Doing the Works of God

2 Samuel 12:15b-24; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:24-35

I am a little bit troubled about the words that begin our Old Testament lesson for today. The words are: "After the prophet Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Bathsheba had borne to David, and he became ill." From reading this scripture, we are led to assume that the death of Bathsheba and David's child was a punishment for what David had done to Bathsheba's husband, Uriah.

Personally, I have difficulty with this sort of an understanding about how God works. For, if persons were to think that God works this way; that God punishes us by making our children sick and killing them, then I know of many a mourning parent over the years who, having done nothing wrong to deserve the death of a child, would be justified in shaking their fist at the Almighty and condemning the Lord for his cruel injustice at having taken their child. I don't know of very many biblical scholars or theologeans who are at all comfortable with the kind of theology which blames God for illnesses and deaths and other bad things that come along in life as a punishment for sin. Rather, I believe in a God who is just and loving, who would never inflict such cruelty upon the children of God, and especially upon an innocent child.

So, the question is not whether or not we should believe the Bible at this point. The question is, rather, how we should interpret it, or understand it. Perhaps, more than anything, this scripture tells us a bit about how people thought about God in the time of David, and how they explained good and evil. For, as we look at the scripture in its entirety, and especially at the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, we see how, with time, these thoughts and explanations about the causes of good and evil were seriously questioned and actually changed and matured as time went by.

So, I believe in the Bible. I believe in what it tells me. But, when I read in 2 Samuel 12:15 that God killed a newborn baby in order to punish David, I would prefer to interpret this to mean that this is the unfortunate way that the people of David's day explained tragic occurances such as this. But, my understanding with the way God works, from reading the whole Bible, through studying church history, through reason, and through personal experience, tells me that God is nurturing, that God is creating, that God is for life, and that God is powerful in bringing about good, despite the evil which abounds in the world.

Nevertheless, when we get sick, when an accident happens, when death comes into our lives, when we have trouble, we tend to blame God for our misery. It is only natural, I suppose. But, what we tend to forget is that when trouble comes, when the unfortunate things take place, God is still there with us at every twist and turn, to help us up out of the pit. The bad things may happen in life, but those who are open to God's power are very much aware of how God offers us solutions to those problems, every time.

To look at it another way: Problems are simply a part of the risk we take by accepting God's wonderful gift of life. Problems are simply a natural part of life. But, the solutions to life's problems are God's graceful gifts which remind us of how much God loves us.

I remember a poem that I wrote several years ago which goes like this:

Thank God for the gift.

He has given you life.

Your praise to him lift --

Troubles and trial

Are often a chance

In living a while.

And life you'll enhance

If always you're true

To God up above

Who, kneeling, made you.

And serve him with love

'Til death lingers nigh.

Your praises you'll lift

And sing to the sky:

"Thank God for the gift!"

So, the work of God is a life giving work. The work of God is to bring about wholeness for those who feel broken. It is the work of bringing healing to those who are hurt, of clothing those who have no food, of inviting in those who have no home. And, as Jesus said to his disciples, the work of God is to believe in the Son of God.

Perhaps it is hard for us to believe in the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In most other religions, being a member of that religion means doing certain things. Being a Jew in Jesus' day meant having to obey all 613 laws of Moses. If you wanted to be a good Jew, that's what you had to do. And it was an awfully difficult, if not impossible, chore to do successfully.

In fact, many Christians, today, find themselves under a heavy burden of a law that they themselves have created over the years. There are some Christians, for instance, who believe that being a Christian means not going to movies, not wearing make-up, and not wearing sylish clothing. Or, there are other Christians who believe that being a Christian means having to ride a horse-drawn buggy, wear black clothing, and live in a house without plumbing and electricity. And there are even those modern, up-to-date Christians who believe that being a Christian means having to go to a certain number of church meetings a week, praying in a certain way, or dressing a certain way, or even putting the make-up on in a certain way.

But, when the religious persons of Jesus' day were concerned about what they had to do to be doing the work of God, Jesus told them to relax. He didn't set up more rules for them to follow. He didn't lay out an obstacle course for them to accomplish in order to do God's work. Rather, he simply said, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." The most magnificent work that we can do for God is simply to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

This must have really confused the people of Jesus' day when they heard this. Certainly, for most people, believing is not a work. Even the early church differentiated belief from works, saying: "faith without works is dead." But, here, Jesus tells those who would try to please God by doing God's work that the most important thing that they can do in their life is simply believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Why is this so important? It is important because in believing in Jesus we give ourselves to him. And when we give ourselves to him it is Jesus, not us, who takes care of what needs to be done for God. When we give ourselves to Jesus we are guided into a life which is pleasing to God.

But, the most wonderful thing is that when we believe in Jesus no longer do we need to worry about scoring brownie points. Some Christians believe that up in heaven there is a big book where a record is being kept of our lives. Every time we do something wrong a big black mark gets put on the negative side of the ledger. But, every time we do something good a mark gets put on the positive side of the ledger. Then when we get to heaven God looks at the ledger. If there are more marks on the positive side, you go to heaven. But, if there are more marks on the negative side. Well. . . !

But, our life with Jesus isn't like this. It was Jesus' contention that even one little mark on the negative side was enough to send anyone to hell. So, that's why he died for us: to take away our sins; to take away all those marks; and to be clothed in the Righteousness of God. And, thus clothed in his righteousness and love, we are fed by his bread and energized to love one another and serve one another and have fellowship with one another and with God. This is the life of Christ. And this is the work of God.

Amen.