At Home Worship
First Presbyterian Churches of
Deport, Texas
GREETINGS
OPENING
SENTENCES
The Lord gives food in due season; Ps. 145:15-16
God satisfies the desire of every living thing.
Trusting in the word of life given in baptism, we
are gathered in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
CALL
TO WORSHIP (responsive)
Come into the presence of God to be fed.
Come to call on God, who is eager to answer.
We gather to seek God’s face.
Let our eyes see all that is right and true.
Incline your ears to hear
all God would teach.
Seek to experience God’s
steadfast love.
We are here to receive God’s
blessings.
God is our refuge in a
frightening world.
God is near to all who
call and seek.
Come to praise God and
receive a blessing.
Open our senses to pay close
attention, O God.
We want to renew our covenant
with the living God.
PRAYER OF THE DAY (in unison)
We are in awe before you, O God, for you have
provided for us in rich abundance. The earth is full of your provisions. There
is beauty all around us from the work of your hands. You have surrounded us
with people who care about us with the love of Christ. Help us, O God, to count
our blessings. Point us beyond our cries and complaints that we might realize
our capacity to act in your name for the sake of others. As we wrestle with
issues of faith and trust, help us to risk our false security for the venture
of feeding others in the spirit of Christ.
Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION
All of us need times of wrestling with God
over issues in our own lives. These moments of confusion offer us one such
opportunity. Bring your own distress to this time of confessing the sin in
which all of us have a part.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison):
God of justice and righteousness, whose
compassion for humankind was expressed so vividly in Jesus of Nazareth, we
bring to you our sorrow and anguish that we have not followed faithfully in the
footsteps of Christ. Unkindness and deceit are all around us, and we have
sometimes joined in their destructive ways. We waste resources you have
entrusted to us. We cause others to stumble and fall. Take away our wickedness,
O God, and restore your covenant among us, we pray in Jesus name. Amen
Silence
Prayer and Confession
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PARDON
God is merciful, patient, kind, and loving.
All creation is subject to God’s care and concern. God attends to our cries and
frees our lips from deceit. In Christ, our brokenness finds healing, and
relationships are mended and strengthened. God feeds us in ways beyond our
knowing and prompts our generosity. Know the glory of God surrounding us here
as we worship. Celebrate the refreshment God offers.
*GLORY BE TO THE FATHER
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the
beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without
end. Amen. Amen.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (In Unison)
God, whose law is perfect and shoes covenant
with us is sure, teach us today as Jesus taught the crowds long ago. May we
hear the voice of compassion and sense the healing touch which we need as much
as they did. Multiply among us the food of your Word, that as we are fed, we
may be eager to pass on your gifts to us with a transforming generosity of
spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen
LISTEN FOR THE WORD OF GOD
OLD TESTAMENT
READING: Genesis 32:22-31
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his
eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.
Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."
So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."
Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed."
Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."
he sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.
Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."
So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."
Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed."
Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."
he sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
THE PSALMIST Psalm
17:1-7, 15
Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear
to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.
If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.
As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.
If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.
As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Isaiah 55:1-5
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor
for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my
conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit--
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD. THANKS BE TO GOD
THE GOSPEL READING Matthew
14:13-21
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a
boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they
followed him on foot from the towns.
When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."
And he said, "Bring them here to me."
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.
And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."
And he said, "Bring them here to me."
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.
And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD. THANKS BE TO GOD
SERMON Jane
Els CIM:
Here is the text of the sermon, beginning with the scripture reading:
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
This ends the reading of the gospel. Thanks be to you, O Christ. Let us pray.
Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of
our hearts be acceptable in your sight today.
May it awake our souls and scratch at out feet and our hands so that we
will itch to move and follow your lead. Amen
Today, we have one of the great stories of Jesus. It’s easy to see when we hear the story: Jesus has tried to rest but, by now, he is so
popular that crowds follow him. And the
crowds are growing. Five thousand people! And this doesn’t even count the women and
children. It you count them it could
easily number over 20,000 hungry people.
Jesus made all
the preparations for the meal as though there was plenty of food. He took the inadequate five loaves and two
fish and then He Looked Up and Blessed the food. And started passing out food. And the Holy Spirit showed up and showed
out. There was not only enough food but
there was food left over.
