One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names with small American flags mounted on either side of it. The seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, 'Good morning Alex.' 'Good morning, Pastor, what is this?' he asked the pastor. The pastor said, 'Well, son, it's a memorial plaque to all the young men and women who died in the Service.' Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque. Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear, asked, 'Which service? The 8:00 o’clock or the 10:30?' Ah, the impressionable faith of a little child.
A few years ago, flight attendants for Southwest Airlines began spicing up their pre-flight instructions to passengers with humor. Soon other airlines followed suit. After all, why talk to passengers when they’re not listening? Here are a couple of classics: One flight attendant began her routine this way, “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.”
Another attendant concluded a flight like this, “As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed equally amongst the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.”
On a recent Delta flight, the pilot announced that one passenger had left his belt and his jacket at the security checkpoint. “Pick them up today,” he said, “or look for them tomorrow on eBay.”
Educator Parker J. Palmer was en route to a conference when the plane he was on made an unexpectedly long layover at an airport. A truck that was supposed to deliver the refreshments for the next leg of the journey broke down. Finally, the pilot decided that it was more important to get his passengers on their way than to wait for the snacks to arrive, so he took off.
As soon as they were in the air the passengers started grumbling. “A ticket is a contract,” one said loudly, “and snacks are part of the contract.” “I ought to sue,” another muttered. A man stood up and said, “I’m a lawyer. How many are willing to join in a class action suit?” A minor mutiny was in the works.
Then something interesting happened. A flight attendant came on the public address system. She began with the familiar information on such flights: “Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned off the seatbelt lights. We have now attained a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet.” Then she said something quite extraordinary: “Having served many of you on the first leg of this flight, I know some of you still have your bags of peanuts, which you stuffed in your pocket. How many do we have? Five? Please open them and share them with the people around you. I’m sure some of you have mints. Would you pass these around, also? Those of you with newspapers, you can only read one section at a time. Spread the other sections around for others to read. Some of you are parents or grandparents. Take out the pictures of your children or grandchildren and show them to others.” With that brief announcement she changed the emotional climate of that flight.
Later, when the flight attendant came near Parker Palmer’s seat he asked her, “What’s your name? What’s the name of your supervisor? I want to write a letter of commendation. That was the best example of group leadership I’ve ever seen.”
To which, she replied, “The loaves and fishes still work.” (1)
Do you know what she was referring to? There are many scholars who believe this is exactly what happened when Jesus fed the great multitude with only five barley loaves and two small fish. People shared with one another.
There are two postures in life: 1) The first says, “What is mine, is mine and I’ll keep it.” 2) The second says, “What is mine is ours and we’ll share it!” Here at RUCC, we do a lot of sharing. But, there is so much more that we are called to do.
You know the story. An enormous crowd of people had followed Jesus out into the wilderness. Evening was approaching. Jesus knew that the crowd would be getting hungry. “Send them away,” advised Jesus’ disciples. “Let them go into the
villages to buy food for themselves.”
“That is not necessary,” Jesus replied, “we can supply them with food.”
Well, you can imagine the disciples’ surprise when he said that. “That’s absurd,” they probably thought. “We barely have enough for us.” One of the disciples, Philip, remarked that it would take more than half a year’s wages to feed a crowd like this. It was out of the question. But another disciple, Andrew, had noticed a young boy in the crowd. And this lad had five barley loaves and two fish.
Now, please do not misunderstand. “Five barley loaves” is not the same as having five loaves of bread. According to biblical scholar, William Barclay, the “loaves” were small--rather like little sandwich rolls. The fish were little salt fish the size of sardines, to act as a relish for eating the dry bread. Very likely the boy had set out for a picnic, had seen the crowds, and had joined them. Most likely, says Barclay, Andrew made the suggestion about the boy and his lunch shyly and with embarrassment. It seemed so utterly inadequate. (2) But they weren’t inadequate. Five rolls and two tiny fish are plenty in the Master’s hand. Indeed, when they were finished distributing the food, twelve baskets full were left over.
How did this happen? How did the Master feed so many with so little?
Some scholars believe the crowd brought food with them, but kept it concealed until this small boy offered to share his lunch and thereby shamed the others into offering theirs. This is the principle to which the flight attendant was referring. When we share, the amount available seems to multiply. You know, if you have ever been to a church covered dish supper, such as the summer gathering this evening at our home, and to which you are all invited, why there is nearly always food left over.
It is significant that all four gospels tell variations of this story of the feeding of the multitude. Matthew and Mark tell some version of it twice (Matt 14:13‑21; 15:32‑39; Mark 6:32‑44; 8:1‑10; Luke 9:10‑17; John 6:1‑15). There are very few miracles that have that level of reporting. That this event occurred can scarcely be denied. The scriptural evidence is overwhelming. On at least one occasion, we can say with certainty, the Master fed a great multitude of people.
