Anchored

  A Story about Bread Feeding the five thousand is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. In fact, this is the only miracle story written in all four Gospels. Charles Spurgeon says that it’s in all four Gospels so that we won’t forget how much the Lord can do with little things that are yielded to him. This amazing miracle, feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, is the fourth “sign,” which points to the greater reality, that is: Jesus came into the world not just to give bread, but to be bread. Jesus came not to be useful, but to be precious. That’s the main point. But what does that mean? Giving Bread Jesus does care about bread. He cares about our daily needs. When Jesus saw a large crowd, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them, healed them, and fed them. He fed the 5,000. But that was not the main reason he came. Jesus fed the 5,000 so that they might see the sign and believe in him, and have...

*Thomas Cole's Voyage of Life (1840) Where Is God? A couple had two mischievous boys, eight and ten years old. They were always getting into trouble. Finally, the parents had enough. They asked their pastor to talk with them. The pastor agreed. He called the younger boy into his office first. He sat the boy down, leaned toward him, and said sternly, “Where is God?” The boy froze. The pastor asked again, a little louder, “Where is God?” Still no answer. Finally, the pastor raised his voice, “WHERE IS GOD?” The boy was terrified. He jumped up, ran home, and hid in the closet. A few minutes later, his older brother found him and asked, “What happened?” The boy whispered, “We’re in big trouble this time. God is missing, and they think we did it!” It’s funny, but in a strange way, it also resonates with us. Because when we walk through dark valleys, we can ask the same question: Where is God? The Dark Night of the Soul The truth is, the dark seasons come to every Christian. St. John of...

*Mosaic of bread and fish in the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, Israe l Michael and I One time, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan scored 63 points in one game. After the game, a reporter interviewed one of his teammates, Scottie Pippen. The reporter asked, “What was the highlight of today’s game?” Pippen answered without hesitation, “Michael and I together got 65 points!” 5 Loaves vs. 5,000 People We often feel that what we have is very limited, while the needs around us are so great. In today’s scripture, the disciples looked at the huge crowd and worried about their limited resources. They said, “We only have five loaves, but what good is that with this huge 5,000?” (9) Like the disciples, we often feel like what we have is 5 loaves, and the challenges we are facing are like 5,000 people. So we worry. We feel overwhelmed and say, “What good is what I have when the need is so great?” If you have ever felt that way, today’s scripture is for you. In particular, I want you to ...

  How to Train an Elephant Have you ever ridden an elephant? I once had a chance to ride an elephant while I was an exchange student in Thailand. I was amazed at how such a huge animal could be so submissive to its trainer. After the tour, I heard how elephants are trained. It was very simple. First, the trainer ties an elephant to a stake. At first, the elephant tries hard to escape. But after trying again and again, they eventually give up. It simply stand beside the stake. Then, one day, the trainer unties the rope. The amazing thing is that the elephant still does not run away, even though it is no longer physically trapped. The Man at Bethesda In today’s scripture we meet a man who had been ill for 38 years. Around the pool called Bethesda, a crowd of sick people had gathered. The blind, the lame, and the paralyzed were waiting for healing. And Jesus came to this place. Among all those people, Jesus saw one particular man lying there. Jesus knew that he had been there for a lo...

The Heart of Worship Matt Redman is a world-renowned worship leader and songwriter. Many people came to his church, Soul Survivor in Watford, England, simply to hear his music. But the pastor and congregation realized something was missing. They had lost the heart of worship. So the pastor made a bold decision. For a season, they put away the sound system and the band. They worshiped with just their voices. At first, it was awkward. Uncomfortable. Some people stopped coming. But slowly, something changed. The congregation began to sing and pray from the heart. They encountered God in a fresh way. Out of that experience came Matt Redman’s song, The Heart of Worship: When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come... I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus. It’s all about You, Jesus. The Samaritan Woman In today’s Scripture, we meet a woman whose soul is lonely and restless. She is thirsty. She longs for something more. She is a Samarit...

  Below the Waterline Let me tell you a story about a famous American yachtsman. In 1992, Michael Plant set out on a solo crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean, sailing from the United States to France. But two weeks into the voyage, Michael Plant and his sailboat disappeared. People were puzzled. Plant was an experienced sailor. In fact, his seafaring skills were considered among the best in the world. And his sailboat, the Coyote, was state-of-the-art. Everyone in the sailing world knows sailboats are not supposed to capsize easily. They are built to withstand the strongest pounding the sea can offer. And they are built with more weight below the waterline than above it. But when the Coyote was found, it was upside down in the water. So what happened? When the Coyote was built, an 8,000-pound weight was bolted to the keel. No one knows exactly why or how, but when the Coyote was found, the 8,000-pound weight below the waterline was simply missing. No weight below the waterline mea...

  *Fra Angelico's The Mocking of Christ (1442) A Matter of the Heart The heart matters. The Bible mentions the heart about 1,000 times. In essence, the heart is the center of our whole being. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The condition of the heart matters because the heart is the very center of our relationship with God. Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." In other words, the condition of our heart matters if we want to know God deeply and personally. But here is the problem. Our natural heart is not pure. Our heart is not neutral. The Bible tells us that, because of sin, the human heart has become corrupted and deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (NIV) Our hearts have been polluted by sin. Our hearts have become hardened like stone. And a heart of stone does not listen. It does ...

*Light of the World by Holman Hunt The First Sign As followers of Christ, every time we return to the Gospel, we see wonderful things in the Word, and we discover that Christ becomes a little bigger and greater to us. It’s something like Lucy’s experience with the lion Aslan (the Christ figure) in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia . As Lucy looked again into his large, wise face, she said:   “Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.” “That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. “Not because you are?” “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” [1]   In this gospel John uses the word “sign” (σημεῖον). There are seven signs recorded in John’s gospel. Today’s story – the wedding at Cana – is the first sign (v. 11). As we know, a sign “point us to something beyond itself.” For instance, perhaps some of you saw the “Beach Service” sign this morning. The sign itself is not the service, but it points us to the service. That is the purpose of the sign. That...

*Crucifixion, by Matthias Grünewald It’s a Wonderful Life! Perhaps some of you have had a chance to watch the classical movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. In the movie George Bailey becomes overwhelmed by his troubles and reaches a point where he wishes he had never been born. Then the angel Clarence shows him what life would have been like without him. Suddenly, George sees his family, his friends, and his whole community with new eyes. Nothing around him has changed, but he has changed. He begins to see that what he thought was an ordinary life was actually a wonderful life. Perhaps today, some of us need to be given new eyes. My prayer is that, for those who are searching, you may see the gift God has promised through Jesus, who said, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) And for those who already believe, may God rekindle our wonder, our joy, and our commitment. The gospel gives us more than a new perspective; it gives us new life. Forgiven In this script...

  *Photo: At the Beach Service (Aug 2) Grace, Grace, Prevenient Grace! I imagine many of you may be wondering as you see me standing here today, "Who are you?" Or perhaps, "What brought you here?" To answer that question, I'd like to tell you a story. My story doesn't begin with me. It begins with my maternal grandfather, who was a North Korean defector. Just before the Korean War broke out, he escaped to South Korea by swimming across a river. But because of the hardships he faced there, he became so discouraged that he considered taking his own life. By the grace of God, however, a friend invited him to church. There, during an early morning prayer service, he encountered God in a life-changing way. That day he came a Christian. A few years later, God called him into ministry. My uncle and my father were deeply influenced by my grandfather's transformed life, and they also became pastors. I am a third-generation pastor. I sometimes joke that pastoring ...