Picnic for 5,000 -- FPC sermon excerpt
Mike Cross is a singer and story-teller that I first heard in college, and have been listening to ever since. I think he’s terrific … even though he went to the University of North Carolina.
Hey, nobody’s perfect.
One of his songs tells of a buzzard and a chicken hawk sitting on a fence. It’s a beautiful day, and they are watching some chickens playing in the farmyard. The chicken hawk gets excited, and says to the buzzard, “We ought to invite us a chicken home for supper.”
The buzzard gives him a long look, and then says with a frown, “The Lord will provide.”
The chicken hawk says, “Well, I’m hungry. My stomach is starting to rumble like a train.” He jumps up and says, “The Lord helps them that helps themselves, my friend.”
But the buzzard says, “No, the Lord will provide.”
Then the chicken hawk swoops down and starts a chasing a chicken, and the chicken begins squawking and running. The farmer comes out of the farmhouse, lifts his shotgun, and blows that chicken hawk out of the sky.
The buzzard stretches his head and takes a long look at the chicken hawk, lying on the ground. And you know what he says … “I knew the Lord would provide. Yes, the Lord will provide.”
That’s the teaching that comes from Psalm 23, and also from Matthew 14 — in which Jesus prepares a picnic for 5,000 mean, plus women and children. The Lord will provide.
It’s kind of amazing that Psalm 23 is as popular as it is, given the fact that most of us know very little about sheep and shepherds. I’m about as ignorant of sheep as I am of buzzards and chicken hawks. But in spite of this lack of knowledge, most of us feel a deep bond with Psalm 23, especially the first line, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The promise of this psalm is that God gives us everything we need — food, drink, protection — and it challenges us to trust God to provide for us. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” — that’s the promise of food for the sheep. “He leadeth me beside the still waters” — that’s drink. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” That’s protection.
Food, drink, protection. They are everything we need, and they all come from God.
The feeding of the 5,000 reminds us of God’s gift of manna to the ancient Hebrews, and it points forward toward the Last Supper, especially in Jesus blessing and breaking the loaves, and giving them to the disciples (Matthew 14:19). When we receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are sharing bread just as Jesus and the people did, gathered on the grass by the Sea of Galilee. We find that our spirits are filled by this meal, and that there is bread left over, just as there was when the miracle first occurred.
The message of this story is that the Lord does provide. When we find ourselves in a lonely and deserted place, Jesus meets us and has compassion for us. When we feel spiritually empty, Christ breaks his bread and feeds us. When we are worn out at the end of a long day, Jesus does not send us away to fend for ourselves. He invites us to lie down in green pastures, and he gives us what we need for life.
Hey, nobody’s perfect.
One of his songs tells of a buzzard and a chicken hawk sitting on a fence. It’s a beautiful day, and they are watching some chickens playing in the farmyard. The chicken hawk gets excited, and says to the buzzard, “We ought to invite us a chicken home for supper.”
The buzzard gives him a long look, and then says with a frown, “The Lord will provide.”
The chicken hawk says, “Well, I’m hungry. My stomach is starting to rumble like a train.” He jumps up and says, “The Lord helps them that helps themselves, my friend.”
But the buzzard says, “No, the Lord will provide.”
Then the chicken hawk swoops down and starts a chasing a chicken, and the chicken begins squawking and running. The farmer comes out of the farmhouse, lifts his shotgun, and blows that chicken hawk out of the sky.
The buzzard stretches his head and takes a long look at the chicken hawk, lying on the ground. And you know what he says … “I knew the Lord would provide. Yes, the Lord will provide.”
That’s the teaching that comes from Psalm 23, and also from Matthew 14 — in which Jesus prepares a picnic for 5,000 mean, plus women and children. The Lord will provide.
It’s kind of amazing that Psalm 23 is as popular as it is, given the fact that most of us know very little about sheep and shepherds. I’m about as ignorant of sheep as I am of buzzards and chicken hawks. But in spite of this lack of knowledge, most of us feel a deep bond with Psalm 23, especially the first line, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The promise of this psalm is that God gives us everything we need — food, drink, protection — and it challenges us to trust God to provide for us. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” — that’s the promise of food for the sheep. “He leadeth me beside the still waters” — that’s drink. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” That’s protection.
Food, drink, protection. They are everything we need, and they all come from God.
The feeding of the 5,000 reminds us of God’s gift of manna to the ancient Hebrews, and it points forward toward the Last Supper, especially in Jesus blessing and breaking the loaves, and giving them to the disciples (Matthew 14:19). When we receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are sharing bread just as Jesus and the people did, gathered on the grass by the Sea of Galilee. We find that our spirits are filled by this meal, and that there is bread left over, just as there was when the miracle first occurred.
The message of this story is that the Lord does provide. When we find ourselves in a lonely and deserted place, Jesus meets us and has compassion for us. When we feel spiritually empty, Christ breaks his bread and feeds us. When we are worn out at the end of a long day, Jesus does not send us away to fend for ourselves. He invites us to lie down in green pastures, and he gives us what we need for life.
posted by Henry Brinton | 11:12 AM
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