Ramblings

Keys – 8/21/2011

Matthew 16: 13-20

One reality of serving an urban church like Good Shepherd is hauling around keys and lots of them. It is not unique to this congregation. Although some may lament the day when everyone including the church never locked their doors, in truth that supposed golden era never really existed because locks and keys were invented as soon as humanity began to store things rather than living from hand to mouth.

The numbers of keys we have are not unique. All of these keys are to protect the property from vandalism and from becoming a public bathroom. Besides the keys to doors, we have keys for the dispensers in the bathroom and for various closets and storage areas. In other words, if I carried a copy of all the keys we need, in short, my pants pockets would break.

But I've got a bigger problem on my hands when it comes to keys. Because not only do I have keys from the church, and my home and car as well but in our I.D.-electronic-cryptic-cyber-coded age, keys are not only physical things that plague our pockets and puncture our purses. Many keys are mental, hauled about in the mainframe of our minds. "Hey, what's the pass code to log onto the computer or access the ATM or retrieve the messages?" For example, this past week I had to change a password to a web site three times because I couldn't remember the first password, and had then had to change it again because I couldn't' remember the new password.

Perhaps of all these keys that I struggle with, could be why today's words from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus talks to us about the keys of the kingdom caught my attention. Before we get to keys, first, let's do a brief study. Let us begin with verse 13, where we read that Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi. The district of Caesarea Philippi lies about twenty-five miles north of the Sea or Lake of Galilee. I had the opportunity to visit this location in 2005 and learned that although we do not know precisely why this event happened outside of Judea, it is a very interesting place for Jesus to ask these two questions.

Centuries ago people in this area where Jesus and his disciples found themselves built a village because of the large spring that flowed from a cave that feeds into the river Jordan. Because of the importance of water, this area had many conquerors like the armies of Alexander the Great, whose settlers built a shrine to the god Pan adding to the various shrines already built there for the local deities for the peoples over the ages. Later after the Romans occupied this area, King Herod the Great had another shrine, a massive temple built to honor Cesar Augustus. This is the reason the city and surroundings had been renamed after Caesar Augustus and his son Philippi.

All of this history reminds us that when Jesus came to this community and asked his disciples who do people say I am, as the disciples looked around before they answered, it was a city filled various active shrines, many choices built over the centuries to various overlapping gods all brightly advertizing who they were.

This leads us to the response of the disciples; many people thought that Jesus was none other than John the Baptist. Now that seems odd. At this point in the life of Jesus, we know that Herod had recently beheaded John the Baptist. Thus the response of the disciples suggests people thought John had come back to life which seems odd to us since Jesus was possibly close in age to John. That compares to the other suggestion that Jesus was the return of Elijah. For centuries, many Jews believed that Elijah was to appear before coming of the Messianic age.

After the responses, Jesus then asks the disciple a personal question. One Biblical scholar translates this sentence, "And you, who do you, say that I am?" We don't know what all the responses were but it is not inconsistent to hear Peter speak up. Consistently, Peter in the Gospels is the first to speak, the one to take the initiative, the one who doubts and sinks in a storm, the one who sticks his foot in his mouth on the mount of Transfiguration.

"You are the Messiah, Son of the living God." Peter, of course, got the answer right. These words are one of the climaxes of the gospels, one of the high points, one of the mountaintops. Peter, for a moment, finally gets it right and understands the truth about Jesus. That Jesus was/is more than a prophet, more than a great moral leader, more than a loving example for us to follow.

Jesus is pleased and concludes that it was not Peter's human reason that came to that conclusion; instead it was revealed to him. It is not human reason that leads to the conclusion that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God who is with us at this very moment and in all moments of our lives, but it is God's revelation due to the work of the Holy Spirit that leads us to believe in Christ as our living Lord.

At this point, Jesus does a play on words. The word, "Peter," means "rock." "You are Rocky. You are the Rock." Peter receives a new name from Jesus. Receiving a new name indicates that Peter has been given a new identity. This play on words has led Christians throughout the centuries to ask: What is the foundation or rock on which the church is built? Jesus? Peter? The confession of Peter? Protestants, of which Lutherans are near the first, have taken the traditional Protestant interpretation. That is, "on this rock" refers to Peter's testimony, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." That confession is the rock on which the church is to be built. The emphasis is not on Peter and the person of Peter but on Christ, the Son of the Living God.

What are the keys of the kingdom? The answer to that question has also caused endless debate and interpretation.

