food will satisfy your hunger and unite you. Prejudices and stereotypes
can be broken down, fear and misunderstanding can be overcome with the
bread of life. Christ Himself, who brings us together as brothers and
sisters around the table, who brings black and white together, men and
women together, who comes to us in the Word – Sacred Scripture – and in
the simple gifts of breaqd and wine, the sacrament, when we gather
around for this Eucharistic meal.
Where all are welcome, saints and sinners alike, for Christ never drives
away anyone who comes to Him.
This table, where rich and poor, black and white, gay and straight, male
and female, young and old, come to be fed – the taste the life Christ
came to offer as free gift. This table where all are invited to taste
meaning and purpose, compassion and mercy, forgiveness, hope and love.
Food brought a rich old lady and a poor beggar together as equals and
friends, but only for a moment. This table offers us the bread of life,
Christ Himself, who came that we might have life in abundance.
Earthly Bread will fill your stomach, for a time, and then pass away.
The Bread of Life will fill your body, mind, heart and soul and never
pass away.
Come to the feast. Come to the table of plenty. Come and eat and be
filled with the life and love of God.