Most of us don’t really care how he did this with only five barley loaves and two tiny fish. What is important to us is what this story says to us about the Christ.
First of all, this story shows us Christ’s compassion. In fact the first thing we read in this story is that Jesus, seeing the large crowd of people, “had compassion on them . . .” But we expect that. Jesus came with one purpose and desire--to seek and to save the lost. When he gazed out over Jerusalem, he wept with compassion (Luke 19:41). He knew the heartaches, the headaches, and the hungers that go with being human. And he still has compassion. He still weeps over the plight of his people.
He has compassion because he has been where we are--doubted, denied, betrayed and broken in body. So when we hurt, he understands, for he has been hurt too. That is why in the United Church of Christ we say that, “God is still speaking.”
When Colleen and I came to this church more than five years ago, I was broken, both in health and in spirit. I can tell you that the good people of this congregation loved me back to health. It is a chapter in my life that I will never forget! I also remember vowing to myself when I left my last pastoral assignment that I was never going to allow myself to get this involved in a church ever again!
A man named Freddy came home from church one Sunday. In a fit of rage he said to his wife,”I am never, never going back to that church. The people there do not like me, and I do not like them. I am never, never going back!” His wife looked at him and said, ”Now, Freddy, there are two things that you need to remember: first, you are scheduled to preach there next Sunday, and secondly, you are the pastor of the church!” I suppose that many clergy have had some days like that.
A man named Al Weiner survived the Nazi concentration camps of World War II. He entered a labor camp when he was 15. Years in those camps took their toll. Over time his weight dropped to 80 pounds and he was weak and always hungry. He was slowly starving to death.
In one labor camp he worked in a textile factory. There were German women who worked in the textile factory. They were forbidden from speaking to prisoners like Al. They were not even allowed to look them in the eye. One day a German woman pointed, motioning for Al to go to another part of the room. Al waited until no one was looking and he went to the spot she had picked out. She pointed to a crate and walked away. Al lifted the crate and found a sandwich. A precious, precious sandwich. How we take such riches for granted. Al ate the sandwich quickly while no one was looking. Every day for two months the woman left a sandwich under that crate for him. She risked her life for him. Al says her sandwiches probably saved his life.
Al believes that God used this woman’s heroic and charitable acts to save him so that today he can tell others his story and the story of millions of unfortunate people who were executed by the Nazis. (3)
What would the world be without compassionate people, people who are willing to feel the pain of those less fortunate than themselves? Compassion is a gift from God. What is mine is ours and we will share it!
Meister Eckhart, the 13th century mystic wrote, “You may call God love, you may call God goodness. But the best name for God is compassion.” No one
had more compassion than Jesus of Nazareth--he who lay down his life for troubled, sinful humanity. Jesus is compassionate.
And he is capable. That’s the second thing we need to see. He is capable. Our needs may be physical or emotional or spiritual, but Christ’s power is sufficient. This may be the point at which many of us are missing the joy of our
faith. We believe that God cares about us and our need, but we don’t really believe that He is able to help us. And so we lead joyless, powerless lives. But what good is compassion without capability? He is able! And He is still speaking!
A man named Orion Steen has a slogan emblazoned on the cover of the spare tire on the back of his Suburban Wagon. It reads, “I CAN’T! GOD CAN! I’LL LET HIM.”
Orion had retired from the Honeywell Corporation where he was a successful manager. He was used to giving orders and being in control. Then one day the police came to Orion’s home and arrested his adopted son. Orion didn’t know it, but his son was dealing drugs from the family home. For once in his life Orion faced a situation where he couldn’t call the shots. He was devastated. He went to his church and asked for help in dealing with this heartbreaking situation. Asking for help was unfamiliar territory for Orion. Fortunately there was a group of people in his church who had gone through the same kind of pain in dealing with a family member who was addicted to drugs or alcohol. They met weekly to support one another. This group helped Orion through this situation.
His son was sentenced to five years in jail. Orion visited him every week, but he could not seem to reach the boy with the seriousness of what he had done. After he was released he turned again to selling drugs. Again, he served a five-year stretch in jail. And again Orion visited him every week. This time, however, the young man began to come around. It was in the midst of the second jail term that his son made a decision to surrender his life to Jesus Christ.
Orion said, “I had to learn the hard way that only God can change a person’s life. Only God has the authority to forgive our sins and set us on a new path. That’s why I have the slogan on the back of my car: “I CAN’T! GOD CAN! I’LL LET HIM.” God is still speaking! I try to remember that every day. (4) We have a God who not only cares about our needs but is capable of meeting those needs.