But before we look at the keys, let us take a moment and focus on the word, "kingdom," and not the word, "keys." We remember the kingdom of God/heaven was/is Jesus' primary teaching. We have listened to parables of the kingdom and teachings of the kingdom. We have also heard about the miracles of the kingdom. The kingdom is wherever and whenever the love of Christ rules in a person's life.

Within the kingdom then what are these keys? The word, "keys," is a plural word reminding us there is more than one key. "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This saying was an Aramaic colloquial phrase, one of the languages of Jesus. To "loose on earth" meant to declare a person to be released, loosed or absolved. "To bind on earth" meant to declare that a person to be bound to the consequences of his or her sins. It seems that the phrase, "to loose and to bind" was a common Jewish phrase in Jesus' day. To "loose and to bind" was to allow and forbid, to declare something allowed and to declare something forbidden.

That being said, in our daily lives, we all use contemporary colloquialisms, and we grasp the meaning of those colloquialisms such as "go jump in the lake" or "drop dead" or "get lost" or "go fly a kite." We also know that we are not to take these words literally or we would all get wet as we jumped in a lake or we would all die on the spot as we dropped dead or we would go get lost or we would go buy kites and fly them. We intuitively know that these phrases are slang expressions, contemporary colloquialisms that are not to be taken literally. So perhaps, it the same with this phrase; it was an Aramaic colloquialism to grant forgiveness or withhold forgiveness.

So what do you think about all this? I can't tell you how the disciples felt that day when Jesus asked these two questions in the city where shrines to various gods were built right next to each other, each with their own separate keys; the keys for the shrine to Pan; the keys to the temple to Caesar; the keys to the local shrine for the local deity. So, I wonder if part of our problem today is that you and I are key holders to the church of the risen Christ. And, as keepers of the keys, we have keys to this church which means, we do not have the keys to the Crestholme Presbyterian or to Highland Hills Baptist or Saint Margaret Mary or Holy Name Roman Catholic churches. I don't have keys to any of those places and to honest I am very thankful that I do not.

So many keys too so many churches each with stuff to protect, slows the church to the pace of a turtle, making us careful not only to distinguish ourselves, but protect what we have, lest we open the door to someone who doesn't look like everyone else around here, lest we open, for example, and actually celebrate the gifts for ministry of those who are gay and lesbian and invite them to "forgive our hard hearts and to come back home." Or we open the doors to someone else we may not like or agree with.

But that's the problem in this world that you and I live in. We don't have to worry about keys of the kingdom we worry about many, many more and forget that these keys Jesus promised are not to be a cause for concern but as a reason for celebration and liberation. The keys Jesus promises are more mystical than mundane, cut to holy precision to open up the grace-filled, doors-wide-open reality of God; huge keys not to be held in our pockets, purses or in our minds, but to open the most intimidating doors and razor-sharp keys to break loose windows that have not been open for years.

The keys Jesus promises are meant to unlock the world's longing for celebration and liberation. All around Jesus that day where choices of various keys to the shrine of Pan, the god of having fun, there were keys to the temple of power and money found in the temple to Caesar Augustus. But, Jesus was asking the disciples not how many keys do I have or how well am I protecting what I have but what kind of keys do I have? Who is Jesus the holder of the keys? What is your confession? Amen.

Faithful Change – 8/14/2011

Matthew 15: 21-28

Who was the first missionary? Now before you answer, I should tell you that I am asking a trick question. This should not be so surprising when we consider that the first real missionary, and the one who had to start from absolute scratch, was none other than --- Yahweh. When God spoke to Abram and Sarai --- later Abraham and Sarah --- it was not just to convey that they would receive an inheritance of land and children. But more importantly God had to introduce a whole new concept to humanity --- monotheism.

God's task was not to teach those ancient people knowledge of yet another deity --- a task that would have been a great challenge in itself --- but to introduce a whole new concept to humanity ---- monotheism. The whole idea of only one God was considered ridiculous --- indeed atheistic --- by ancient peoples who perceived their world as one filled with evil and benevolent spirits. Furthermore, once it was taught, God had to constantly remind the people that there was only one God and God was the name. As difficulties arose, as people moved and encountered other people and cultures, Abraham and Sarah and those who followed would constantly struggle against what are termed "false idols" and other gods. Remember these words; "you shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

As you read the Old Testament you can see how this concept of one God was slowly nurtured in the people's hearts. That's why the words, history and stories of people's faith found in the Old Testament seems so foreign to us in the 21^st century because God accepted the early Israelites at the level of understanding they were able to muster, starting within a people's framework of understanding. For example, do you remember the famous story of Jonah? What we seem to forget as we struggle with the image of man being swallowed by a whale is that Jonah tried avoid following God's command. Jonah tried by running away from God's territory because Jonah thought he could escape by going into the territory of some other god. Jonah assumed that the God he followed was only for his land, so when you traveled to another land there would be a different deity. We sometimes forget that that the early Israelites had a less than ideal understanding of God, but the important issue is that God was willing to accept them as being valid starting points in their understanding of his true nature.

