I ran a 5K a few weeks ago, almost by accident. I’m more of a walker then a runner, but my daughter, Genevieve, loves to run and she is always looking for a race. So when we drove through Lisbon up in Maine and she saw signs for the annual Moxie Festival that kicks off with a 5K, she knew she had to be there. And, since she’s only 14, I knew I’d have to drive.

I haven’t raced in any serious way since the Hot Chocolate Run, but I figured that if I was going to get up early and drive her there, I might as well register and at least get a free t-shirt for 30 bucks - right? - so I did.

Well, we left our cabin in the woods at 6:15… in the a. m…. giving us plenty of time to make it over to Lisbon. But when we got within about a mile of the festival we were diverted by a detour and then another detour, such that we arrived at the race with very little time to spare. “Don’t worry,” I said to Genevieve, who was already bouncing up and down in anticipation and anxiety, “these things never start on time and we’re still on time.”

But by the time we parked, got our bibs, and walked across the street to where the runners were massing, I could hear the National Anthem being sung.

I sent GV up ahead to where the serious runners were and heard the master of ceremonies take the mic.. I figured he’d at least thank the sponsors and I’d have a minute to get my head in the game, but all he said was, “Well, it’s 7:29. so runners: on your mark, get set…” and before I even had a chance to regret my life choices, I found myself running and realized that gosh darn it, I had a good three miles to go before this ordeal would be over.

I came in 256th overall, and 8th in my age group, which wasn’t too bad. But Genevieve came in 48th and placed second in her age group, which meant she got a prize and we’d need to stick around for the awards ceremony.

And now, my friends, we come to the point of my story. This being Lisbon, first prize in every age group came with a case of Moxie. For those of you who don’t know, Moxie was created as a nerve tonic in 1876 and is sold today in bright orange cans under the dubious claim that it is a “soda;” a soda that even Mainers will tell you is an acquired taste.

Anyone here ever try a can of Moxie? Well then you know why it was funny when I told Genevieve that if first place comes with one case of Moxie, I’m pretty sure that second place comes with two.

She actually walked away with a lovely little trophy and no Moxie at all, for which I was grateful. But, as you just heard in our reading for today, the people around Jesus are anything but, and that’s what we are here to talk about this morning.

The crowd running after Jesus don’t want one case or even two of the “bread of life.” They just want bread. The same exact miraculous, magical, multiplying loaves of bread Jesus had served 5000 of them the day before. The kind of bread you can dip in oil or slather with butter. The kind of bread that sticks to your ribs and fills your belly. That kind of bread.

And honestly it’s hard to blame the crowd and all too easy to relate to them. I don’t know how many of you truly know what it is to go hungry, but I know all of us worry about the possibility. And it sure would be nice if God would send us someone, even now, who could guarantee that will never happen.

Someone who could make our lives easier by providing for our every need?

Someone willing to stand up for us, protect us, maybe even die for us?

Someone with the ability to heal our hurts and soothe our grievances?

Someone with the power to reduce inflation so we could all put bread on our tables without having to work so hard?

Maybe even someone who could halt immigration - you know, now that we’re here - so we wouldn’t have to share our slice of the loaf with anyone else?

I’m talking about somebody who could fix everything for beautiful people like us so we’d never even have to vote again because everything would be just fine forever?

I mean, when you put it like that, you can see why this mob is relentlessly following… um…Jesus… right? Yeah, that’s who we’re talking about, Jesus…following him across the countryside; and why they are so reluctant to let him go.

John tells us that they actually wanted to make him their king, by force if necessary. They track him by boat all the way from Galilee to Capernaum. They corner him in the hopes of crowning him. But Jesus has no interest in being their demagogue and he refuses to play along.

‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life …

Jesus’ words are beautiful, but the trouble here is that you can’t eat beautiful words and this crowd is hungry and not about to be swayed.

