(Mark 6: 30-44)
In the Gospel of Mark, we learn of the feeding of the 5,000, which was probably closer to 20,000 when you factor in the women and children. This miracle is the only miracle found in all four gospels, and to get a complete picture it’s a good idea to read all four accounts. In Mark’s account we learn that the apostles had just returned from their individual mission trips and were reporting back to Jesus. When word got out that Jesus was in the area people started showing up to hear him teach and maybe witness a miracle themselves. Jesus knew they needed some time to rest so he took them by boat to a quiet place where they could decompress. Too late, as many already knew about Jesus and the word spread quickly to the point that when they landed on the other side a large crowd was already gathering. Mark tells us that when Jesus saw the large crowd, he had compassion for them as they were like sheep without a shepherd, so he began teaching them many things as the crowd grew larger and larger. When it got late in the day some of the disciples came to Jesus urging him to send some of the people away so they could find food in the nearby villages. But Jesus answered; You give them something to eat. They replied that it would take eight months of a man’s wages to purchase that much food and asked if they were expected to spend that kind of money on bread to feed the crowd. So, Jesus sent them out into the crowd to see what food was on hand and the disciples returned with five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus had the crowd sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties, broke the bread and gave thanks, giving them to the disciples along with the fish to distribute to the people. After everyone ate their fill, they gathered up twelve baskets of leftovers.
Yeah, I know, sermons on the feeding of the 5,000 have been done countless times over the last 2,000 years, so what’s new. Not much really other than from my point of view Jesus commands us to feed the hungry, and in so doing, He counts on us being resourceful and also good stewards of that which we’ve been entrusted, and that we put it to the best possible use. Sure, he could feed the hungry, clothe the naked and house the homeless with the wave of his hand, but he has charged us with the task of tending his flock. He wants us to be creative and think outside the box.
When I started taking Certified Lay Ministry classes six year ago, I didn’t know what to expect. I figured I could use what I was learning to help out my home church and pastor. Imagine my surprise when the District Superintendent approached me and said I was ready for my own church! I was so excited I could barely contain myself. Teresa was somewhat concerned but I’m sure she just saw it as another turn on the Rosekrans rollercoaster of life. The District Superintendent didn’t tell me what church he had in mind, which really added to the anxiety as we were quite comfortable where we were living in Port Townsend. Would this mean another move? When the DS told me that I was being assigned to Community United Methodist Church there was some relief and an added level of anxiety. Relief that we didn’t have to move, but an anxiousness over being assigned to a church in a county that had just voted me out of office. Rejection is a tough thing to get over. Was I looking at another rejection?
Well, one sunny Saturday I was introduced to the Staff-Parish Relations Committee by the DS as the new pastor. After a few polite comments and answering some questions the DS left me to get to know my church. Of course, they had concerns and questions, but I think they were relieved that I was in-county and would be more readily available than a part-time pastor who lived out of the county. They wanted to know what kind of ministry I envisioned for their church. I told them that based upon my 7 years as a prosecutor in Jefferson County I was well aware of some of the problems of the Tri-Area that were not being addressed and that these issues were ones in which a church should be involved. I asked them to give me six months to get my feet on the ground, see what was possible, and where we should start. Six months later I came back to the Administrative Council with a proposal. I said we needed to start giving money away and that I was pretty sure we could afford it. We couldn’t afford not to. I recommended three non-profits that I felt we should financially support; Tri-Area Food Bank, Ecumenical Christian Helping Hands Organization (ECHHO), and Olympic Community Action Program (OlyCAP). They agreed and we started out small giving a minimum of $100.00 a month on a rotating basis so that each entity could expect a minimum of $400.00 a year. The congregation responded in kind and we have performed nothing short of our own miracle giving away tens of thousands of dollars over the past four years.