What does this tell us? God as missionary nurtured these early followers in their faithfulness, gradually opening their minds and hearts to larger and more complete portraits of truth. God is willing to accept people at the point where they are, with the understanding that they have, and to transform those concepts.

Why is this important to remember, because in today's gospel I believe at times we may become to myopic --- narrow in our vision --- of what is happening.

Consider the story carefully. Jesus is recorded to be confronted by a Canaanite woman who is chasing after him asking for his help. And at that moment when she is in the greatest need, we find out that Jesus does not respond out of love and compassion but responds in a very seemingly cold-hearted way. What is going on here?

First of all, we have to recognize the fact that this was not just any woman --- this was a Canaanite woman. In the time of Jesus, a Canaanite would not have been considered within the circle of monotheism. She would have been thought of as a person who would be suspected of worshiping other and thus false gods.

The second aspect of this event is that she is a woman. In ancient Israel as is true among many in the world today, the place of women in leadership within religious life was not recognized. Women were not to speak of such things. In the time of Jesus, most particularly, women were still considered the property of their families, or their husbands.

The other part of this event is that this woman is pushy. When a man speaks out, that man is often considered decisive or leader-like. When a woman speaks out, she can be accused of being nagging, pushy, annoying or uppity.

So what about this uppity Canaanite woman who may believe in many gods? She presses Jesus so much that his very disciples say, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." Now, notice the response that our Lord gives. It may seem bizarre for we think, surely, Jesus will be compassionate to her.

In his encounter with the faithful, forceful Canaanite woman, Jesus is able to take the information and insights she provides and apply them to the existing premises and perceptions. Because Jesus is fully human and fully divine, Jesus can change, grow and adapt to the people, environments and challenges he encounters to continue the missionary purpose of God. To accuse Jesus' mission of having a set, static form is tantamount to accusing Jesus of preaching a dead faith.

Jesus is continuing the long standing practice of God as missionary that makes possible the change of status of Gentiles in mission. Jesus does not compromise the special nature of his relationship with Israel. Jesus changes his mind, but he "keeps the change."

Jesus constantly responded to the power of God's presence throughout the course of his ministry. For Jesus, God's purpose remained a consistent, guiding force, but one that was revealed more fully and coherently as his life and ministry progressed. "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" not only as a child but throughout his life but to the cross and through the resurrection for the express purpose of teaching about God. This event in the life of Jesus was another in those many episodes where God uses where people are at, including Jesus, too grow.

The task continues with us. Are we willing to "change our mind but keep the change?" We are about an important task, to continue the missionary work begun by God. First, to teach that there is only one God. There are many who follow other gods, money, alcohol, drugs, the self, power, the list goes on. Second, are we willing to meet people, each other and those around us --- where they are at? Are we willing to change and open our doors ever wider to the new "Gentiles," the outcasts, the outlaws, the outsiders? For example, how many women are there denied opportunities to serve in the fullness of ministry simply by gender? How many women are there in the world around us that because they are women of color or women from marginalized communities are driven out and kept aside and told that they have no place?

His disciples underestimated, Jesus underestimated, and perhaps you and I have underestimated those around us. For this woman in our gospel was not just a Canaanite someone who supposedly believe in false gods, she was not only a woman trying to have her voice heard; she was something else. She was a mother. She was not coming to Jesus Christ asking for something for herself but for the child she loved. Out of faith, that depth of love would not be denied.

In our confession of faith, we believe that there is only one God. It is a God that loves us and cares for us deeply. A God that will not be denied, but a God that is willing to work with any person where ever they are at including Jesus, his own son, for the express purpose so that God's love will never be denied and that it will known by all. Amen.

