Gathering at the Water -- FPC sermon
We are entering the season for vacations, and next month my family and I will be taking a week of vacation and going on a cruise. We won’t be gathering at the water, we’ll be cruising across the water. And this reminds me of a story.
There was a cruise ship that passed a small island on its annual voyage. From the deck of the ship, everyone saw a thin bearded man on the island, shouting and desperately waving his hands.
“Who is it on that island?” a passenger asked the captain.
“I have no idea,” said the captain. “But every year when we pass, he goes nuts.”
At Fairfax Presbyterian Church, our focus is on hospitality. We don’t want to cruise by any deserted islands and leave anybody stranded. We want to welcome everyone who has come to this place, and make sure that everyone is included in our worship, in our fun, and in our food.
This is the same approach that Jesus takes when he sees a large crowd gathered at the water, at the side of the Sea of Galilee. Aware of the hunger of this crowd, Jesus directs a question to one of his disciples named Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Jesus wants to be hospitable to the people of this crowd, and meet their needs.
Philip, however, sees the size of the crowd and the enormity of the challenge of feeding so many people. He says to Jesus, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little” (v. 7). Philip is a realist — he knows they don’t have enough money to provide a feast, and don’t even have enough to provide each person with a snack.
From a human point of view, there is not enough to go around. But from God’s point of view, there is always enough. Philip looks around and sees scarcity, while Jesus looks around and sees abundance.
The story continues with the disciple Andrew saying to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” In the original Greek of the New Testament, Andrew says that it is not just a “boy” with two “fish,” but a “little boy” with two “small fish.” Andrew also sees the scarcity of their resources, and asks, “But what are they among so many people?” (v. 9). Clearly, five loaves and two small fish are worthless tokens — hardly enough to feed five thousand people.
But Jesus refuses to look at the situation from a human point of view. He sees everything from God’s point of view, and sees tremendous abundance when he looks out over the crowd.
“Make the people sit down,” Jesus says to his disciples (v. 10). Once again, our English translation fails to capture what Jesus really says. In Greek, Jesus says, “Make the people recline” — a word that is used again later in the Last Supper (cf. 13:23, 25). Then Jesus takes the loaves, gives thanks, and distributes them to those who are reclining, and he does the same with the fish, giving them “as much as they wanted” (v. 11). Notice the abundance here — Jesus gives not just a little bit for each, but as much as they wanted. This is such a filling feast that everyone is satisfied, and after the people are finished, the disciples fill twelve large baskets with leftovers.
What is going on in this story of the feeding of the five thousand? What has really happened as people have gathered at the water?
Some see this as a miracle of human sharing. It could be that the five thousand people came to the Sea of Galilee with food tucked inside their clothing, hidden away in for personal use. But when Jesus showed such hospitality and concern for each and every person, they opened their secret stashes and shared what they had with each other. In much the same way, we each have resources that we can draw on to meet the needs around us — if only we are inspired to share.
Others see this as a miracle of divine provision. This story teaches that the Lord really does provide for us, if only we will put our faith in him. You can imagine that the people in the crowd were curious about Jesus, and maybe a little suspicious of his agenda. They might have wondered what he was up to, questioning whether or not he really cared for them. Then he tells them to recline and rest and be refreshed. He takes the bread, gives thanks to God, and distributes it until all are filled. The message is that Jesus loves us and wants to meet our needs — all he asks is that we trust him and follow him.
Both of these understandings are true for us today, as we gather at the water. Our life together can be a miracle of human sharing as we draw on our personal resources to meet the needs around us. Our life together can also be a miracle of divine provision, as we put our faith in Jesus, and trust him to meet our needs. Jesus really does love us and want to feed us — physically and spiritually. This happens every time we receive the nourishment of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
The good news for today is that we worship a God of abundance, and his son Jesus has come to give us what we need for life. We do not have to be like that poor man on the desert island, going nuts as his chance for salvation passes by again and again. Our Lord has come to save us, to provide for us, and gather us together as a community.
