This is probably one of my most political sermons, while far from political propaganda.
Enjoy!
It was dinner time and yet the crowds remain.
Here is a large crowd that unexpected followed Jesus after he heard about the death of his cousin, friend, and colleague in ministry: John the Baptist. The crowds had come out to see Jesus on the beach of the town earlier in the day and they were so moved by that experience, so drawn to the word of God, that they followed him, even when he wanted to be alone.
As they watched the boat sail over the sea, they walked on the shore, keeping sight of his boat so that they may catch up to him and continue to hear what Jesus had to say.
And now it was dinner time and the crowds remain.
And so the disciples come to Jesus and politely tell him, these people are probably hungry, let them go back to their homes or at least into the surrounding villages so that they can eat.
We do not know if the disciples said this because it had been a long day for them and they just wanted some peace as well. We don’t know if they said this because they themselves were hungry and only had a few loaves of bread and fish to eat among themselves that even divided 13 ways would have been but a small meal. We don’t know if the disciples told Jesus to send them away because they had compassion for the crowd or because they just wanted to be alone. We don’t know if some in the crowd came prepared with food tucked away in pockets and bags. We don’t know if some of the kids were crying out with hunger and getting crabby from walking so far and then standing in the hot sun all day without food. We don’t know if people were still listening intently to Jesus or if hunger pains were starting to distract them as their stomachs grumbled. We don’t know if moms were hading out small bags of fruit and bread to their families and they nibbled as they listened. We don’t know a lot about what really happened here.
But we do know that the disciples did have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish which they gave to Jesus. And Jesus blessed them and broke the loaves and handed the food to the disciples who passed out the food to some in the crowds, who passed on the food to more people in the crowd and more and more, until not only all the people had a little something to eat, but they had a lot to eat. And then they filled baskets with leftovers, 12 baskets in fact.
Isn’t that wonderful that all were fed? Isn’t it wonderful that food was provided in such an abundance that there was plenty left over?
And yet when many of us hear this story, we cynically try to pick apart the gospel. Oh well it wasn’t the same 5 loaves and 2 fish that everyone ate from but many people had food with them and they were moved by Jesus’ sharing what he had that they too shared what they had.
Well isn’t that still a miracle? Isn’t the ability to share a miracle?
If you have been paying any attention to the news over the pass two weeks you would think that if one person shares or compromises that there entire moral compass is corrupt and they will be thrown into some fiery furnace were there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We hear about the debt ceiling debate in the United States and the debt crisis in the Euro Zone and politicians bickering and arguing and walking out on agreement talks because they feel like they might not get their way and we all just wonder if these politicians ever went to kindergarten. Did we really vote into office the only people in the world who have never learned to share and compromise? Are they all only children and therefore never had to share the one package M&M’s that their mom bought for the 3 kids? Or did they never had the agreement that Billy gets to chose what show you watch first and after that is over it is Missy turn and then it is your turn to pick the tv show of choice.
And it is not just our political leaders that have a problem with sharing and compromising. Corporations and banks and even individual people hoard their money in order to get the biggest investment on their return and yet some of their employees struggle to feed their families, live in pest infested slums, or are not able to afford basic health coverage.
And it is not just others that have a problem with sharing and compromising, each of us are part of an entire system that is set up to give more to some than to others. There is enough food in this world to feed every person. And while America is facing an obesity epidemic as food is imported in from all over the world and food is thrown out in abundance every day in our homes, restaurants and grocery stores, there are people literally starving to death in the Horn of Africa as drought and war has plagued the people. We as humans have a problem with sharing and compromising.
We don’t want to give up anything that we see as rightfully ours in order to care for others. We don’t want to pay more than our share of taxes even if that means helping people who we take advantage of either knowingly or unknowingly in other situations. We don’t want to have to cut back on our consumption even if it means that as a result other people have to do without and possibly even starve.
No one would argue that if Jesus physically multiplied the same loaves and fishes enough so that everyone was fed that it was a miracle. So why when we as humans have such a problem with sharing do we think that if we explain this story away as the crowds just shared among themselves what food they have, that it is any less of a miracle?
Through God, through listening to Jesus and following his example of sharing with others, with strangers, with people who we know and with people we don’t know, with those who we deem respectful and those who we deem as undeserving of our respect, through following Jesus’ example, all the people were fed. What if after handing the bread and fish to the disciples, they just ate what was given to them before they handed some on to the people in the crowd? Would all still have been fed?
When we trust that Jesus will provide for us and when we follow his example of sharing with everyone, Jesus not only provides, but provides in abundance. And we are not just provided for physically but also spiritually as in sharing, we feel the Spirit working through us.
When we realize that when we hoard onto what we have, collecting as much as possible, even if it means treating others with disrespect to get it, we will only at the end have a finite amount. But when we share with others, when we give what we have generously to our neighbors, our friends, our family, our community, with strangers both near by and across the world, we are given so much more, and we are given in abundance. For there will even be baskets of leftovers.