Now, we don’t do it to gloat, to pat ourselves on the back, to make ourselves feel good about ourselves as Jesus cautioned against in Matthew 6: 1-4 where he said; Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. We do it to meet the needs of those who need help, the needy, and we do it to call attention to the problems many in positions of authority either refuse to acknowledge or have just given up because the problems are just too big. And Jesus and his contemporaries faced the same issues we are facing 2,000 years later. Governments that are more interested in taking care of those who can take care of them, and churches that are inwardly focused. So, rather than sitting back and saying that somebody oughta do something, we created our SODS mission effort, Somebody Oughta Do Something, and became the somebodies who do something.
And, out of that ever-growing mission effort we have seen what we can do and that with God, nothing is impossible. We have become more engaged with our elected representatives by writing them letters expressing our concerns as a congregation regarding the issues that negatively impact the least, the last and the lost. We have invited candidates for office to address our congregation via our newsletter to explain their ideas and plans to rectify these livability issues such as living wage jobs and homelessness. We have converted all of our vacant and unused rooms in the church into mission-oriented facilities. We have earned a reputation as “that” church that helps the homeless. We are on the verge of creating a Social Justice Committee that will help us focus more clearly on these critical issues and help us to become an even louder voice for the voiceless. One that gets listened to. And now may be the time when we rethink who we give our hard-earned money to. Now may be the time when we ask whether or not we are getting the loudest bang for our buck that truly helps those who look to us for help and assistance. They have been content to take our money for the past four years and we have to ask ourselves if we are really seeing any return for our investment in the Tri-Area. It’s what John Wesley, the founder of our Methodist denomination would do. And, it’s what the Methodist Church should be doing. In our Book of Discipline in the Social Principles section, in paragraph 162, The Social Community, it says; The rights and privileges a society bestows upon or withholds from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. To me, this statement says that we need to be aware of how our society treats people, and if it isn’t right, do something about it. It goes on to say; We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and physical protection. Nobody should be deprived of these basic unalienable rights just because of who they are or who they are not. In paragraph 163 under the subsection for Poverty it says; As a church, we are called to support the poor and challenge the rich. To begin to alleviate poverty, we support such policies as: adequate income maintenance, quality education, decent housing, job training, meaningful employment opportunities, adequate medical and hospital care, humanization and radical revisions of welfare programs, work for peace in conflict areas and efforts to protect creation’s integrity. This paragraph tells us that we need to get involved because you cannot support such policies by remaining silent. But what about the separation of church and state you might ask? Well, in paragraph 164, The Political Community, under Political Responsibility it says; The strength of a political system depends upon the full and willing participation of its citizens. The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust. Under the section on Church and State Relations it says; The United Methodist Church has for many years supported the separation of church and state. Separation of church and state means no organic union of the two, but it does permit interaction. So, what does all this mean? It means that we use whatever is at our disposal to be effective witnesses in our community for Jesus Christ, and a strong voice for his voiceless children. Because what we do for the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters, we do for him. So as we begin work on our budget and focus for 2021, I’ll be asking our Administrative Council to consider what we’re doing and how we can do it better in and for the community under our charge.
So back to the feeding of the 5,000. What Jesus was originally given seemed insufficient, but in his hands, it became more than enough. We often feel that our contribution to Jesus is meager, but he can use and multiply whatever we give him, whether it is talent, time or treasure. It is when we give them to Jesus that our resources are multiplied. For people who are hungry, homeless and out of work, there is no better way for us to show God’s love to them than to help provide for their physical needs. We need to take confidence in the fact that God will not ask us to do something that He and us together can’t handle. We just can’t let our lack of resources blind us to seeing God’s power. Our greatest strength is in being creative Christians.
Please pray with me.
Blessed Jesus, take our lives and let them be consecrated Lord, to thee. Take our moments and our days; let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take our hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take our feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Gracious Lord, how humbling it is to be entrusted with the care of your most vulnerable children. Grant us the wisdom and courage to step out, to speak out, and to be an advocate for those who do not have a voice. Show us how to best use what we have at our disposal and multiply its use in your name. Keep us mindful that with God, nothing is impossible. Open our minds so that we may be creative in the approaches we employ to lovingly meet the needs of the last, the least and the lost. In your most holy name, we pray, Amen.