Looking for a Miracle
Lord’s Table, FPCE
So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?” –John 6:30
In our text, the people following Jesus were looking for a miracle. Every day, all around us, there are people doing the same. They may not even look particularly religious. Perhaps they’re invested in the stock market, and along comes a day like this past Monday, when the market declines. They’re praying that their online trading platform works, or that their financial advisor is available, so that they may miraculously avoid a major loss. Or perhaps they move from one trendy experience to the next, seeking the miracle of self-fulfillment, like the woman spoofed in a current insurance commercial. Making a selfie video for her social media followers, she announces, “Hello fam! I’m at this mountain lake I just discovered … manifesting abundance.”
I imagine some of the people in the crowd following Jesus were like this. They had experienced an amazing feast that followed Jesus’ blessing of loaves and fish. But when you hear the way that some in the crowd talked to Jesus, you realize there is something unhealthy about their attitude. Jesus might have expected joyful recognition that God was at work, or an expression of gratitude for a wonderful meal. Instead, he gets a couple questions: “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?” It’s as if they are saying, “We’re looking for another miracle, Jesus. Give us something we like. Then maybe we’ll keep believing in you.” Their response feels so selfish.
When our circle of concern becomes too small, when our viewpoint becomes too narrow, the Christian religion looks different than its founder intended. Some preachers present God almost as a heavenly insurance agent, who provides various policies in response to our prayers, and increases coverage in response to our donations. Some religious groups thrive on this kind of mentality. If you pray and sacrifice, then anything can be yours. And if you don’t, they say, it’s because you didn’t pray hard enough, believe strongly enough, or sacrifice deeply enough. How tragic that people should be deceived with such faulty theology.
It’s natural to look for a miracle. I’m looking for a miracle in regard to my granddaughter Nora, under treatment for a rare form of cancer. I’m grateful for answers to prayer that have come in many forms. At the same time, the grassroots theologian in me can’t help but notice certain events which stand in bold contrast to our experience. The same week our granddaughter underwent life-preserving surgery at St. Jude in Memphis, a children’s hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, was struck by a Russian missile. Treatment for most was disrupted. Certainly those parents and grandparents, holding their crying children, were praying, and continue to pray. Their faith was no weaker than ours. Their lives are no less worthy. They teach us that the miracles we so want to see don’t always correlate directly to our faith and prayers.
About 30 years ago, “The Christian Century” magazine published a letter to a daughter. Though I couldn’t find the original this week, I found a portion of it quoted in a colleague’s sermon. It reads in part:
Dear Ellen: You need to think about what it would actually mean to expect God regularly to perform miracles in our lives. What kind of world does someone who expects that have in mind? A world in which, whenever I slip in the snow, God grabs me? A world in which, whenever germs invade my body, God intervenes directly to ward off disease? A world in which I may grow old but never die? … A world in which the stove suddenly goes off when a young child reaches for the burner? … A world in which, when I pray for a hurricane not to strike where I live, it turns aside and strikes where you live? A world in which, when I’m worn out and need some sleep, God sees to it that the sun doesn’t rise for a few extra hours? And what if you were praying for a beautiful sunrise to enjoy early that morning? . . . . What sounds pious and devout -- that we should expect God to work a miracle in our life at any time -- doesn’t really take God seriously. He’s not a magician at our beck and call. And the course of the world should not be rearranged every time we want things different. That notion is, if you think about it, the ultimate in narcissism -- as if I were at the center of the universe. To take God seriously is to leave the center to him ….
… This is, I think, the inner meaning of the miracles of Jesus …. They are an announcement that God’s presence has drawn near in Jesus, and that we are to turn to him. And remember, the people he heals eventually get sick again and die. And the great miracle -- Easter -- doesn’t encourage us to expect God to perform miracles every day. It teaches us that the miracle of new life comes only on the other side of the cross and the grave.[1]
Sometimes, the miracle we want isn’t the miracle we get.
Carol Kuykendall is a writer for “Guideposts.” She was praying for a parking place, and feeling guilty about it. But she was desperate. Her husband had an appointment at the hospital, and it was important to be on time.
After circling around filled parking lots, she finally left him at the door of the hospital with his new walker. Circling the final corner of the next lot, she saw a man wearing a bright orange vest getting out of his pickup. He looked official, so she rolled down her window and asked if he could suggest where she might find a parking space. The conversation went like this.
"I've been through all four lots," I said.
"Probably on the streets," he said, gesturing in the opposite direction of the hospital.
"Thanks," I sighed.
"Wait," he said. "You take my spot and I'll go find one." I started to object, but he was already in his truck, backing out and waving.
"Thank you!" I called.
She pulled into the spot, and walked toward the entrance, asking herself, “Who does that?” And the answer came to her: Jesus does that. “Jesus dressed as kind hospital workman who answers prayers.” [2]
Which is the greater miracle? The parking spot that magically appears? Or the person whose viewpoint widens enough to see another person’s need, whose circle of concern expands to include a stranger? Sometimes, the miracle we want isn’t the miracle we get.
It’s natural to look for a miracle. We are fragile and fallible creatures, and God looks compassionately on our needs. Still, if you have the strength to examine your prayers, consider how they might be improved. Pray not only “Oh Lord, change the world for me, to benefit my purposes,” but also “Lord, change me for the world, to benefit your purposes.” When your heart holds a prayer like that, you have found a miracle.
NOTES
[1] as quoted in sermon by K. C. Brown, Wichita, KS, July 24, 1994.
[2] Carol Kuykendall, “Walking in Grace 2024: Daily Devotions to Draw You Closer to God,” Guideposts, Danbury Connecticut, p. 124.
READ MORE, https://www.fpcedw.org/pastors-blog
