Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, โThis is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.โ Jesus said to them, โThey need not go away; you give them something to eat.โ They replied, โWe have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.โ And he said, โBring them here to me.โ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
In 1996, Linda Ellis wrote a poem. If you look at the cover of your program, youโll see what the poem is about. It appears right there between 1935, the year of Paulโs birth, and 2025, the year of his death. It is the dash, which is the name of the poem. Ultimately, the poem asks the question, โWhat does that dash represent and say about your life? How did you live your life?โ
I remembered that poem as I considered the dash on the front of the program, which represents Paulโs life, and I came to the conclusion that Paulโs dash represents much, but that it should have an asterisk after it, directing us to a footnote. In the footnote, we would not find more details of his life; instead, there would be this list, these guiding principles that essentially formed a pillar upon which Paulโs life stood. As his priest, what delighted me was that at the base, the foundation of everything he said or did was God and his faith in Jesus.
โA good Life to me is as follows: ๏ปฟ๏ปฟKeeping God and Jesus in our minds often.โ
Having known Paul for over ten years, I know that these words werenโt just lip service. He didnโt write this list expecting others to one day find it, and so he said to himself, โOh, I’d better put God first so that when everyone reads this, theyโll believe I was a righteous dude.โ No, I donโt believe that for a second. After many long conversations with him about his faith, I know, without hesitation, he believed that Jesus was his Savior and that it was only through God that he was able to accomplish anything. Therefore, I can say to you without hesitation that he has made his eternal home in that Heavenly Kingdom with his Savior, and has been reunited with his beloved Joan and son David, along with his mom and dad.
On that note, if I may speak to Paul directlyโฆ โI told you so!โ
Anyhow, in our reading from Matthew, when the disciples told Jesus to send the people away because there was nothing to eat, Jesus replied, โThey need not go away; you give them something to eat.โ It doesnโt take a close scrutiny of Paulโs life to realize that he lived as though the Lord Jesus had spoken those words directly to him. Like this ballpark, there are countless public reminders of his works, but I would wager that for every known act of kindness, there are literally hundreds that you will never hear about. For Paul, it was never about the recognition. It was always about the servingโliving out the true spirit of the Lordโs words. And I am quite certain he would encourage us to do the same. For as Pope Francis once noted, โLife is of no use if not used to serve others.โ
For each of us, a day will come when a dash separates two dates. What will your dash say about you? And if there is an asterisk directing to a footnote, what will the reader discover as your guiding principles? If you are still trying to sort all that out, I believe Paul would encourage you to put the Lord Jesus first and know that every good gift flows from Him.
One such gift from God is a good friend. Doug Frantz, one of Paulโs friends, will now share with us what that means to him.
Before moving to Enid, I never once in my life said, “You know, I think I wanna live in Oklahoma.” It never really crossed my mind. I suspect the same is true for many of you gathered here today. This may be the first and last time you will ever be in Enid. And thatโs OK. We all have our lives, and God allows us to live them.
However, due to this, you probably donโt know Paul in the same way as those who live here. I believe it would be very hard for someone who does not live here to grasp what he meant to this community. Thatโs not a criticism, and please donโt take it as such. Itโs just the way things are. Even so, you wonโt understand what he meant to Enid, America. He has left a remarkable legacy. Itโs a legacy that you can be very, very proud of.
On the surface, that legacy is easy to see. There are the companies he built, the projects he funded, the ballparks, and the soccer fields. There are all sorts of things, and everywhere you turn, youโll see his name. But thatโs not because Paul was a big flashy kind of guy. He wasnโt running around trying to make a name for himself. He didnโt drive a fancy sports carโฆ and can I just say thanks be to God for that, because he was a really terrible driver. He didnโt wear the latest fashion. If you didnโt know who he was, he was just this nice old guy. In these last years, if you ran into him around town, it was more than likely at one of the grocery stores where he would be stocking the shelves with beef jerky. If you saw Tammy driving him somewhere, thereโs a good chance they were out delivering meals to the poor and homebound. And if it were a Sunday morning, you would find him sitting right there in the front row. And, when it was time to pray, you would find him there on his knees.
Thereโs the outward legacy that everyone knows, but thereโs another that you had to be here to truly witness in order to understand why this town loves him the way they do.
You see, Paul was a builder. Yes, he built companies, but more importantly, and the reason he could build companies is that instead of seeing a company as something made of brick and steel, he saw the company as the people. Paul built companies because he built people. He gave them the tools they needed to succeed. He provided the encouragement for them to realize they could do great things and become builders themselves.
