Looking into the lectionary - "Preoccupied with the wrong stuff"

August 4, 2024 Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost  John 6:24-35 On the first day of the first seminar of my Doctor of Ministry program, the students peppered the professor with questions about what was required to get a good grade. After enduring the interrogation for several minutes, the professor reminded us that what was important in the end was what we learned from the class, not the grade we received. “You are preoccupied with the wrong stuff,” he told us. There was a moment of chastising silence; then he continued, “That’s also one of the problems of ministry, isn’t it? Being preoccupied with the wrong stuff.” The 20 ministers sitting in the class nodded in unison, flashing back to the committee meetings when there was a 30-second opening prayer and a 30-minute conversation on whether to serve lemonade or tea at the church picnic, or the day consumed with deciding what kind of smock nursery workers would wear, or the agonizing discussion about just how many lilies were needed for Easter and where they should be placed. We’d all been there. We’d all be preoccupied with the wrong stuff in the course of our ministries. I suspect it’s not just ministers who regularly find their time and energy consumed by trivial matters. From time to time and in a variety of ways we all become consumed by the wrong stuff. We lose sight of what really matters. In this week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus faults those who want to be near him for being more interested in their stomachs than their souls. They were present for the feeding of the 5,000 last week; they feasted on the bread and fish that Jesus miraculously multiplied. Now they’re waiting for Jesus to do another trick and feed them again. It happens throughout the Gospels, people flocking to Jesus to have their immediate needs satisfied. Whether it’s an illness or disability or hunger, people come to Jesus for instant satisfaction. Jesus knows what their aims are. He knows the crowds come to him more for the wonders he can work than for the message he brings. After all, 5,000 people ate with him that day, but only a few were present as he hung on a cross. As they come to Jesus in this passage, Jesus challenges them to examine their motivations. He says they are preoccupied with the wrong stuff, being more concerned with the food that perishes than with the food that endures for eternal life. We know about the food that perishes, don’t we? ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thanks to this week's writer John Wurster. Order of worship for August 4, 2024, by John Wurster. Horizons — Environmental justice by Rosalind Banbury Christ’s love in God’s kin-dom (August 4, 2024) by Shea Watts The top 10 stories from GA by Presbyterian Outlook  Want the worship resources for July 28, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Teaching Reformed theology in Trump’s America Progressive Christians read the Barmen Declaration as a rejection of Christian nationalism, writes Theologian David W. Congdon. Conservatives view it as supporting their fight against a fascist administration. Where's the truth? Migration, faith and community in the Mesoamerican Mission Network A new PC(USA) mission network focuses on migrants leaving Central America for the United States. Anton Ahrens writes about the network's launch. Books you should know Outlook Book Review Editor Amy Pagliarella offers a list of books to add to your "must-read" list. #GA226 triumphs and icks Bethany Peerbolte interviewed the #GA226 Young Adult Advisory Delegates about what they believe is the PC(USA)'s greatest triumphs and where there is still room to grow. Deep South Investors Tour: September 8-15 Join Faith and Money Network on a six-day tour through Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, to experience how our country’s legacy of racial inequity persists today in major systems from home ownership to education to banking — and how Hope Credit Union and its investors are working for change. Learn more. Five faith facts about Trump’s VP pick, JD Vance If Trump is elected, Vance would be the second Catholic vice president in US history — after Joe Biden. — RNS McCormick Theological Seminary Names Rev. Dr. Maisha I. Handy as its 12th President A progressive leader among American seminaries, Rev. Dr. Handy becomes McCormick’s first African American president, succeeding newly retired David Crawford who positioned McCormick for a sustainable future.— MTS God did not save Donald Trump "I’m glad Donald Trump is alive, and I’m quite confident God is, too. But my understanding of Christian theology makes me certain that God did not save the former president from assassination," writes Shane Claiborne.