One Sunday I was scheduled to give the Childrens
Sermon on the Feeding of the 5,000. I decided it would make a great sermon
illustration if I could take actual bread and fish for the kids to eat. I figured they would never forget the story
if they got to actually eat the bread and fish. I thought some on it and knew I
could find small loaves of bread easily enough but the fish would be hard. Most kids nowadays –OK, ALL kids today – are
not familiar with eating fish in a natural state the way they ate fish in bible
times. They didn’t exactly have fried
fish sticks back in Jesus’ day. Finally,
I came up with sardines. I remembered my
father eating sardines on crackers out of a tin for lunch sometimes with a
little lemon squirted on the top.
Sometimes I would join him. It
had been a long time ago but it was something I had eaten in my lifetime and it
hadn’t killed me so I figured it wouldn’t kill these kids. That’s what I could use for the fish in my
illustration.
So I told them the story of Jesus feeding 5,000
people. Then I opened up my little
wicker basket and got out my own loaf of bread and five sardines....and put it
on a plate to pass around the kids. The
kids looked at the sardines in horror.
The first kid took one tiny bite and made a face. The second kid poked at the fish and passed
the plate. From that kid all around the
circle nobody touched the fish. They
were willing to eat the bread but there was no way they were going to touch
that sardine with a ten foot pole.
Without realizing I was sitting in front of the whole
congregation with a microphone I whispered to myself, “So, that’s how he did
it!” I had come up with one of the
greatest Theological Revelations of my life.
Right there in front of God and Everybody.
What if....What if Jesus didn’t multiply the bread and
fish........and I’m not saying Jesus didn’t multiply all that food because
Jesus could do anything He wanted because he was the Son of God and he could
have rained donkeys if he wanted to............but WHAT IF instead of
multiplying the food Jesus just took away their hunger?
We know that it is not the case in this story because
the story claims that the food returned was actually more than the original
supply. So I don’t want to change the
story today. Jesus did multiply the
bread.
But there’s more to this story than it might appear on
the surface. Look at it again. The story starts with the phrase, “Now when
Jesus heard this….” So I went to the
scripture immediately before and what did I find? The “this” that Jesus had just heard was the
news that John the Baptist had been killed.
And not just killed; no!
Murdered. Be-headed in the most
brutal was you can imagine. His head was
then presented to Herod’s wife…on a
platter!
What a horrible story!
What a horrible situation! If you
remember, John was Jesus’ second cousin.
John had baptized Jesus! I can
only imagine how this must have affected Jesus.
And the scripture says that “Jesus withdrew” to a quiet place to be by
himself. But the crowds followed him wanting to be healed. The guy never got a break, did he?
Here he was, in the midst of losing his cousin, his
faith mentor, the guy who baptized him, for goodness’ sakes! And he couldn’t
get a minutes’ peace.
But he stepped up and did it. He healed them. And then he fed them. And how do you do something like this when
you are at the end of your rope and you have nothing left to give? When there’s nothing in the basket but just a
fraction of what you need to feed a mob?
You rely on the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
So, at this time, when Jesus and his
disciples were caught unaware—the crowd had been unexpected and Jesus was
distracted by hiw own grief—at that time—the Holy Spirit stepped in and took
over for them and delivered lunch.
And what a lunch the Spirit provided
that day! From five loaves and two fish
came a banquet large enough to feed 5,000 people plus women and children.
Could that be the headline? Not
multiplying bread and fish or taking away the hunger? But giving Jesus the
strength to get up from his sadness over John his Cousin and Friend and go back
to work. Again this would take the power
of the Holy Spirit. And haven’t we felt
this power at work in our lives? How
many times have you settled in on the couch at the end of the day only to
remember some task you absolutely have to do before you can call the day
finished? I’ve always claimed that just
as they are about to close the lid on my casket I am positive the buzzer on the
drier will go off and I will need to get up out of my casket and go hang up the
clothes because I know they will wrinkle if I don’t.
I’ll bet Jesus understands this
feeling.
But I
also want to explore another thing Jesus taught us and that is that we can be
so happy with very little when we have faith.
What if the answer to all the world’s problems is not
increasing our supply but in decreasing our demand? What if it could be as
simple as something we were taught in Kindergarten: how to share with other people?
Recently I saw a graphic with a caption that read The
truly “developed” world is not when all the poor people have cars…..it’s when
all the rich take public transportation.
That’s how we’ll know when we have it figured out. That’s how we know we understand the
distribution of resources. It’s not when
we multiply resources but when we can manage the resources we have.
There is enough for everyone in the world but it will
only happen when the folks who have too much are happy with less
Hold that thought for
minute
Lets go back to Isaiah verse for today. Isaiah 55:1-5
Let me read it for you.
