Trinity Metropolitan Community Church of Gainesville (Trinity MCC)

A Child Will Lead Them

Rev. Jim Merritt

July 26, 2009

Trinity MCC Gainesville

Introduction

Good morning, and once again welcome to Trinity MCC in Gainesville. We’re really glad you’re here.

This morning we’ve jumped out of the Gospel of Mark, all the way out of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). And in John we find one of my favorite stories in all the Bible, the story of the feeding of the multitude or the story of the loaves and fishes. So let’s get right to the reading and see how we can apply it to our own lives this morning.

Background

Jesus had been traveling all through the land performing all kinds of signs and wonders. And John gives us the idea that perhaps Jesus is a little tired, that maybe he has given just a little too much without taking a break for himself to rest and regroup. So he and a few of the disciples, just the three mentioned or maybe more, went up the mountain for some quiet time. Philip looks up and panics. He begins first quietly and then louder…”Oh my, look at all those people coming this way. OH MY look at that crowd. OH NO look at that mob.” And he’s walking back and forth pacing wringing his hands in shear panic. Jesus calmly asks Philip where they were going to get food for the people, and Philip is still in a panic – we know people like this. And we can almost hear Philip saying, “Well, there’s just no way. It would cost us six months wages to buy enough bread for these people, and by the way Jesus remember you told us to leave our jobs and follow you so we don’t even earn wages and there’s just no way,” while still pacing and wringing his hands. Jesus stays calm. The gospel writer tells us he already knows what he is going to do. So as the crowd comes closer and gathers around them Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter tells Jesus that ‘s found a little boy who has fish and bread. And you know the rest of the story. Jesus tells the disciples to ask the people to sit down, he blesses the loaves and the fish and he fed the people “as much as they wanted.” Then he had the disciples gather up all that was left, twelve baskets full. And the people were amazed. A little boy’s lunch of bread and fish fed more than 5,000 people from the hands of Jesus. A simple gift made a huge impact. Let’s look at this boy and his gift a little more closely.

The Gift

When biblical scholars look at this story in the original language some very interesting details are revealed. First of all we find that his is more than likely a little boy who was also a slave. He came from a family that BELONGED to another family. This was not a child like most of the ones we see wandering around our city today, this was a slave child. Embrace that with me for just a moment. And lest we dismiss that fact too quickly, let me assure you that although we would like to think slavery is a horrible blight on our past, it is also a horrible blight on our present, too. And I’m not just talking about way off in another country somewhere, I mean right here in our country, in our state and perhaps right here in our city, too. That’s another sermon though, so let me get back to this reading. The little boy was a slave. These loaves were almost certainly the simplest bread available. Even this loaf I have here today to illustrate is probably much better bread than this little boy had to offer. Think of simple bread. For me, I think of what my older relatives called “light bread.” The loaves that you can buy anywhere in the grocery store, in the convenience store, in the drug store, sometimes even at the gas station, and I know some folk like that bread. And we will all admit that it’s simple bread, perhaps similar in quality to this little boy’s bread. And let’s look at the fish. Almost all of our translations say 2 fish. Well, once again, that’s a glamorous picture and what we learn is that it was probably more like the paste of two fish. You see, slaves didn’t get whole fish. Slaves got scraps. They took whatever flesh was still left and made fish spread or fish paste out of it. You know how to do it; you take the best quality food you have when times are rough, and you add fillers to it so it will go a little further. Maybe add a little oil, and a little pickle and if you’re lucky a little onion, and if you’re really lucky maybe add a boiled egg to it and we stretch it out as far as we can make it go. And even this fish spread that I brought today to illustrate is probably much higher quality that what that little boy had to offer on that day on the side of the hill when Jesus needed to feed 5,000+ people. And let me be clear, I am not trying to send us all away depressed this morning. I want us to understand these details so we really get the message of this gospel. A little slave boy gave Jesus his simple basic lunch and Jesus made a miracle out of it. Jesus blessed it and multiplied it and provided food for 5,000+ hungry people. Can you imagine? Five simple pieces of bread and the spread of two fish, given by a little boy; everything he had to give, and Jesus made a miracle out of his gift. Are you with me? Do you hear it?

What gifts do we have to bring to Jesus; even small and seemingly insignificant ones? What will we bring to Jesus for him to use to change the world?

I’ve often wondered what the disciples did with those twelve baskets of food and I will confess to you the bible does not tell us. And if you will allow me a moment of personal vision, I want to share with you what I think happened with at least part of it. I think the little boy took a small basket full of it and went running back into town with it; went running to his family and friends screaming, “I gave Jesus my lunch and look what he did with it. I gave Jesus my bread and fish and look what he did! Try it, taste it, it’s really good and Jesus made a miracle out of it. Jesus fed 5,000 hungry people with it. Come, try it. Look what Jesus did with my lunch!” Imagine it! Visualize it. Hear the sound of that little boy’s voice as he experiences a moment of blessing, a moment of freedom, a moment when the very child of God took his simple lunch and made a miracle out of it. Wowwwwww!

Conclusion

Sisters, brothers, children, what gifts do we bring to Jesus this morning? What simple part of our lives to we offer up for Jesus to use for a miracle? Time, talent, money, YES, we’ve heard about that for our whole lives. I’m thinking a little closer to home this morning. You see in that moment our beloved little slave boy gave up all that he had. Can we share our meals with the hungry? Can we share our clothes with the naked? Can we make shelter for the homeless? Can we offer Jesus some things that really mean something to us? And perhaps more important; can we honor the simple gifts of others who join with us, even when they’re very simple. We’re going to honor the little boy from today’s gospel by using this bread, his bread, for our communion this morning.

A child will lead us and Jesus will make our simple gifts into miracles. Think about it, and God give us courage to follow the child; in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

John 6: 1 – 17

6After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. ²A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. ³Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. ⁴Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. ⁵When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. ⁷Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” ⁸One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” ¹⁰Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. ¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹²When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” ¹³So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. ¹⁴When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

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