It was dinner time and yet the crowds remain.
Here is a large crowd that unexpected followed Jesus after he heard about the death of his cousin, friend, and colleague in ministry: John the Baptist. The crowds had come out to see Jesus on the beach of the town earlier in the day and they were so moved by that experience, so drawn to the word of God, that they followed him, even when he wanted to be alone.
As they watched the boat sail over the sea, they walked on the shore, keeping sight of his boat so that they may catch up to him and continue to hear what Jesus had to say.
And now it was dinner time and the crowds remain.
And so the disciples come to Jesus and politely tell him, these people are probably hungry, let them go back to their homes or at least into the surrounding villages so that they can eat.
We do not know if the disciples said this because it had been a long day for them and they just wanted some peace as well. We don’t know if they said this because they themselves were hungry and only had a few loaves of bread and fish to eat among themselves that even divided 13 ways would have been but a small meal. We don’t know if the disciples told Jesus to send them away because they had compassion for the crowd or because they just wanted to be alone. We don’t know if some in the crowd came prepared with food tucked away in pockets and bags. We don’t know if some of the kids were crying out with hunger and getting crabby from walking so far and then standing in the hot sun all day without food. We don’t know if people were still listening intently to Jesus or if hunger pains were starting to distract them as their stomachs grumbled. We don’t know if moms were hading out small bags of fruit and bread to their families and they nibbled as they listened. We don’t know a lot about what really happened here.
But we do know that the disciples did have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish which they gave to Jesus. And Jesus blessed them and broke the loaves and handed the food to the disciples who passed out the food to some in the crowds, who passed on the food to more people in the crowd and more and more, until not only all the people had a little something to eat, but they had a lot to eat. And then they filled baskets with leftovers, 12 baskets in fact.
Isn’t that wonderful that all were fed? Isn’t it wonderful that food was provided in such an abundance that there was plenty left over?
And yet when many of us hear this story, we cynically try to pick apart the gospel. Oh well it wasn’t the same 5 loaves and 2 fish that everyone ate from but many people had food with them and they were moved by Jesus’ sharing what he had that they too shared what they had.
Well isn’t that still a miracle? Isn’t the ability to share a miracle?
If you have been paying any attention to the news over the pass two weeks you would think that if one person shares or compromises that there entire moral compass is corrupt and they will be thrown into some fiery furnace were there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We hear about the debt ceiling debate in the United States and the debt crisis in the Euro Zone and politicians bickering and arguing and walking out on agreement talks because they feel like they might not get their way and we all just wonder if these politicians ever went to kindergarten. Did we really vote into office the only people in the world who have never learned to share and compromise? Are they all only children and therefore never had to share the one package M&M’s that their mom bought for the 3 kids? Or did they never had the agreement that Billy gets to chose what show you watch first and after that is over it is Missy turn and then it is your turn to pick the tv show of choice.
And it is not just our political leaders that have a problem with sharing and compromising. Corporations and banks and even individual people hoard their money in order to get the biggest investment on their return and yet some of their employees struggle to feed their families, live in pest infested slums, or are not able to afford basic health coverage.
And it is not just others that have a problem with sharing and compromising, each of us are part of an entire system that is set up to give more to some than to others. There is enough food in this world to feed every person. And while America is facing an obesity epidemic as food is imported in from all over the world and food is thrown out in abundance every day in our homes, restaurants and grocery stores, there are people literally starving to death in the Horn of Africa as drought and war has plagued the people. We as humans have a problem with sharing and compromising.
We don’t want to give up anything that we see as rightfully ours in order to care for others. We don’t want to pay more than our share of taxes even if that means helping people who we take advantage of either knowingly or unknowingly in other situations. We don’t want to have to cut back on our consumption even if it means that as a result other people have to do without and possibly even starve.
No one would argue that if Jesus physically multiplied the same loaves and fishes enough so that everyone was fed that it was a miracle. So why when we as humans have such a problem with sharing do we think that if we explain this story away as the crowds just shared among themselves what food they have, that it is any less of a miracle?
Through God, through listening to Jesus and following his example of sharing with others, with strangers, with people who we know and with people we don’t know, with those who we deem respectful and those who we deem as undeserving of our respect, through following Jesus’ example, all the people were fed. What if after handing the bread and fish to the disciples, they just ate what was given to them before they handed some on to the people in the crowd? Would all still have been fed?
When we trust that Jesus will provide for us and when we follow his example of sharing with everyone, Jesus not only provides, but provides in abundance. And we are not just provided for physically but also spiritually as in sharing, we feel the Spirit working through us.
When we realize that when we hoard onto what we have, collecting as much as possible, even if it means treating others with disrespect to get it, we will only at the end have a finite amount. But when we share with others, when we give what we have generously to our neighbors, our friends, our family, our community, with strangers both near by and across the world, we are given so much more, and we are given in abundance. For there will even be baskets of leftovers.
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