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
This doesn’t make sense. “You that have no money, come buy and eat!”
“Come buy wine and milk without money
and without price.”
“Why do you spend your money for that
which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does
not satisfy?”
I had never paid attention to this
verse until I heard it read in short bible study one January morning in 1999 on
my first mission trip to Guatemala with the church. Our guide for that trip, Rev Robert Moore
laid out the verse but kept going back to it throughout the day. It was a day spent meeting people that I
didn’t know at the time would become friends who I still stay in touch with
today over 20 years later.
That day I met Hector Gomez and his
wife Sonia. I would have the experience of watching Hector weld the roof frame
for a house we built on our first mission trip.
Hector was one of the wealthier men in their town since he had a good
trade of welding. He was one of the most
respected men in their church, also: a
youth leader and ruling elder in the church.
He also drove us around in a van over the winding mountain roads. Two years later I received the news that
Hector died of complications from diabetes.
It wasn’t surprising in a country like Guatemala where medicine is
expensive and rare; and managing your diet when the traditional diet of rice
and beans is not the best for a diabetic. Meat is a rare commodity in that
country. After Hector passed away I got
to know his wife Sonia better. She
became more active in the church. When
she became the first woman ordained as a ruling elder in their presbytery
everyone said it was in honor of Hector but 10 years later when she became the
first woman ordained as a pastor in that same presbytery, not only was it clear
that it was on her own merit, I was there to witness it. Because by this time I had become not just
another “mission lady” and not only a Sister in Christ I was also an
“amiga.” And today through facebook I am
in touch with Sonia on a daily basis.
I want you to know about these people
because these are real people. These are
people I know and love. I have been in
their homes and their homes are not fancy by our standards: they don’t have air-conditioning. The city water is not drinkable and they have
to bring in bottled water for drinking.
Their government is corrupt. The
town is so poor sometimes the police don’t have money for bullets for their
guns.
I have been able to learn a lot about
people who live a life that is very different from my own. Although we may live differently we share the
same Christ. We have sung the Doxology
together in two different languages and it makes a beautiful sound. And I have
learned that I can be happy with a lot less material things.
What does all this have to do with
Jesus feeding 5,000 people? Or bread
that money can’t buy? And what did
Jesus feed them with if not bread? What
did he fill them with? I’m going to say
it was The Holy Spirit of God.
There is a song that was popular with the
Presbyterian Woman a few years ago that goes:
Spirit
of the Living God, fall fresh on me
Spirit
of the Living God, fall fresh on me
Melt
me, mold me, fill me, use me
Spirit
of the Living God, fall fresh on me.
This is the sustenance that nourishes
us beyond all nutrition, beyond caloric value.
It is the bread
that money can’t buy.
It can only happen when the Holy Spirit steps in and takes over your body,
telling your body that there are things beyond physical needs that can override
the body’s need.
It takes away your hunger for things
of this world
The same sort of thing happens at the
communion table.
There are a lot of words at a
communion table. The people who design
the liturgy around the Holy Meal have a lot to say and they take it all very
seriously. But there is one moment when
something startling happens: when the
person presiding over the table prays to God that Christ might be present
Something happened there on the grass
where the 5,000 plus folks sat. We know
that something happened because they weren’t hungry anymore. Something took away their hunger, whether it
was a miracle of food being multiplied so their bellies were filled or maybe it
was my sardine trick and their hunger just went away through cosmic magic trick
God played. One thing I know for sure
is that the Holy Spirit of God was
involved. Either way, you don’t satisfy that many
people without a miracle of God.
God’s spirit is at work today, moving
among us, multiplying our faith
The next time you are feeling
overwhelmed, latch onto the Holy Spirit, ask it to fill you, feed you, fall fresh on you. Melt you and mold you,
fill you and use you.
Amen.
Here is Armel's sermon on this scripture:
Here is Armel's sermon on this scripture:
and here is the text of Armel's sermon:
SERMON Armel Crocker CIM:
Feed The People
Our Gospel lesson for today reveals Our Lord at a time of
physical exhaustion and emotional distress. I would not say that Jesus was
depressed or despondent, but a lesser person might have had such a sense of
hopelessness.
For you may remember that Jesus had brought his message to
his own people, only to receive a stunning rejection in his home town of
Nazareth, where the people were so angry with what he said that they threatened
to throw him off a steep cliff.
The religious authorities were dismissive of him,
criticizing him and his followers for their petty infractions of minor rules
governing eating and religious observances.
