A Letter from the Heart

A sermon by Moira Guertin Merrill
August 13, 2006
Chester Congregational Baptist Church

John 6:35, 41-51

I truly appreciate the invitation to worship with you this morning.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the preparation that I have done for this service, although I will be honest: it did not go exactly as I planned.

I am one of those people that like things to go a certain way.  MY WAY. The people in my life and my ministry who give me advice often simply say "let go" and let God. And I simply say: Easier said than done.

I like to be able to plan things out—just so—and then to follow through on those plans. Time and time again, I have tried to convince God that if we’re going to work togethe, I should be the one to make the plans … and time and time again God reminds me that if we’re going to work together then I need to be a little more flexible. 

But, I suppose we all learn in life and in our relationships that there is a time to stop talking, planning, complaining, convincing and just listen … So, I try … I pray and I try to listen.

For example, I sat down to write a sermon for today’s service. What I wrote instead, was a letter to my daughter. 

And when I finished the letter, when I listened … I realized that I had written my sermon for today … Not in the way I had planned;
but in a way that was in my heart and in God’s plans. 

So, I would like to share that letter with you this morning.

Dear Katie,

         It is August in the year 2006.  You are six years old.  Of course, whenever I say that, you are also the first to remind me that you are in fact six-and-three-quarters. 
         You ask a lot of questions … and, I don’t always have a lot of answers. As you get older, I know you will ask more difficult questions.  I also know that my answers will become fewer and further between.  But I hope that isn’t the end of the discussion but the beginning of looking for answers together. 
         Today, one of your questions, in particular sticks out in my mind.
When you were five years old, you were very impressed with the birth story of Jesus.  You listened so intently to the story of an angel appearing to Mary and then to Joseph.  You were so impressed that an angel told Joseph to name the baby, Jesus; and that is exactly what they did. You marveled that although Mary and Joseph were young and poor, they did their best to be wonderful parents to baby Jesus.
         So, later, when you first heard that Jesus is the son of God; you were very confused.  You had been comfortable with the story of Jesus in the manger and his parents, Mary and Joseph.  You knew that he was a very special baby, but when it came to this son-of-God-thing … well, you were pretty vocal about your doubts. I believe your exact words were something like this:
"Wait a minute! Why does God get all of the credit?"
         And for a five year old—or even someone as mature as six and three-quarters—that’s a pretty profound question. 
And that is the question that I would like to address in this letter.
Your question is actually very similar to the questions that were being asked two thousand years ago by the people of Galilee.
         I know that for most children today it would be difficult to imagine a world before microwave popcorn, cell phones and DVD players. So, it might really be a stretch to think that you have much in common with people who lived two thousand years ago.
         But just as you questioned God’s claim to be Jesus’ father, the Jews in Galilee questioned Jesus’ claim to be from God. In today’s gospel reading from John, Jesus said “I am the bread of life from Heaven.” 
         And, essentially, the people who lived in Galilee thought, how can that be? We know your parents; we know you; how can you say that you are from heaven?
         If it is hard for us to wrap our minds around the Divinity of Jesus, imagine what that would be like for people who knew his parents…
         When they, the people of Galilee, started complaining, Jesus did not give the complete and unabridged list of reasons why he really is the bread of life.   
         Instead he responded with what is truly important:
God calls us to Him. God teaches us.  God offers us the eternal life that we can accept through Jesus; the bread of life.  Jesus said: “Whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.”
         When you complained that that you didn’t see how Jesus could be from Heaven, I was quick to try to come up with the right answer; I wanted to give the perfect response, the complete and unabridged list of reasons why Jesus really is our salvation. 
         But, sometimes, we get so caught up in trying to give the right answers that we fail to respond to the question.  Sometimes, as a parent and as a human being, I want so badly to provide the right answers that I forget to give the right response. 
         I have finally resigned myself to the fact that no matter how many seminary classes I take or how many parenting books I read, I will never be fully prepared for the questions of a precocious child.
         So, Katie … why does God get all the credit, you ask?  I admit it. I don’t know either.  I simply can’t give you a complete list of reasons, no matter how hard I have tried to put one together. 
         But, what I know now is this:  Even if I knew exactly how it all worked, that would not be the right way to answer your question. 
         Jesus, certainly could have given a complete list of reasons, but He did not. Why?
         I think it is because the right answer is that sometimes we have to stop looking for answers; we have to stop talking and complaining and just listen…
God calls us to Him.  God teaches us.  God offers us eternal life. All he asks is that we accept his invitation.
         Although you may now be too young to understand what any of this means, well, it means I love you very much; God loves us all very much. I may not have all the answers and God may not give us all of the answers, but take the time to listen, to pray to nurture your faith. 
Keep asking your questions.
         But, ultimately know that accepting God’s invitation isn’t about having all of the right answers: accepting his invitation is about having the courage to really listen. It is knowing that sometimes the only answer is to have faith.

Always Have Faith and peace will be with you. 

Love, Mommy