Elijah – 8-7-2011

1 Kings 19: 9-18

What are we doing here? Why did we come to church this Sunday? Think about it for a moment. Of course we are allowed to say, "because the Bible commands it"--- if we have to--- but let us please try to dig a bit deeper than that. If we think the Bible commands it, why does it command it?

Perhaps, we come to worship for the fellowship, but that reason also demands further exploration, what kind of fellowship are we seeking and do we get it. And of course there are could be other reasons as well. We like the interaction, dialog, and learning we find with the others who are present. Or perhaps we like being challenged to rise above where we are and to continue to give our all to Christ. Or we enjoy the sense of being filled by God to help empower and strengthen others. Or we like the rhythm of music, God's word, and liturgy and want to be fed. And there are many other good and wonderful reasons --- and a combination --- why many of us come to worship. Nevertheless those responses do not necessarily answer the question, what are we doing here?

I wonder about that question ---"What are we doing here"---because I think there may be some of us who come to worship because we may feel like Elijah. Perhaps we have been diligent for the Lord, working tirelessly in our congregation and homes, our place of employment or study, expending great amounts of time and creative energy, and it looks like our hard work is really about to pay off in a big way. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, something happens and everything goes wrong, leaving us feeling dead in waters of despair. If that's the case, take heart because we are not alone. Life can be tough, decidedly not fair, and fraught with difficulty, but there's some hope, good news, for God's people in this week's Old Testament lesson that will help us understand our motivations.

Let's start by setting Elijah's current predicament in context. God's prophet has run afoul of Ahab, the King of Israel; because he confronted King Ahab and relayed God's instruction to Israel that unless the people repented the country was to have a devastating drought. Well you can imagine the response. Never mind that it was the king's rotten decisions, poor choice of a spouse, and blatant idol worship that kindled God's anger. The messenger, Elijah is blamed for the drought. So now three years later at God's instruction, Elijah returns to confront Ahab and the prophets of the idol Baal --- complete with prophetic pyrotechnics, a slaughter of the 400 false prophets, and some really fast running. One would think Elijah would be sitting pretty, but the queen of the land Jezebel, responds with a death threat that sends Elijah running lickety-split for his very life.

Talk about a depressing outcome! In Elijah's case there is no rest for the weary or the worthy. So Elijah reaches out to his one remaining relationship --- God. Elijah recognizes that God has been with the prophet through it all, providing him food and water during the drought to sustain him even when he abandons all hope. We also hear how God's angel keeps him going until he is able to seek refuge in a cave at Horeb, the mountain of God. So, it is here, exhausted and lacking hope, that we have our reading and find that Elijah is asleep until God wakes him up with a question: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Now that would seem to be an odd question. Doesn't God already know? That may have been your first response when I asked you the very same question at the beginning. But this is not the first time in scripture we get these kinds of questions for example, God asks Adam, where he is and who told him he was naked and had he been eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis 2, even though we know God knows what is in the human heart (Genesis 6:5; 1 Kings 8:39; Psalm 44:21, etc.) Nevertheless Elijah catches God up on the recent events from his perspective without sharing all the details. Elijah does not say that he is hiding from Jezebel or that he has come to seek God's help and protection.

In turn God instructs Elijah to go stand at the mouth of the cave. God responds to Elijah's self-assessment with self-revelation. First God displayed historic and traditional signs of God's presence, a windstorm, an earthquake and fire. But God was not present among the usual suspects. Instead there was --- translating from Hebrew --- a sound of a fine silence. And that is where Elijah encountered God.

Isn't this amazing! But this is what makes this so interesting, because God asks Elijah again what he is doing there. Is God expecting a different answer? Do you remember how the Bible describes the face of Moses after he encountered God up on another mountain? We are told that the face of Moses shone so brightly that people asked Moses to wear a mask or veil because his face was so bright. But Elijah --- Elijah is unmoved, untouched --- doesn't even say thank you. Elijah indeed again recounts his hard luck tale of how serving faithfully as God's prophet has landed him in a mess of misery.

Elijah's experience with God has not changed him. Elijah is a person unmoved by God's presence. That is one reason out of many that I do not accept the notion of some Christians who are unhappy that they are not moved by worship or reading the Bible or prayer as if somehow God is absent. Elijah was not moved by his experience! So what does that tell us? Maybe we are too self absorbed to be open!

What are you doing here? Elijah saw, heard and experienced God in fantastic ways. Furthermore, the power of God flowed through him to work miracles that were unequalled by anyone before him. Yet Elijah was essentially unchanged by this incredible encounter with God. It kind of reminds me of those few people who still believe the world is flat even after seeing those wonderful pictures of this blue earth from space.