In our Gospel reading today, the disciples wanted to send the people away so that they could go and find something to eat. Jesus said to him, โThey do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.โ So often when we read that text, we think that Jesus is simply talking about food. Feed the hungry. Theyโre broke, they donโt have money. They donโt have food. Give them something to eat. However, there are many different ways to give someone something to eat, because the phrase is a way of saying give them what they need to grow, to have a life, to have joy, to fulfill potential. Give them what they need to have life, and to have it abundantly. When Jesus said, โGive them something to eat,โ he was saying, โBuild them up,โ and that is Paulโs legacy. He was a builder. He was a builder of people, helping them to realize their own great worth.
For some of you, this may very well be the last time youโre in Enid, America. Even so, Paul has passed on this legacy to you. Itโs a legacy that conveys the same message that Jesus said to his disciples, โYou give them something to eat.โ In your communities, with your families and friends and the strangers in your midst, you give them something to eat. Take this legacy and pass it along. Become builders yourselves.
Today, we mourn our loss, and today we give thanks. We mourn because, for a time, we are separated from all those who have gone before us. We give thanks because, on this day, through the power of the resurrection, Paul has been reunited with Joan and David, his mom and dad, and with all those who have gone before. Above all this is the fact that Paul has entered Our Fatherโs House and has been welcomed into the very Kingdom of God. In the words of the Psalmist, โThis is the Lordโs doing, and it is marvelous in our sight.โ
A man goes to the doctor. He says, โDoc, you gotta check my leg. Something’s wrong. Put your ear up to my thigh; you’ll hear it!โ
The doctor cautiously placed his ear to the man’s thigh only to hear, โGimme 20 bucks; I really need 20 bucks.โ
โI’ve never seen or heard anything like this before; how long has this been going on?โ The doctor asked, his confusion growing by the second.
โThat’s nothing, Doc; put your ear to my knee.โ
The doctor put his ear to the man’s knee and heard it say, โMan, I really need fifty dollars; just lend me fifty bucks!!โ
โSir, I really don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never seen anything like this.โ The doctor was dumbfounded.
โWait, Doc, that’s not it. There’s more; just put your ear up to my ankle,โ the man urged him.
The doctor did as the man said and was blown away to hear his ankle plead, โPlease, I just need one hundred dollars. Lend me a hundred bucks, please, if you will.โ
โI have no idea what to tell you,โ the doctor said. โThere’s nothing about it in my books,โ he said as he frantically searched all his medical reference books. โI can make a well-educated guess, though.โ
โPlease, Doc, anything.โ
The doctor says, โBased on life and all my previous experience, I believe your leg is broke in three places.โ
Today’s reading from St. Paulโs letter to the Ephesians is a classicโthe Armor of God. It is one of those you can read and feel as though you could take on the worldโthe shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit. Hoorah. However, hidden amidst these beautiful words, Paul identifies his real intent for writing them, which is one of the overall themes of this letter.
Paul says, โFor our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.โ โFor our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh.โ Paul could have left that bit out, but the trouble was those he was writing to were divided. They were struggling, fighting against one another.
The fight was not only one the Ephesians were struggling with, but so were many of the other churches and even the twelve original Apostles. The fight was over whether or not a person needed to be a practicing Jew before they could become a Christian or could they convert to the faith, to Christianity, without taking on the burden of the Law of Mosesโthe prime example being whether or not a non-Jewish male could become a Christian without first being circumcised, a law that God had given Abraham even before Moses.
Some of the Jewish Christians said, โYes, you must circumcised,โ while the pagan converts, along with Paul, said, โNo, it is not necessary.โ It was enough of a fight that many believers would not worship together; therefore, Paul said, โOur struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against โฆ the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.โ We are not here to fight against one another over trivialities but against true evil in the world.
The issue would not be settled until the Council of Jerusalem in the year 48; however, Pual had provided a solution years before when he had written that original letter to the Ephesians. He said to them all, โYou are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.โ (Ephesians 2:19-21) Put another way, your personal opinions and feelings about one another have no bearing on your life together. Why? Because you, as individuals and sects, are not the focal point. You are not the center of your life together. You will not find peace and unity by looking to one another. You will only find peace and unity in your life together by directing your attention solely to Jesus.