But there is one more thing that needs to be said this morning: note the complicity of the young lad. What if that young man had not been willing to share his five loaves and two fish? Undoubtedly, Christ would still have found a way to feed the multitude, but it does seem to be a clear principle of faith that Christ works best when He has something to work with. It may be fishes and bread--it
might be a tiny baby hidden in the bulrushes--but it’s obvious that God likes something to work with.
Have you ever noticed the excellent messages we read on the backs of our Sunday morning UCC bulletin covers? Most Sundays when I come in and sit down, the first thing that I do is read the back cover. Over the summer weeks, there have been printed several powerful stewardship reflections. On July 13, the message said to us, in part:
“…many of us still act as if our church can run on the same meager, discretionary giving as it did a generation ago. Modern Christians know better.
Today, thoughtful Christians know better. They give more deliberately. The day of fumbling in one’s wallet or purse, and putting whatever we find this time in the offering plate, is past. Giving to God is too important for that. Thoughtful Christians prayerfully consider their annual pledge and then write a weekly check to fulfill it.
Thoughtful Christians give off the top and make their annual pledge before considering their other expenditures. The day of paying all the other bills first is past. Christ’s church deserves more than the leftovers.
Thoughtful Christians today give proportionally. The day of arbitrary fixed pledges is past. Round or abstract figures may be tidy, but they aren’t faithful. The Bible doesn’t stipulate an amount; it prescribes a formula – the tithe. Today we understand that ten percent to be a goal to strive for, reach, and, for some of us, surpass.
Thoughtful Christians give from their abundance. The day of scarcity-thinking is past. God has richly showered Americans with material blessings. Often we have turned our luxuries into necessities for ourselves, and done just the opposite to our churches. Thoughtful Christians today generously give not only a portion from their current income, but also from their accumulated assets.
Above all, thoughtful Christians give with gratitude. The day of begrudging the gift is past. Since everything we have comes from God, it is only ours to manage, not to hold. Thoughtful Christians understands the joy that comes from being able to give, and are thankful for it.” What’s mine is ours, and we will share it!
I close with this: You and I live in a time of amazing advances in the world of medicine. So many diseases that plagued other generations no longer are a threat. Mortality rates for common killers like cancer, heart attacks and strokes are declining. Rare genetically based diseases such as the one which took our
daughter’s life nearly eight years ago now, have new hope. When I was invited to attend medical school, both at Georgetown and at Johns Hopkins, some twenty years back, we did not even know for sure where the problem gene was located for Kristy’s disease. We do now. We have animal models that are working, and children are just beginning to receive enzyme replacement and gene replacement therapies which bring hope for sustaining life.
People are living longer and longer. Humanity has been on this planet
thousands of years. The cures we enjoy in our time have been present in nature since the beginning of time. Why are we only now enjoying the benefits? It’s because God, who is the source of all healing, chooses to wait until human beings of their own initiative cull from careful study the causes of the ailments that vex God’s children. These miraculous cures might have been ours hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years earlier. Now we realize that God has intended for us to make life better. Life may best be understood as a partnership between humanity and God. That is true in medicine, and it is true in every part of life.
St. Paul spoke to this in 2 Corinthians 5:18 when he wrote, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation . . .” This is what our purpose is in life. It is to work with God in building a better world, a world that is as God intended it to be. God provides the inspiration, we provide the perspiration. God provides the miraculous power, but someone needs to offer the barley loaves and the tiny fish. Amazing things happen when we share!
Christ has compassion for our needs. And he is able to meet our needs. But Christ needs something to work with. Look at your life right now. Do you have a need? Christ can meet that need. Is there something, though, that you need to place in his hands first, something you can do to help the situation? Look at the needs of those around you. Does someone you know have a need? God can meet that need. Is there something you can offer for God to work with? Orion Steen’s adopted son found Christ in prison. Do you think that his father’s weekly visits over a period of more than five years had anything to do with that transformation? I suspect they were the five barley loaves and the two tiny fish God needed to work a miracle in this young man’s heart. Christ cares, Christ is capable. All Christ needs is for us to
give him something to work with. Then we will see the amazing things God can do. As we come to the Lord’s table this morning, let us remember that the Christ invites us into a partnership with the Lord of all creation. What’s mine is ours, and we will share it! God is still speaking!
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1. As told by Peter L. Haynes
2. William Barclay, And He Had Compassion (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1976, pp. 148-149).
3. As told by Rev. Lorenz Schultz
4. Rev. Randolph T. Riggs, D.Min