So what did God do? Instead of responding with a pat on Elijah's back or an "at-a-boy," or things will get better Elijah just you wait and see, God fired him, or at least announced his retirement. God's words to Elijah are that God does not need Elijah; God has untold thousands-upon-thousands of faithful servants on whom God can depend.

We do not know how Elijah reacted to being laid off --- the command to anoint another prophet to take his place in verse 16. It may have been quite troubling because the monarchs whom God was firing/retiring/replacing, Ben-Hadad of Aram and Ahab of Israel were to be killed. Nonetheless, Elijah accepts his assignment from God, knowing that his time as God's prophet is drawing to an end, but not knowing what that end will be. Life goes on Elijah; there is work to be done, and God is in control.

Now I don't know about you but I think this whole episode and Elijah's experience interesting for us because we need to ask ourselves that very same question God asked Elijah, what are you doing here?

Today's Old Testament lesson reminds us that even prophets mess up, become discouraged, and fail to comprehend the ways of the Creator of the Universe. Elijah, for all the amazing acts he was empowered to do, all that he has experienced, all that God had done to care for him, even to point of allowing Elijah to experience God's presence, was only one small part in the all-encompassing divine story that continues today. It is not about you. It is not about me. It is about God.

God's kingdom comes and God's divine action continues with us and sometimes in spite of us. It is wonderful news that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are God's agents of mercy and love in this world, but we are not God. In other words one of the most important answers to the question of what I am doing here is the reminder that God does not rely on me; I rely on God, with the knowledge that God will not abandon me. It is wonderful to know that God is be worshipped, we are never alone, and no matter how we feel, God shows us love and grace.

So sure you and I may come to worship for many different reasons, and those reasons are valuable and important, but here's the message of hope for our day: no matter how discouraged we are, no matter how insignificant and ill-prepared we feel in our discipleship walk, and no matter how insurmountable the odds may seem, we are not alone.

God is here. The question that needs answering is where are you, and what ARE you doing here? What's going on in your life? Because when we begin to answer that question, honestly and truthfully, perhaps we will be open to God's presence all around us, even when all we hear is silence. Amen.

Repeat – 7/31/2010

The following is not a repeat but very similar to a sermon I preached in 2008 based on Matthew 14:13-21. Thank you.

As some of you know, over the 4^th of July weekend my sisters and I had a celebration for my father who celebrated his 81^st birthday and 50^th year of ordination. We celebrated the events in various ways. One way was to have a gathering with family from around the United States here in San Antonio.

Now there are many joys about meeting those that one has not seen for awhile. One of the joys is catching up on what has happened in their lives and sharing about our experiences during the absence. But I have to admit that one facet of getting together again that I both enjoy and dislike is telling and hearing those old stories.

When we get together with certain people, the conversation will get around to a story that may begin with, "Do you remember that time when...." and people will start to groan or chuckle.

The gospel for today is a much loved event about Jesus and his disciples that was and is told over and over again. We can say that because there are some events and lessons which are told only one time in the gospels.... such as the story of the Good Samaritan, told only once; the story of the Prodigal Son, told only once; the story of the Sheep and the Goats, told only once.

But today's miracle, called the feeding of the five thousand, about the five loaves and two fish, is not told merely once, not twice, not three times, but four times in its variations. It is the only miracle outside of the resurrection which is told in its fullness in all four Gospels.

Now, why is this story told over and over again?

First let's review, according to the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist had just been beheaded. John was a moral force, a spiritual force, a prophet in the land of Israel, one that some suggested had not been experienced for four hundred years. He was the person that many looked to for moral and religious inspiration and had his own disciples … and he was just beheaded by King Herod. Many were stunned by this tragedy, including Jesus, who had been baptized by John.

Not surprisingly, Jesus wanted to get away by himself to grieve, to pray, and to remember. He wanted to get away to a lonely place and the fastest way to do that entailed getting into a boat to sail across Lake Galilee to a remote point, to be alone and grieve.

Well that did not happen because the crowds followed along the shoreline, keeping a determined eye on his boat. An unanswered question is if the crowd could follow Jesus along the shore, Jesus must have been able to see the people. So why didn't he somehow avoid the crowd? Either way, when Jesus' boat landed, we are told that many of the crowd had already arrived, with more to follow, up to 5,000.