"What must we do to perform the works of God?” they ask, in the hopes of striking a deal. And Jesus answers: ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I actually find this next part kind of funny. Seeing an opportunity to both humor Jesus and still get what they want the people 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? (Cause, you know) Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

Yeah, I think that’s funny. They’re all like: okay Jesus, if you really want us to believe in you and what you have to say, you’re going to have to give us a sign. By the way, if you need a suggestion, Moses’ sign was one people could eat. Let’s see if you can do that… um…again.

It’s a silly challenge given the fact that this is exactly the sort of sign Jesus performed for them yesterday, but I guess they figure it’s worth a try. You give us what we want, Jesus, a little sign in the form of breakfast, and we’ll give you what you want, a little belief in the form of sticking around and paying attention to what you have to say.

But Jesus isn’t about to get drawn into that sort of quid pro quo.  He counters that the bread wasn’t a sign of how great Moses was, but a sign of how great God is.

"Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

Now, there’s a lot happening here on many levels, but what I want to highlight this morning is their penchant and ours, for believing that all we need is the right leader - someone who will protect our material needs - and then we will be saved because then we will be secure.

They bring up Moses because they are as hungry as their ancestors were in the wilderness. They want Jesus to be their Moses, which for any leader would be a most flattering offer. But Jesus uses their reference to remind them that it was God who gave Moses the power; the power not just to feed them but to lead them.

Moses didn’t just teach them how to find and eat the manna God provided, Moses also taught them how to live by the commandments God provided.

Friends, we may need physical bread to survive, but we need this heavenly bread to thrive. We need wisdom and rules, vision and guidelines, values and laws, hope and limits: the good gifts of God for the people of God.

We need truths that nurture justice and compassion within us and govern how we live in community with one another and with the other: with our neighbor and with the stranger, with the orphan, the widow, the refugee, with those in prison or captive to false ideology, and most especially we need guidance if we are ever to learn how to love our enemy.

When it comes to navigating this intricate web of relationships we find ourselves in, we truly cannot live by physical bread alone for left to our own devices we will hoard it, withhold it, overcharge for it, or destroy one another in our pursuit of it.  We absolutely need the bread of heaven at work in our hearts if we are ever to learn how best to share the bread we are blessed with here on this earth.

And so Jesus uses this moment to remind them (and us) that Moses wasn’t the one who saved the people.

It was the power of God that came through Moses that saved the people by showing them how to live and live well, together.

Likewise, says Jesus, I’m not here to use my power to save you, to make it all better for you, to fix everything forever and always so you and yours will never want again. I’m here to share the power of God’s love and wisdom with you and invite you and your people into a way of life that will make things better for all people.

I’m inviting you into a community of bread breakers, not takers. I’m inviting you to become a people who trust that there is always enough if we’re all willing to share. I’m inviting you into the work…the work of building God’s kingdom here on earth one loving action at a time.

And friends, I think that’s a good word for us right now; a word that can help guide and sustain us in the days ahead. As we move ever deeper into this election season, I believe there is a real temptation to believe that there is a human leader out there who can save us.

The pundits and politicians will be relentless in their insistence that the candidates before us will make us or break us, spell our only hope for the future or certain doom. And I think there’s just enough truth in that to keep us hooked and running scared from shore to shore in our attempt to secure our salvation.

And so I say to you, beware of any person or party who promises that they alone can fix it all for you and your people such that you never have to vote or care or work or be anxious again. Not even Jesus promised to do that.

I’m not saying there is no difference between the candidates or that it doesn’t matter who you vote for or if you vote at all. It matters.

What I am saying is that regardless of who is elected, there will still be work for us to do. There will still be sacrifices to make. There will still be people to love and forgive and welcome and protect.  No one is coming to do that work for us. Not Trump. Not Harris. Not even Jesus.

Jesus came to show us the way.

Jesus came to teach us that the kingdom of God is a work in progress and always will be.

Bringing God’s kingdom to earth: that is the race we are called to run, that is the work we are called to participate in, spurring one another on to love and good deeds and activating one another just like yeast in the dough that together we might become the bread of life for one another.

That’s the prize Jesus holds out to us and it’s going to take moxie to win it!

Moxie of spirit, I mean.

Seriously, don’t drink the stuff in the orange can.

Amen.