Good morning!
(Sing)*VBS chorus by Josh Baldwin:
I see the evidence of Your goodness,
All over my life, all over my life,
I see Your promises in fulfillment,
All over my life, all over my life
The gospel of John was the last gospel written about 60-70 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. We know there was already a worshipping community that included the Eucharist service. John wants to show the connection between Jesus’ miracles and teaching with these parallels to Eucharist. Jesus’ action in this passage reflects the Great Thanksgiving, which is what the word Eucharist means. Conversely, John is showing how the community reflects Jesus’ miracles. Likewise, we can see our Sunday worship in Jesus’ actions too. There is the same reoccurring theme of God’s Abundance!
I would like to illustrate today’s gospel with these three key words:
The boy, the fish, and the twelve baskets. Boy, Fish, Baskets.
The boy = oblation “gifts” bearers and all of us. Bringing the gifts that we have to Jesus. Jesus’ miracle with the loaves and the fishes, about the size of sardines, is to multiply the boy’s lunch to feed the large crowd and have leftovers. It was Andrew who brought the boy to Jesus. Interestingly – Jesus needs to bless the boy’s items, his offering, before they can be multiplied. We never know what will happen when we bring others to Christ. I have seen incredible outcomes in peoples’ lives
because someone brought them to church. It is all God! That is so God!
The fish = Christ himself. The reason fish is a symbol for Christ is more than the fish being a provision to life. The Greek letters that begin – Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior – form the anachronym – ICHTHUS. The Greek word ICHTHUS means fish.
The 12 Baskets:
The twelve baskets are the tribes of Israel or the vast masses out there to be fed in the world.
-Would there have been enough to feed the masses, with leftovers, if the boy had withheld his lunch?
-Would there have even been this miracle account if Andrew had not taken the boy to meet Jesus?
The new livestream ministry beginning today will do this. We have a little invested in equipment, there is the offering of time from people running it, and then there are those who it will be distributed to. My prayer is that people will be fed whether
they are members who catch the service remotely or newcomers checking out Calvary or The Episcopal Church.
In reading the Ashland paper this week I saw where Reed Sheppard is having an impressive summer in the NBA with the Houston Rockets. One of the things that make Mr. Sheppard stand out is his faith. It is not “in your face” or boisterous but it
is there, and it is shared. The interviewer asks about his good fortune of now playing in the NBA and Reed’s response was, “Chase God and blessings will chase you.” Here is a man who has been taught and understands something
about God’s blessings and the power of saying thanks to God!
Similarly, John’s use of the symbol of the fish means we bring whatever gifts we have, nothing too small, to be blessed = multiplied – to be turned into the provision of the Good News.
A few cameras and necessary gear will turn into more than we can ask or imagine. Our gifts of time, talent, and treasure brought to the Lord’s Table are to be blessed and they will turn into more than we can ask or imagine. Why?
Because there are people’s souls to feed! People will eat about anything to get filled up. But what we need is Jesus!
People will go places that are not good for them if their friends take them there, but what they really need is to meet Jesus!
This is why John puts this last part of the passage here about Jesus’ walking on the water and saying, “Be not afraid.” The only one who can perform miracles like the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on the water is the Lord of all creation.
The water can be dangerous when there are rough winds and waves. But that’s when Jesus appears and agrees to get in our boat rocking back and forth with us and take us sooner than we thought to that safe harbor. Like Moses leading the people through the Red Sea and to freedom, Jesus, the fish, the ICHTHUS, leads us to salvation.
When we think we have little to offer God multiplies our gifts.
When one of us is hungry enough to eat anything – Jesus is the sustenance and strength to truly feed us in every way.
(Sing) I see the evidence of Your goodness,
All over my life, all over my life,
I see Your promises in fulfillment,
All over my life, all over my life.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