What was Jesus' reaction to the thousands who had shown up? Jesus' first response, after getting off the boat, was to look on the massive crowd with compassion. He taught them and he healed them. Well as you can imagine, to work through a crowd of thousands meant that the day quickly passed. It got to the point, evening, when the disciples encouraged Jesus to end the time and disperse the crowd.

Instead, Jesus responds by replying "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." At which the disciples reply: "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish." With that Jesus gathers that donated food, directs the crowd to sit down, gave thanks for the food and broke the loaves which are then given out to the people. The miracle is that everyone has something to eat ending in leftovers.

Again, that miracle with minor variations (outside of the resurrection miracle) is the only miracle that is found in all four gospels. Why? This miracle seems hardly to match the importance of the resurrection. What is it about this event that meant this repetition? Let me give you several suggestions that I have found thought provoking.

First, is the interesting statement and question asked of the disciples "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." In another gospel the giver of this food is identified as a young child. That detail simply leads to an important reminder --- the strength of simple gifts.

"You give them something to eat." The disciples immediately begin to think practically as they do the math and realize that they don't have the resources to do the job. Their own food supply donated by a young child, is pretty meager, just five loaves and two fish, even for the traveling group with Jesus, which basically amounted to "nothing" in the face of such a huge crowd.

The disciples had crunched the numbers, added up the logistical formula, and it just doesn't work. But there is more to the statement from Jesus than that. In the training manual for Ritz Carlton Hotel employees, there's a maxim that says, "If you see a problem, you own it." To say, "It's not my problem" or "It's not my job" is not acceptable. If you see it, you own it — you take responsibility for solving it.

Take responsibility even when the odds are impossible! Jesus seeks to teach them a different kind of math based not on addition, but on multiplication. However, to have the multiplication happen not only takes the power of simple gifts and responsibility, but it takes surrender to God.

How did Christ feed all those people with so little food, with merely five loaves and two fish? One possibility is that the loaves continually multiplied, endlessly, so that the loaves themselves experience transformation and become an endless supply of bread. But another possibility is that what was transformed was not the bread and fish but the hearts of thousands; that when these thousands saw the example of Jesus trusting God, giving thanks and dispersing five loaves of bread and two fish, these people were inspired to look inside their coats and share the food that they brought with them, food that had been hidden inside their clothing, just for themselves. Either way, the mechanics of the miracle are not as crucial as use what is given, responsibility and surrender to the work of God in our lives.

A second reason why this miracle is recorded in all four gospels could be because the memory of this miracle helped the disciples understand a later meal, the Last Supper. The liturgical references seem clear. Jesus took the bread...looked up to heaven ... gave thanks ... broke the bread ... gave it to his disciples ... who gave it to everyone ... and they all ate and were satisfied. These actions seem parallel to Holy Communion.

But there's even more than the obvious wording. The verb used in Matthew verse 19, translated as "gave them" suggests not once but many times. In other words, Jesus "kept giving" broken bread and fish to his disciples. So that small amount of bread and fish multiplies into a feast that feeds the whole crowd, and there is even some left over — no scarcity, only abundance! A meal that keeps giving!

A pastor was used to breaking and giving out little pieces of bread until one Sunday when a little girl about 3 years old came to the front of the sanctuary with her mom to receive Communion. The pastor knelt down beside her and said, "This bread means that Jesus loves you very much" and gave her a little piece of the loaf which she promptly wolfed down. But, instead of moving down the line, she held out her hands again and looked at the pastor with hopeful eyes and said, "More?" We need to be able to ditch the diet of scarcity and enjoy the bigger hunk of grace God offers us in Jesus Christ.

Besides the reminder of the power of simple gifts, the need to take responsibility and the challenge to surrender to God comes the acknowledgement that with God there's always more — more grace, more love, more room, more of everything and it keeps coming and is always given. God takes the smallest that we can offer and multiplies it into more than we can fathom.

The miracle today seemingly was an old favorite of the first disciples and early church, and told over and over again. Possibly this miracle resonated with the first disciples reminding them of experience where they witnessed first had the compassionate, loving Son of God and the essence of God's abundant grace and generous gifts to us.

And there can be one final reason why this miracle is in all four gospels. That miracle is not just for the past. Jesus says to us, "You give them something to eat." Let us give thanks for simple gifts that as measured by logic and reason are not up to the task at hand. Let us take responsibility for the challenges before us but let us also remember that in the bread and wine, God promises to do the feeding. Amen.