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Sermon - August 5, 2012 A Meal Like No Other 1.Where are you from?That is a question we often get asked…especially if you are visiting a new place. Often the question is justabout what is asked…folks are interested in where our home base is.But sometimes the question has a deeper meaning behind it.Where are you from can be a question about who we are…what we are doing where we are…what kind of people we are…are we safe people to be around…can we be of help to each other…Will we talk and share things about ourselves…are we safe people who can be trusted…One night while Carol and I were in Hawaii we walked to the big shopping center Ala Moana…for supper…onthe way back we got caught up in the big crowd lined up to see all the dignitaries there for the OPEC summit…President Obama and the President of China among others.We got caught up in a big crowd and soon were lost and couldn’t find our hotel…then we met another couplewho also looked lost and we started up a conversation about where they were from…but it soon devolved intohow we could help each other find our way back to our hotels…We helped them and they got us going in theright direction to find our way back too.Sometimes questions like where are you from are questions that open doors to more important questions.2.It is my guess that it is this that is behind the question Jesus is asked by the people who have followedhim from his feeding them on the shore by the sea of Galilee.Their question is, “Rabbi…when did you get here?”…it is an awkward question…but sometimes that is justhow important questions get asked…and then we follow them up with other questions.In this case the question allows Jesus plenty of room to tell folks…What is he really all about…What they need to do if they want to follow him…a.He isn’t about bread and magic…everyone had a great meal…and it really was wonderful andexciting…People saw some wonderful healings and exorcisms. Following Jesus…is aboutmountain top experiences…But following Jesus is also about walking through the valley of the shadow of death…it is about walkingwith him through some really uncomfortable stuff…like facing our mistakes and weaknesses…just likeDavid had to do and is reflected in the Psalm he penned.It is about learning to get along with others and forgiving and letting go of angry hurts…it is aboutseeing Jesus in others who drive us crazy and maybe not just loving them to pieces but helping them getwhere they need to go.What is Jesus really all about…He is all about a cross…and sacrifice and having the guts to take a stand or make a commitment and see it through to the end no matter how much pain in involved… b.What does he ask of us if we are going to follow him?We have to be willing to eat the bread he offers and trust him that even when the going gets tough thathe will help us find our way.What is behind Jesus words in the gospel is the experience of Israel…in the wilderness…freed fromslavery and the whip and the back breaking work…free to pursue a new life…Israel complained…Ohyou have brought us out into the wilderness to die…Poor Moses…even he loses faith…But in reality…God says to him…look all around you is food…evenin the desert…in fact what is called Manna in the Bible is still there…sweet insect droppings still feedthe hungry traveler…and there is was…but they were too busy losing themselves in fear to see it.Look all around you…look down on the beech…tired quail all over the beach…just resting from thelong trip across the sea …ready to be picked up…Look my people Jesus says…stop being so afraid…there is enough…I am enough…trust me…believein me…put your faith in me…start the daywith me…pray to me…work with me and your will find thestrength you need.