Five thousand came to be fed.
Five thousand came to be led.
With all their hurt,
With all their sorrow,
Jesus gave them hope
For a new tomorrow.[1]

We all hope and pray for God to solve all our problems. We’ll even go out and beyond our routine to find answers. Maybe some of those who attend Church today are like those who came out to Galilee to find a little hope. That eventful day when five thousand men, and an unnumbered portion of women and children, came out to see Jesus, they all had their reasons. They were all curious. They were all wondering if Jesus was “The One.” They wanted to know if he could heal them. They wanted to know if he could fix the world. There were basically two types of people present. Jesus told them all to sit down.[2] There were the “haves” and there were the “have-nots.” There were the ones who believed and there were the ones who doubted. Some were optimists and some were pessimists. There were those who sat in the front and parked in the back; and there were those who sat in the back and parked in the front. You get the idea. There may have been hundreds more who didn’t come at all because they didn’t feel they fit in or it wasn’t their thing. Some believed God didn’t consider them worthy. Others didn’t consider God at all. What makes people come to Christ? Why do so many come to Church while others stay away?

Once upon a time there was a man was in the grocery story. Along the produce aisle, he was recognized by the local pastor. He was a Baptist minister and he asked him, “Why don’t you come to church?” “All I have are my work clothes,” he said, looking down at his dusty jeans, muddy boots and sweat-stained tee shirt. “I can’t come to a Baptist Church like this.” The pastor then collected some nice clothes from the congregation and gave the man quite an upgrade in his wardrobe. Several weeks later the pastor bumped into him again. This time the man wore a pair of khaki slacks, penny loafers and a button-down shirt. “Why didn’t I see you at church?” the pastor asked. “Well,” the man began, “Last Sunday I showered, shaved and put on the clothes you gave me. But I looked so dang good, I decided to go to the Episcopal Church instead.”

It may be argued that we have style in worship but notes on attendance should be taken from the Baptist. There is more to it than our denomination that brings people to Christ. There is more to it than our class or style. One could say that Jesus taught them the virtue of charity that day. Perhaps the first official offering plate of the early Christian church was seen on the banks of the Galilee while a basket with five loaves and two fish went around. Imagine what it took to gather all those thousands of people. He used a quiet voice and everyone waited for a word. He told them to sit. “Sit down.” Sitting made everyone equal. The crippled man, the young child, the expectant mother can now be seen. The tall person in the front did not hide them. Jesus told them to sit on the grass so he could see them. He then told his disciples to feed them. “You feed them.” How is this possible?

How do we feed the mass on Sundays with our main meal? We make small portions. A small wafer taken in hand goes a long way for the spirit. It is sure and sufficient means of being fed by God.

Afterwards, how do we feed so many at our time of hospitality?

We divide portions and give adequate pieces for all to share. Jesus is teaching them that the new tomorrow in which they hoped would be serving each other. The one basket goes around but it doesn’t travel far or quick. That many people realized some had brought much while others had little. They broke off a piece of fish and divided their own bread. They shared among themselves. Could Jesus miraculously allow something to materialize out of nothing? Yes, and that is what happened. People who didn’t know each other, didn’t know themselves, came together, ever so briefly, as a community of those who shared. To behold a new tomorrow, we don’t need to look very far. Who is the type of person who receives God’s word and from that reception becomes a living miracle?

Like the person who sings the psalm this morning, we hear the one who calls out, “Weigh my heart, summon me by night, melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.”[3] Sitting down, we seek hope and wish to be led. To receive God into our hearts in order that He may change us, we need to be melted down. We need to sit and receive His Word. That word is “Love” as it drives the ordinary into the miraculous. It touches the lives of those who genuinely are hungry. Their soul waits patiently upon the Lord. The five thousand were not in a hurry to leave. They were waiting for a Word; A word that would heal them and a word that would give hope.

God doesn’t always give you what you want, but He always gives you what you need. What do you need today? Sit and be fed.

Receive God’s Word and Sacrament to restore your hope in God and your hope in Man. This is what Jesus then told the disciples: “You feed them.” “I have fed you, now you feed them.” With five loaves and two fish, perhaps they thought back to the wedding feast at Cana, or maybe when He commanded them to cast their nets on the other side. They wanted to see that type of miracle, and yet they did, in a new way, they did. The offering basket went around and what came back was amazing; Twelve full baskets.

This is what we see when our offering plates are passed around. We share from our abundance and from our poverty. Monies from that collection should be in abundance if Christ has touched our lives.

This is our hope. When we come here on Sundays we sit down in these pews very much like the five thousand plus at Galilee. Jesus teaches us that the miracle in this world continues to unfold as we give food to the needy from our pantry; when we teach children the stories in the bible in order for them to remember and relate; when we celebrate our baptisms, weddings and funerals. Indeed, there is no other place like this in the world. We are very much like those of that day who followed Jesus.

Five thousand came to be fed.
Five thousand came to be led.
With all their hurt, with all their sorrow,
Jesus gave them hope for a new tomorrow.

[1] The Rev. Jon Roberts
[2] Matthew 14:13-21
[3] Psalm 17:3