Let us feel God’s love, as we receive his wonderful gifts.
There was a cruise ship that passed a small island on its annual voyage. From the deck of the ship, everyone saw a thin bearded man on the island, shouting and desperately waving his hands.
“Who is it on that island?” a passenger asked the captain.
“I have no idea,” said the captain. “But every year when we pass, he goes nuts.”
At Fairfax Presbyterian Church, our focus is on hospitality. We don’t want to cruise by any deserted islands and leave anybody stranded. We want to welcome everyone who has come to this place, and make sure that everyone is included in our worship, in our fun, and in our food.
This is the same approach that Jesus takes when he sees a large crowd gathered at the water, at the side of the Sea of Galilee. Aware of the hunger of this crowd, Jesus directs a question to one of his disciples named Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Jesus wants to be hospitable to the people of this crowd, and meet their needs.
Philip, however, sees the size of the crowd and the enormity of the challenge of feeding so many people. He says to Jesus, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little” (v. 7). Philip is a realist — he knows they don’t have enough money to provide a feast, and don’t even have enough to provide each person with a snack.
From a human point of view, there is not enough to go around. But from God’s point of view, there is always enough. Philip looks around and sees scarcity, while Jesus looks around and sees abundance.
The story continues with the disciple Andrew saying to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” In the original Greek of the New Testament, Andrew says that it is not just a “boy” with two “fish,” but a “little boy” with two “small fish.” Andrew also sees the scarcity of their resources, and asks, “But what are they among so many people?” (v. 9). Clearly, five loaves and two small fish are worthless tokens — hardly enough to feed five thousand people.
But Jesus refuses to look at the situation from a human point of view. He sees everything from God’s point of view, and sees tremendous abundance when he looks out over the crowd.
“Make the people sit down,” Jesus says to his disciples (v. 10). Once again, our English translation fails to capture what Jesus really says. In Greek, Jesus says, “Make the people recline” — a word that is used again later in the Last Supper (cf. 13:23, 25). Then Jesus takes the loaves, gives thanks, and distributes them to those who are reclining, and he does the same with the fish, giving them “as much as they wanted” (v. 11). Notice the abundance here — Jesus gives not just a little bit for each, but as much as they wanted. This is such a filling feast that everyone is satisfied, and after the people are finished, the disciples fill twelve large baskets with leftovers.
What is going on in this story of the feeding of the five thousand? What has really happened as people have gathered at the water?
Some see this as a miracle of human sharing. It could be that the five thousand people came to the Sea of Galilee with food tucked inside their clothing, hidden away in for personal use. But when Jesus showed such hospitality and concern for each and every person, they opened their secret stashes and shared what they had with each other. In much the same way, we each have resources that we can draw on to meet the needs around us — if only we are inspired to share.
Others see this as a miracle of divine provision. This story teaches that the Lord really does provide for us, if only we will put our faith in him. You can imagine that the people in the crowd were curious about Jesus, and maybe a little suspicious of his agenda. They might have wondered what he was up to, questioning whether or not he really cared for them. Then he tells them to recline and rest and be refreshed. He takes the bread, gives thanks to God, and distributes it until all are filled. The message is that Jesus loves us and wants to meet our needs — all he asks is that we trust him and follow him.
Both of these understandings are true for us today, as we gather at the water. Our life together can be a miracle of human sharing as we draw on our personal resources to meet the needs around us. Our life together can also be a miracle of divine provision, as we put our faith in Jesus, and trust him to meet our needs. Jesus really does love us and want to feed us — physically and spiritually. This happens every time we receive the nourishment of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
The good news for today is that we worship a God of abundance, and his son Jesus has come to give us what we need for life. We do not have to be like that poor man on the desert island, going nuts as his chance for salvation passes by again and again. Our Lord has come to save us, to provide for us, and gather us together as a community.
Let us feel God’s love, as we receive his wonderful gifts.
posted by Henry Brinton | 10:38 AM
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