And now he has just learned that King Herod has executed his
cousin, John the Baptist, the one who baptized him and had supported Jesus in
so many ways, actually encouraging people to switch their allegiance from him
to Jesus.
Now when Jesus heard [about the death of John the Baptist],
he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the
crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore,
he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said,
“This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so
that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to
them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied,
“We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them
here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the
five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the
loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the
crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the
broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand
men, besides women and children.
Usually, we think about the feeding of the 5,000 as one of
Jesus’ great miracles – maybe THE great miracle, if there were a popularity
contest. (You’ve got water to wine, walking on water, a healing here and there,
and this feeding of the 5,000, right?) So we wonder about how in the world
Jesus could take just two fish and five loaves and stretch them to feed that
many people. We marvel at all those leftovers – 12 baskets full – and the idea
that if there were about 5,000 men – not including women and children – how
many people Jesus really must have fed at the end of that day.
I’ve wondered before at the compassion Jesus had to muster
for the crowds that afternoon, when all he really wanted was to be alone to grieve
after learning that his cousin and friend, John the Baptist, had just died.
It’s amazing to think about all of the people he must have healed or taught or
sat down to listen to, in the midst of his grief. And I’ve always wondered what
it was that he said to himself when he looked up to heaven and blessed and
broke that bread, before doing what he did with it.
One of the reasons why this particular story became so
important for the Early Christians is that it reminded them of the miraculous
meal they celebrated regularly when they gathered for the breaking of the
Bread. Could you not hear the Eucharistic implications in Matthew’s account: he
took the bread … he blessed … he broke it and gave it to them. Two thousand
years later we still gather in Christian community in the same hope of
experiencing Jesus Christ in our lives through the breaking of the bread.
So this is the context in which we see Jesus and the
disciples suspend their active ministry in order to observe a time of retreat
or Sabbath. Matthew indicates that Jesus decided to pull back from the
hurly-burly of the campaign trail and spend time in a deserted place where they
might rethink strategy and recharge their emotional batteries.
This was a good idea … but it did not work. The crowds pursued
him, as if he were a rock star. They traveled long distances from their homes
to be near Jesus. Did they come in fear for their futures? Did they come in the
hope that he was the Messiah, the long-expected One? We do not know for sure.
Matthew tells us that they were determined to see Jesus and did not plan very
well, for the day grew short and they were far from their homes with no food to
hold them until they returned.
But the disciples were there too. And while it’s easy to
wonder about all of the other stuff – to focus on the size of the crowds and
the lack of food and the miracle of it all – this time around, I found myself
thinking about more about the disciples.
It had been a long day and they were probably tired. “Come
on Jesus. Time’s up. Let’s lose this crowd and get something to eat,” they
said. “These people are probably hungry and ready to get some food for
themselves anyway. Let’s get them out of here so we can do the same.”
But Jesus took a different approach: They need not go away;
you give them something to eat. In calling for the disciples to get involved in
this crisis of a temporary refugee people, Jesus established the expectation
that his followers would use their compassion to make good things happen. This
feeding of people in the wilderness was not to be a seen as some kind of
razzle-dazzle spectacle to enhance Jesus’ fame and popularity among the people,
but an insistence that Jesus’ followers distinguish themselves by their
compassion, resourcefulness, and generosity.
The Church treasures this story because it captures the way
in which Jesus challenged his disciples to address a problem and not ignore it.
Now the disciples were shocked by what Jesus was suggesting, because, like many
of us, the disciples approached problems with a theology of scarcity … we do
not have enough, we cannot do this, it is out of the question, we should not
even try. We have only five loaves of bread here and two fish!
And in the face of their questions… in response to their
doubts… in spite of their laziness, whatever it may have been for them, Jesus
says, “YOU give them something to eat.”
“What do you mean, ‘feed them’? Maybe you haven’t noticed,
Jesus, but there’s like 5,000 of them on this hill and all we brought with us
is a couple of stinky fish and a few loaves of bread.”
“YOU give them something to eat.”
See, the miracle’s a good one and it makes a great story,
but if we only focus on what Jesus prayed or on trying to figure out how he did
what he did, or on the crowds or the fish or the bread – we’re missing the
point. Just like last week’s Gospel really wasn’t about yeast or mustard seeds;
and just like the week before wasn’t really about weeds, good seeds, or
gardening; today isn’t really about fish or bread or a picnic on the hillside.