Henri Nouwen writes, โWhen Jesus prays for unity, he asks his Father that those who believe in him, that is, in his full communion with the Father, will become part of that unity. I continue to see in myself and others how often we try to make unity among ourselves by focusing all our attention on each other and trying to find the place where we can feel united. But often we become disillusioned, realizing that no human being is capable of offering us what we most want. Such disillusionment can easily make us become bitter, cynical, demanding, even violent.โ (The Road to Daybreak)
Is that true?
In the world today, there are over 8 billion people. Of that, roughly 2.2 billion are Christian. Christians are broken into three major denominations: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. As Iโve shared with you, these are further divided and fractured, leaving us with an estimated 45,000 different Christian denominations. How did we fracture so far? By focusing on each other instead of focusing on Jesus, and we are witnessing the continuing fallout of our actions.
For example, consider the recent kerfuffle in Oklahoma and in our own communityโthe teaching of the Bible in public schools. You know my position and have heard what many others have said. Last week or the week before, the local Enid Public Schools superintendent held a meeting with the clergy of many different denominations. At that meeting, a majority of the clergy attending concluded that they did not want the Bible taught in public schools. I agreed, so Iโm not making myself better than anyone else, but you heard it rightโa bunch of preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ got together and decided they did not want the Bible to be taught in public schools. Honestly, that is about the dumbest thing Iโve ever heard.
Why wouldnโt a bunch of preachers not wantโnot scream for the Bible to be taught in school? Answer: we are broken and in a lot more than three places. Those same preachers, myself included, will tell you how much they love their brothers and sisters in Christ, how much they appreciate one another and their proclamation of the Gospel, and how they pray for all, but thatโs really only whitewash. The truth is, this entire kerfuffle never was about the First Amendment, or the version of the Bible to be used, or whatever. The truth is we didnโt want the Bible taught in schools because we are broken, we are divided, and we donโt trust one another. We donโt trust one another to properly proclaim Jesus to the children, so we say, โDonโt you dare do it!โ Thatโs pretty sad if you ask me.
We donโt trust one another because we are broken. We are broken because we look to one another instead of looking to Jesus, and this one sad example is a microcosm of what is happening all around us.
By looking at one another and not at Jesus, in the words of Nouwen, we have become โbitter, cynical, demanding, [and] even violent.โ Our unity and our community as a Christian people has become broken. We want to sing with Frank Sinatra, โI did it my way.โ The emphasis is on โmyโ way, and the instant we say that, we take our eyes off Jesus.
Today, in our Gospel, Jesus said, โThose who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.โ This statement divided His followers, and some left, saying, โThis teaching is difficult; who can accept it?โ Afterward, Jesus said to the Apostles, โโDo you also wish to go away?โ Jesus asked the Apostles, โDo you also want to take your eyes off me, to excommunicate yourself from the community of faith, and do it your way?โ
โSimon Peter answered him, โLord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.โโ Simon Peter said, โWe are not taking our eyes off you. It is your body and your blood that makes us complete. Through our communion with you, we have unity with one another.โ
Henri Nouwen said, โJesus calls us to seek our unity in and through him. When we direct our inner attention not first of all to each other, but to God to whom we belong, then we will discover that in God we also belong to each other.โ
As Jesus hung upon the Cross, Mary, John, and a few others gathered around. They were not concerned about what the other followers thought; they gave no consideration to the religious leaders and others who mocked the Savior, and they showed no regard to the government officials who carried out that terrible deed. When they gathered at the foot of the Cross, they only saw Jesus, His body and His blood. Letโs join with them in this Communion around the Cross, this Community of Faith, and with our eyes on Christ Jesus alone, work toward healing the brokenness that is all around.
Let us pray: Eternal Father, we praise you for sending your Son to be one of us and to save us. Look upon your people with mercy, for we are divided in so many ways, and give us the Spirit of Jesus to make us one in love. We ask this gift, loving Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dora asked me to paint the windmill that is in her yard. At the time, I must have been drinking, because I said, “Sure. I can do that.” The canvas is 2’x3′. Big… As Dora commented, “Go big or go home.”
So, we took a picture.
Then I made a first attempt that did not work out, so I made some notes for the second.
I painted this bit almost two years ago and then set it aside. I had no idea how to proceed.
A few weeks ago, Dora took a picture of something, then commented on the empty space, apparently reserved for her windmill. This weekend, I went to work on it and actually finished. Iโm very pleased with the end result. I hope she is too.
Candle in a Cave 