A lesson from a mosquito.

 I was sitting on the porch one morning, the sun was rising in the east (which I could not see as the porch faces south and the trees block the sunrise), the dogs were laying around as dogs do, I was listening to the morning devotions and suddenly it happened...

...I was just looking around while listening and I saw it. How in the world? I thought. How did it know? There, flying just a few inches from me, was a mosquito. Yes, those blood sucking little things that fly around and attack unsuspecting people and animals. I know that it is not unusual to see mosquitos at this time of the year. They are all around. It is part of summer. In some places, like Minnesota or Wisconsin, these little critters aren't so little. I can remember joking about them being the state birds. 

But I thought to myself: How did he know that I was here? I mean, I did not send out signals that I was sitting on the porch waiting for a mosquito to come and get me. I do not think that mosquitos get on Facebook and track people to know where to find them. So how did it know?

The answer I came up with (and I am sure that those who are scientific will be able to give the official reason why mosquitos know where warm blooded people and animals are) is that they are created that way. God put it in them to know where to find that which they need to survive. At least, I assume that they need my blood to survive. They are part of creation. They are made the way they are. What was there purpose pre-Fall? Why did God make them? Because He chose to. He created them for a purpose. That purpose may well have been corrupted due to the Fall, but there was a purpose. 

While that might no be the scientific explanation, that is actually very comforting to know. God's creative power is still at work in this world. We are told in Scripture,  "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." (Matthew 10:29 ESV) God knows when the sparrow falls to the ground. God knows when the mosquito flies through the air towards the intended lunch. If God watches over the mosquito, does He not watch over you and me, ones who are worth so much more than a mosquito? If God has the mosquito living according to the laws which He has set up, does not that give comfort to know that things are not random accidents. He watches over my life too. He is well aware of the joys and struggles that I have. He cares for me, even more so than He cares for the mosquito or the sparrow. Thank You Lord!

Does that mean that I won't swat that mosquito before it bites me? Nope. I still will. The battle between me and mosquitos will continue. Even while it goes on, I give thanks to God for the laws of nature that He has put in place. Praise be to God!

Ramblings on the Feeding of the 5000

 I was spending some time this week reading the gospel lesson for this coming Sunday, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, July 18, 2021. It is Mark 6:30-44, the Feeding of the 5,000. That is a familiar enough story for us. I think that most people, even if they only have a brief contact with the Bible and with worship/Bible study/Sunday school, have heard about the way Jesus fed the 5,000+ with five loaves of bread and two fish. Maybe I am wrong about that. If you don't know that event, take some time to read the lesson. If you still have questions, you can contact me. I may or may not be able to answer your questions, but I will try. 

Anyway, I had several thoughts about this lesson, after writing a devotion for the Board of Elders. What are some of my thought? Here they are.

1) It is important for a person who has had a mountaintop experience to take time afterwards to grow from it. The disciples had that mountaintop experience. They had just returned from the mission trip that Jesus had sent them on. It was a thrilling and amazing time for the disciples. They were able to proclaim the Kingdom of God and do some amazing things in the name of Jesus Christ. They came back to Jesus, all excited, and Jesus said, "Let us go away to a desolate place." Why? They needed time to deprogram, that is, to take those experiences, undersand them and grow in their own personal faith. 

How many times do we go to an event, have a mountaintop experience, and then we come home and jump right back into our daily routine? We don't take a day or two to decompress, to let the emotions and feelings wash over us, and grow in that relationship with Christ? The mountaintop events fades quickly and we forget the very things that made it a mountaintop experience. After a time, we look back on it, and we have forgotten much of what took place, much of what made it that amazing experience. I thought of this following the LWML Convention in Lexington, KY in June. So many women and men came to the event. It was a mountaintop event for them. Then the rushed home, went back to work, went back to caring for the grandkids, went back to the daily routine, and did not have time to let those events sink deeply into their lives? I know, we have schedules to keep. We only have so many days off work. We need to return to our routine quickly. But what happens to the things that took place. They fade quickly into the past and the memories fail. And we don't have time to let the event become part of our lives. That happens with Youth Gatherings, Conventions, Retreats, and other mountaintop events. Life takes over and the very things that made it a mountaintop experience, fades into the background. 

Take time to come away with the Lord. To sit quietly. To think about, to pray about, to contemplate the very things that happened. Let it sink in. Let it become part of your life. And then, return to your routine. You will be much better off for it. "Let us go away" together, the Lord says to you. Don't rush off too quickly. Take some time to reflect and grow.

2) "You feed them," Jesus said to the disciples. He knows that He will be the One that makes the five loaves and two fish stretch to feed over 5,000 people, but He also wants the disciples involved in the whole process. "We can't," the disciples respond. And they had their good reasons. They were right. They did not have enough money to feed them all. The villages around there did not have enough food to feed them all. They could not do it.

They were willing to send the people away, even knowing that they could not be supported by the local community. But the disciples were willing to wash their hands of the people. Let someone else help them. Let them go somewhere else. I don't want to do it. Wait, isn't that what we often say about sharing the message of the Gospel, feeding the people's souls? Let someone else do it. I can't do it. I am not God. I cannot feed all those hungry souls. Send them away. 

No, Jesus says, "You feed them." He takes the loaves and fishes and blesses them. He then begins to give the food out. But wait, Jesus doesn't carry it to each person. He hands it to the disciples, who are then involved in feeding the hungry, reaching out to others, being the legs of Jesus to the people. He does indeed get the disciples to feed the people. They do just as He tells them. Yes, it was Jesus' miracle. He is the One who makes the bread and fish stretch to the point that everyone eats and is full, and there is still 12 baskets of food leftover. But the disciples were the ones who took the food to others. 

So it is with us. "You feed them," Jesus says. Sent to reveal God's loves to the world. This is the mission statement of St. John. But then we say, "Someone else must do it. I can't possibly be the one that is meant to share that good news. I can't save anyone." Yep, you are right and you are wrong. You can't save anyone. Only the Holy Spirit can save them. Just like the disciples could not do the miracle of the loaves and fish, so you and I cannot do the miracle of saving the soul of a sinner. Jesus did the miracle. The Holy Spirit does the miracle. But He says to us, "You feed them." And we are supposed to. We are the legs of the Gospel. We take the spiritual food to the people. We walk it out to them. They do not just wander into the church building and then we get off the hook by letting the pastor feed them. No, you need to be the legs of the Gospel each day, talking about Jesus, sharing Jesus, sharing that wonderful Word so that the Spirit will do His work. You and I are like the disciples, "You feed them." That is our task. 

I have other thoughts, but I think that is enough for now. I pray you have a blessed day. I also pray that you will be the one to take the Gospel to someone today. "You feed them."