For me, the Gospel – the Good News – in the story of the Feeding of the Five
Thousand is found in Jesus’ short and simple response to the disciples.
“YOU give them something to eat.”
Sure the disciples are still skeptical. Yes Jesus does
whatever he does to make the food go as far as it did. But, what he says and
what the disciples do is even more profound and powerful if you ask me:
“YOU give them something to eat.” Don’t send them away. Don’t look for a
way out. Don’t hope for someone else to do it. Don’t wait for tomorrow, even.
“YOU give them something to eat.”
And don’t we sound and act like the disciples too much of
the time? We don’t have enough bread – whether that means time, or money;
energy, willingness, or ability; faith, love, compassion, or whatever. We’re
skeptical. We’re pessimistic. We’re preoccupied, distracted, lazy, uninspired,
selfish, insecure, unconvinced – just like those disciples were that day. A lot
of the time, if you’re anything like me, you’re just downright full of excuses.
But just like the disciples in the Gospel, Jesus gives us
something greater than even our best excuses. He gives us more than just
another miracle, too. He gives us something better even then bread and fish to
chew on. Jesus reveals to us just what a high opinion God has – not only of the
lost and lonely; the sick and needy people on that hillside that day for whom
he shows so much compassion – but Jesus reveals to us what a high opinion God
has of those who believe in and who want to follow him so faithfully.
What I hear Jesus saying is, “Don’t wait for someone else to
do it.” “Don’t pretend you don’t have the time or the skills or the resources
to do God’s bidding in the world.” “Don’t pretend you’re not qualified or
capable.” “Don’t put it off for another day or time or moment when it might be
more convenient for you.” “Don’t even wait for me to do it in your place.”
“YOU give them something to eat.”
But Jesus wanted his disciples to think not in terms of what
they did not have but rather in terms of what God had given them … a theology
of plenty. The message in our Gospel lesson is that if we will embrace a
challenge, bringing forward what we have, no matter how little, then God will
do the rest. Many a Christian congregation has launched a noble endeavor,
mounted a ministry of outreach, broken ground for a new building … not because
they had the money in the bank but because they had the vision, they sensed the
need, and they were willing to trust that God would provide.
We will never know for sure what happened that day when more
than 5,000 hungry people were fed. Some believe that Jesus literally broke the
bread and fish and they multiplied in a mystical manner so that a large
quantity of food was produced. Another theory is that as Jesus and the
disciples shared the little they had, it encouraged others in the multitude to
share what they had until a loving community was formed where each gave what he
could and received what he needed. Isn’t that a miracle!
Isn’t there some way each of us might feed someone, too?
Maybe it’s that co-worker you know could use a hand or some encouragement…
Maybe it’s a neighbor who’s having a hard time… Maybe it’s something around
here. Let’s not wait for someone else to do it. Let’s not pretend we aren’t
capable or qualified or called, even, to respond to the needs around us. Is
there something we can do about racial injustice in America and the World. And
let’s not wait for Jesus to do it all by himself.
No, let’s be amazed by the story. Let’s wonder about the
miracle of Jesus. But let’s think about our mission here, too – as a
congregation and as individual followers of Christ. Let’s hear Jesus’ command
to give the world something to eat. And let’s realize that we have all we need
to make that happen – that because of God’s love for us, we are called
and capable of doing the work of Christ in and for the sake of the world – and
that when we do, there will be more than enough of that love and grace and hope
to go around – with leftovers besides.
Amen
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and
earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the
dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father
Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe
in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness
of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Friends in Christ,
God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothersas dear to us as our own needs.Loving our neighbors as ourselves,we offer our thanksgivings and our petitionson behalf of the church and the world. Hear our prayers, God of power,and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb,that we may desire you as the fullness of lifeand proclaim your saving deeds to all the world.
God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothersas dear to us as our own needs.Loving our neighbors as ourselves,we offer our thanksgivings and our petitionson behalf of the church and the world. Hear our prayers, God of power,and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb,that we may desire you as the fullness of lifeand proclaim your saving deeds to all the world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord who taught us to pray;
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.
Amen.
CHARGE AND BLESSINGS
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 2
Cor. 13:13
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all.
Amen.
First Presbyterian Church, Paris, Texas Preaching Schedule
Sun., Aug 09, —
Armel Crocker Lay Pastor
Sun., Aug 16,
— Jane Els Lay Pastor
Sun., Aug 23, —
Armel Crocker Lay Pastor
Sun., Aug 30 —
Jane Els Lay Pastor
