The Fourth Week in July
We Read…
In our readings for this week, we see the difference between rejecting the world’s power versus falling into the temptation to accept it. In John 6:15, we read that Jesus left before the people could put him into a position of power by making him the king. He knew that this position wasn’t what was right for him, so instead of clinging to the praise and recognition of the people, he left. That would be a tough thing to do! If everyone around me was trying to make me the king (or queen), I don’t know if I would be able to say no. But Jesus knew that God’s kingdom wouldn’t come through claiming power that the world gave.
On the other hand, we watch as David abuses his power by objectifying Bathsheba, by taking advantage of her when she wasn’t able to say no, and then by “hiding” his sins through even more sin! Why did no one stop him? Why did he think this was okay? When David was given the chance to lean into his power as king, he chose himself over everyone else. He chose his own desires over the personhood of Bathsheba and over the life of Uriah. This is a frustrating and sad story, especially when David was supposed to be a good king, a man after God’s own heart. Later, we see David confronted and eventually he repents.
There is forgiveness for us when we fall into temptation, but we are always given the choice. May our lives reflect the selflessness of Jesus instead of the power seeking actions of David.
2 Samuel 11:1-15
1 In the spring, when kings go off to war, David sent Joab, along with his servants and all the Israelites, and they destroyed the Ammonites, attacking the city of Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening, David got up from his couch and was pacing back and forth on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. 3 David sent someone and inquired about the woman. The report came back: “Isn’t this Eliam’s daughter Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers to take her. When she came to him, he had sex with her. (Now she had been purifying herself after her monthly period.) Then she returned home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David. “I’m pregnant,” she said. 6 Then David sent a message to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about the welfare of Joab and the army and how the battle was going. 8 Then David told Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9 However, Uriah slept at the palace entrance with all his master’s servants. He didn’t go down to his own house. 10 David was told, “Uriah didn’t go down to his own house,” so David asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just returned from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?” 11 “The chest and Israel and Judah are all living in tents,” Uriah told David. “And my master Joab and my master’s troops are camping in the open field. How could I go home and eat, drink, and have sex with my wife? I swear on your very life, I will not do that!” 12 Then David told Uriah, “Stay here one more day. Tomorrow I’ll send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. The next day 13 David called for him, and he ate and drank, and David got him drunk. In the evening Uriah went out to sleep in the same place, alongside his master’s servants, but he did not go down to his own home. 14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 He wrote in the letter, “Place Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle, and then pull back from him so that he will be struck down and die.”
Psalm 14
1 Fools say in their hearts, There is no God. They are corrupt and do evil things; not one of them does anything good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on humans to see if anyone is wise, to see if anyone seeks God, 3 but all of them have turned bad. Everyone is corrupt. No one does good— not even one person! 4 Are they dumb, all these evildoers, devouring my people like they are eating bread but never calling on the Lord? 5 Count on it: they will be in utter panic because God is with the righteous generation. 6 You evildoers may humiliate the plans of those who suffer, but the Lord is their refuge. 7 Let Israel’s salvation come out of Zion! When the Lord changes his people’s circumstances for the better, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will celebrate!
Ephesians 3:14-21
14 This is why I kneel before the Father. 15 Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by him. 16 I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit. 17 I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love, 18 I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers. 19 I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God. 20 Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; 21 glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen.
John 6:1-21
1 After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea). 2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. 4 It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival. 5 Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” 6 Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” 15 Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain. 16 When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake. 17 They got into a boat and were crossing the lake to Capernaum. It was already getting dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. 18 The water was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When the wind had driven them out for about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He was approaching the boat and they were afraid. 20 He said to them, “I Am. Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and just then the boat reached the land where they had been heading.
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses? Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or in the church? What are you considering? What questions come to mind?
Why did Jesus reject the push to be king?
Could he have served as king and still been the same Jesus who spoke out against brokenness/hurt/oppression?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, maybe a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
How did the disciples feel when they saw Jesus walking on water? How would you have reacted?
When have you felt the most grounded in your faith?
We Believe…
We believe that God is working, even when we cannot see it. In Ephesians, we read that God can do far beyond what we can imagine. In John 6, we watch as Jesus multiples the food and then walks on water. Even in our limited understanding of God, we can know that God is bigger than us, that God can do more than we could ever dream of, and that God is powerful.
Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think about God and how God is all places, in our hearts, working in the world. We don’t have to hide these feelings, because we believe that God is big enough and loving enough to walk with us through them. It’s also okay to admit that we don’t know everything. The more we grow in our faith, the more questions we might have, and that is normal. God is beyond our understanding, we will never be able to wrap our brains fully around what it means for God to be God, and it’s okay to wrestle with that.
We Practice…
What does it mean to be rooted and grounded in our faith? If you can, go outside and pull up a weed from its roots. Look at how deep the roots go into the ground! Feel how difficult it is to pull up the entire plant. (If you can’t do this outside, here is a video showing someone pulling a weed out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob8_ibKgrqg).
When we are rooted and grounded in our faith, it means that we have more than just a shallow understanding or love. This comes through spending time growing in God! When we’re rooted in God, we know that God is with us and loves us even through the hard times. It gives us a way to stand in our faith, even when life gets hard. Take a few moments to reflect on your roots.
What do you do to stay grounded in faith?
What experiences have you had that have helped you to grow deeper?
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