Christin and I spent all of last week on a great youth mission trip in Chicago serving with CSM, so the prep time for this sermon was pretty short – just a couple of hours before Saturday evening worship! We also had the joy of celebrating a baptism on Sunday morning.
The text for this weekend is John 6:1-21, the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. In my brief preparation, I found this week’s WorkingPreacher podcast and the ELCA World Hunger Sermon Starter from Pastor Erin Coleman Branchaud helpful. Here’s the sermon:
As I said a few minutes ago, Christin and I made it home from the mission trip about 2 am on Saturday morning, got some sleep, then I drove to Waterloo to return the rental van. We had a fantastic week of serving and learning in Chicago. That said, I’m a little tired today!
As you heard if you were here last week, our theme for the trip was “God is on the Move.” If you used the little devotional booklets (PDF Link) last week, you actually read today’s reading on Tuesday.
Even if you didn’t, I imagine you may have heard of Jesus feeding the 5,000 before. This is a pretty significant miracle. It’s the only miracle story that all four of the Gospel writers record.
John’s version, though, is my favorite. All four of the gospels mention that there are five loaves and two fish, but only John mentions who brought them. It’s a little boy. He doesn’t get a name in the story, but he’s absolutely essential character for two reasons.
First, he’d make a great Boy Scout, since he’s apparently the only one in the crowd who is prepared. He’s the only one who’s brought his lunch.
The people in the crowd are so excited about Jesus that they don’t really care about anything else. In the other gospels, the disciples notice there’s going to be a problem and they come up to Jesus and ask what the plan is for lunch. In John’s version of the story, Jesus is planning ahead and knows exactly what he’s going to do, so he decides to have a little fun with the disciples, to slip in a lesson for them.
He asks Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” “Did you remember to call the caterers?” It’s kind of fun to imagine Philip’s reaction. “Um, Lord, are you serious? You’re kidding, right? Do you see all these people? It’d take more than six month’s wages to get a little snack for them.”
I can imagine Philip sort of looking around at the other disciples for help. How do you explain to Jesus that what he’s asking is impossible? We just don’t have enough. Of course we’d like to help, but there’s only a few of us, and there are so many people who need help. Maybe you’ve felt like that.
Andrew tries to help. “Well, I did see one kid who brought his lunch, five loaves and two fish. Maybe others thought ahead too? I hope so, because, well, Jesus, one kid’s lunch is not going to go very far.”
That boy’s meal turns out to be sufficient for Jesus, though. He says, “Ok, make the people sit down.” This boy is the most important person in the story. First, he planned ahead and brought food. More importantly, he’s willing to offer what he has for Jesus to use.
Imagine what this story would be like if he hadn’t been willing to share. I mean, he’s clearly pretty smart – he remembered to bring food. If I was in a large crowd and it’s about lunch time and I have some food with me and I can see most people don’t have anything, I’d be awfully tempted to turn around and eat what I have before someone else notices and takes it from me. By sharing, he risks not getting any for himself.
But he’s willing to give what he has to Jesus. He’s willing to take that risk. Because the boy is willing to give what little he has, Jesus is able to feed the whole crowd. I wonder if we’re willing to take that kind of risk today.
I wonder how often you and I are like the boy, willing to let God use what we have to accomplish miracles. I wonder how often we have that kind of trust.
Or are we more like the disciples, who look around at the size of the crowd, at the immensity of the problem, and say, “There’s nothing we can do. We don’t have enough to work with. We’d need more money for that to work. We’d need more time. We’d need people with different talents. We don’t have enough young people, or enough youth, or enough space, or enough experience, or enough time, or enough whatever it is.”
We fall so often into that trap of comparing the little that we have to the size of the problems around us and giving up, or assuming that whatever we do will be good, but not enough.
This isn’t just an abstract sort of moral lesson – I really think this fear of running out affects the way we live and the way we do ministry together.
Coming in as an outsider to Iowa, it sometimes seems like there’s this deeply embedded narrative of decline, this expectation that things will eventually always get worse. It makes sense. Statistically, Iowa’s small town and rural population has declined both in real numbers and as a share of the total population in every decade except one since 1900. (Source) I think living in this narrative of decline takes a toll on all of us, more of a toll than we realize.
We live in a world where many churches are closing. Towns are shrinking. Budgets for all kinds of things are tight. People grow older (that’s not just us – that’s everybody).
Looking at the world teaches us that there’s never enough. We saw in Chicago this week that there are fewer shelter beds than there used to be, so more people have to sleep on the street. Food banks and churches and service organizations have to fight for dollars to do their work. Maybe you don’t have the physical abilities you used to, or you don’t have the faith you think you should. There’s never enough. That’s the world’s message.
But that’s not God’s message.
God’s message is that there is enough. Jesus can do a miracle with whatever we are willing to give to him. It’s true: five loaves and two fish is really not significant in a huge crowd of hungry people. It’s not enough. But it’s also true that God does miracles. God is on the move.
Of course, all of us could do more if we had more. You could serve God in great ways if you won a million dollars in the lottery. If we had a bigger congregation, or a better building, or a more interesting pastor, or any of a whole list of things we could come up with, we could do more ministry.
But God does not need more from you than you have. The gifts you have are enough for God. What we see as scarcity doesn’t stop God. God is building the Kingdom with whatever we have to offer.
Not only are five loaves and two fish enough; the story doesn’t end there. After everyone had eaten enough and was satisfied, Jesus told the disciples to gather up the fragments left over. From the fragments of the five barley loaves, they filled twelve baskets…. Twelve baskets!
Where the world saw scarcity, God provided abundance. In God’s hands, the simple offering of whatever gift God has trusted to you is enough. God can move through anything you offer.
God calls you to trust and to give in the same way this boy does. What holds you back? What are you afraid of not having enough of? Where do you see scarcity instead of trusting in God’s abundance?
Today’s lesson is the first in five weeks we’re going to spend in John 6. Jesus does this miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish, then for four weeks’ worth of readings, he explains the meaning behind the miracle. The people in the crowd were so excited that they tried to take Jesus by force to make him their king. After all, who wouldn’t want a leader who gives out abundant free food?
But this miracle is about more than just literal barley flour and water bread. Jesus doesn’t just give out bread; he gives himself. Jesus is the bread of life. The abundant life God provides for us is much more than just literal food – it’s a whole new way of living as God’s children. It’s forgiveness. It’s grace. It’s Jesus’ own body and blood, given and shed for you. This is John’s version of the Lord’s Supper, Communion.
These sacraments we share together of baptism and communion are visible, tangible signs of God’s abundance; physical means by which we receive God’s abundant grace.
I invite you in a few minutes to come to the Lord’s table, to the meal Jesus is hosting, where there is enough for everyone. Take a piece of bread and a sip of wine as a foretaste of the abundant, everlasting feast to come. Come and be fed by the One who gives himself for the life of the world. Receive the One who gives himself abundantly to you.
Amen
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