Ninth Sunday of Pentecost
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
So Much from So Little: The Sacramental Quality of Abundance
John 6: 1-13
Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which the challenges you were facing seemed larger than your capacity to deal with them? Sometimes we feel so small, and the problems staring us in the face seem like giants. Your resources just did not add up to the need. Perhaps with the swirl of pandemic, unrest, and political tension, many of us feel just like that. Or perhaps the mountain before us is something much more personal…part of our own individual story. What do we do with that sense that there is not enough in us to deal with the circumstances before us?
There is a story in the life of Jesus that is called the “feeding of the multitude” that dramatically enacts the dilemma of not having enough for the task at hand. Some version of the feeding is found in all four gospels. In the version in John’s Gospel, a large crowd has gathered to listen to Jesus. But because they were in a fairly remote location, the disciples realized that there was no way there would be bread available for so many. But Andrew, one of the disciples, finds a little boy with two fish and five loaves of bread. Jesus blessed the food, and in ways that are not explained to us, there is enough food for the crowd. Such abundance stunned the crowd, and understandably, this became a very well-known story in the community of disciples.
At the very least, this story suggests to us that we may be able to make it after all. We may not have much, but somehow, it will be enough. The question is how that plays out in the real life of the people of God. Have you seen that grace become reality in your life and the life of the community? What did that look like in the everyday graces of your life? Poet David Whyte writes,
"This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.
People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand."
We’ll unpack this in worship on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “So Much from So Little: The Sacramental Quality of Abundance” arising from John 6: 1-13. Also in the service, we will hear a solo from Brianna Murray, have a children’s moment, have hymns, a time of prayer, and celebrate Holy Communion Virtually.
We’ll look forward to connecting with you on the life stream at 10:30 at www.smumc.church.