Bible Study: Pentecost 12 (B) – August 11, 2024

Note: During the 2024 Season after Pentecost, Sermons That Work will use Track 2 readings for sermons and Bible studies. Please consult our archives for many additional Track 1 resources from prior years.

RCL: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34:1-8; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51

1 Kings 19:4-8

In the Old Testament reading for Proper 14, we encounter the prophet Elijah fleeing for his life from the wrath of Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab of Israel, who has vowed to kill for his violent acts against the prophets of Jezebel’s god, Baal (1 Kings 18:20-39). Elijah has left his companion and has fled into the wilderness on his own, afraid, exhausted, and overwhelmed by all that he is confronted with. How many times have we found ourselves overwhelmed and exhausted by our own concerns, the endless concerns of the world, and the utter feeling of despair that, seemingly, it does not matter what we do, we cannot stop the suffering with which we are confronted? There is just not enough we can do. We are not “enough.” It is easy to sympathize with Elijah, who, amid his despair and exhaustion, simply sits down under a tree and says to the Lord, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life” (v. 4). However, we must examine what Elijah does next. He allows himself to fall asleep, and in the midst of his own “wilderness,” he rests and only then does an angel appear to bring him physical nourishment. Elijah then lays down again to rest, and again the angel of the Lord comes to him with more nourishment and encouragement to get “back on the road” and to face his own journey of “forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God” (v. 8), where the work of the Lord awaits him.

Sometimes the most difficult things to do are to step back while in a “wilderness” period of our lives, take a deep breath, and rest. To have faith that physical, spiritual, and inspirational nourishment will be provided that only can occur in a time of rest and calm. Even in the wilderness. Scripture is full of stories where God shows up in the wilderness. We need to take a breath, take a rest, and slow down, opening ourselves to the quiet voice of the Lord. In faith, God will be there to provide the nourishment we need to give us strength for our own journeys and to address the suffering of the world.

• Can you recall a time when you found God in a wilderness experience – a time of exhaustion or despair?
• What faith or spiritual practices do you utilize to regain your strength to “get back on the road” when you are tired and overwhelmed by a difficult problem in your own life or by the injustices you witness in the world?

Psalm 34:1-8

Psalm 34 has been classified by Biblical scholars as one of fifteen “Individual Hymns of Thanksgiving.” The superscription of the psalm relates this song of thanksgiving as a response to a specific instance in the life of David, in which the Lord delivered him from potential death (scholars think it may refer to David’s escape from King Achish in 1 Sam 21:10-15). The psalmist sings, “I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me and saved me from all my troubles” (v. 6). The psalmist is thankful because God hears his cry for help and saves him. God is present in the world, watching over us, and the psalmist wants us to hear this in his song to the Lord. We are encouraged to experience God and the comfort that this relationship with God will bring into our lives. To “taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who trust in him!” (v. 8).

• How would your life be different if you practiced intentional gratitude in your daily life? If “[God’s] praise shall ever be in your mouth”?
• What are you thankful for today?

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

When reflecting on the list of moral advice and behavioral guidance from Paul contained in the verses of this reading, it is important to view it within the entire context of the letter to the Ephesian church. As Paul professes throughout Ephesians, it is through Christ and through the cross that we are bonded together in love and unity. A life of love and unity of and for all peoples, Jew and Gentile, all races, all ethnicities, all nationalities, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. There is but one body of Christ, and we are all members of this body. This is the new life that Christ calls us into through his life, death, and resurrection.

In writing, “Let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another” (v. 25), Paul provides us with practical guidance on how we can best live our lives to ensure we are in service to each other and can create the conditions that will allow us to be bonded to one another in the love and unity of the body of Christ – how to live our lives with dignity and live into our own baptismal vows to respect the dignity of every living being.

Paul is letting us know how we can realize the grace and joy of being in total congruence with our True Selves, reflecting the image of God in which humankind was created. We were created to be in relationship with each other and God, which is realized in the carrying on of the grace-filled work of Christ through the gifts he bestowed upon us. “Therefore,” Paul writes, “be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (5:1-2).

• What is God calling you to right now? What are your gifts that will allow you to respond to that call?
• How does it feel in those moments when you have been an “imitator of God,” and living into Beloved Community?

John 6:35, 41-51

The Gospel of John is known for the many “I am” statements that Jesus makes to the crowds and individuals he encounters during his ministry. Here, we are confronted with one of the most well-known and oft-repeated “I am” statements: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry” (v. 35). The cosmic Johannine Jesus is constantly trying to explain to a material and earthly-focused world who he is, and that belief in him offers more than just a life of daily sustenance. Once again, in this instance, the crowd, and particularly the Jewish religious authorities, either don’t get it, understand it in a literal sense, or just view him as the son of a local couple; what can he be talking about, they wonder, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (v. 42).

Jesus has come to turn things completely upside down. He will not be the Messiah who will overthrow the Roman Empire, liberate the people, and provide material wealth. These things are temporal and don’t last as Jesus points out: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died” (v. 49). Jesus comes from above, “the living bread that came down from heaven” (v. 51), a common theme in the Gospel of John, and Jesus provides not a temporal and temporary promise of salvation, but an eternal one. Jesus is turning upside down and inside out what the Messiah is and will be. He would not be a king who would restore an earthly kingdom, but one who would establish and provide an eternal kingdom of justice, peace, and love through service and even the ultimate sacrifice.

• What might need to be turned upside down in your congregational community to ensure they are fully realizing the Kingdom of God and eating the bread of life in today’s complex world?
• What do Jesus’ words, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” mean for you?

Jon Achée is a first-year seminarian at General Theological Seminary in New York, and a postulant to the priesthood canonically resident in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Jon’s sponsoring mission church is St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, Cal. Jon resides in Seattle, Wash., where he recently relocated with his wife, Kelly, to take a job as the director of finance and operations at a K-8 independent school for gifted students. He attends St. Mark’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Olympia. Jon continues to work in ministries that focus on feeding and serving the unhoused. Jon and Kelly have two grown adult children and enjoy hiking the many beautiful trails near Seattle.