Sermon for Trinity 8

Matthew 14:13-21

Do you have a special place which is just yours and nobody else’s? What about a favourite chair where you can settle down and enjoy a good read and a nice cup of tea or watch a good programme on the TV? Or what about a place where you can go when you need a bit of peace and time to think? Where do you go where you can really open your heart to God? Perhaps it’s here in Church, or in your back garden? Perhaps you go for a walk or even have a long hot soak in the bath? There are times when we all need moments to ourselves and Jesus was no different.

The opening words of our gospel reading this morning were ‘Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.’ Jesus is tired and he is grieving. He’s just heard about the beheading of his friend and cousin John the Baptist and he’s in need of a bit of time out, to be alone, to heal, to rest and to pray.

I think we’ve all probably had moments like that, when we yearn for some solitude… where we can take ourselves away from prying eyes.

And yet, for Jesus, the crowds follow him in their hoards. How would you feel, if crowds of people intruded on your private moments alone?

We are told that Jesus had compassion for them and cured their sick. All other thoughts and emotions evaporated as he saw these people, needing him. He knew that they had deliberately set out to find him. They had left behind their towns and villages and walked miles out into the country to hear what Jesus had to say to them. They were so desperate in their search for him that they came just as they were.

As the day wore on, their Spiritual hunger was joined by the physical hunger for food. They are hungry and miles from anywhere to buy food. The disciples wanted to send the crowds away but Jesus had other ideas. Did you notice what he said to his disciples? He said “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

“You... give ... them... something... to... eat”

I expect their thoughts were something on the lines of “you’ve got to be kidding” but instead they said “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”

I wonder what they expected? I imagine that the last thing on their mind would be that over 5,000 people would be fed with two meagre fish and five loaves. I mean…come on!

But our God is a God of miracles and out of nothing, God creates something. Jesus takes our little, blesses it - and produces fruit beyond anything we could have imagined.

We are always tempted to believe, as the disciples did, that we have nothing to offer when we are faced with overwhelming need. And there’s so much need in the world that there is a helplessness about it. We might shed a few tears or even make a small donation that we know in our hearts won’t make much difference.

This story reminds us that sometimes Jesus is asking us to simply give our nothing—our little loaves and fishes—and then to stand back and believe that 'with God all things are possible.'

One thing is clear and that is that the crowd were satisfied not because of anything that the disciples did but what Christ did. The disciples only did as they were told.

The ultimate question for Jesus’ disciples to answer, both then and now, is not “how much can you give?”  It is:  “how much do you trust in God?”  Faith is not something that we learn in a classroom or even in a church. It is something that we learn in the experiences of life when we follow God without visible means available to us.  

Jesus is the one who gives us the Bread that sustains us through all that comes our way. Because he feeds us we are strong enough to face whatever life throws at us because nothing can separate us from the love that Jesus has for us.

The chances are that you are here this morning because you believe that… or perhaps…you want to believe that. There’s also a world out there who is hungry for God. They have a real need to see for themselves the evidence that God is real and that he can feed their soul. People tell me all the time that they have a faith, the problem is that they’re not sure what to do with it.

Our God of Jesus knows no limits, he delights in feeding all who seek him out. He takes whatever is available to him and uses it for great good which far outstrips our expectations. He involves his followers in the work of preparation and distribution, regardless of their experience.

Without God’s intervention, the disciples would have opted to leave the crowds to their own devices, for them to figure it out for themselves and to find their own food.

Jesus blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples shared the food with the crowds.

Then they were fed, both physically and Spiritually.  I think of being fed Spiritually and automatically I think about Holy Communion. This morning is a Communion service and I’ve noticed that attendance is always a little higher than when it is a service of the word. We’ve had, and continue to have a difficult time because of Covid 19. For weeks on end, we have not been able to physically receive our weekly Communion and even now, it is of one kind only.

Like you, I greatly value being fed by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ but we have to remember that there are many ways that we can be fed and sustained by Christ. (Wish I had a flip-chart!)

It might simply be to do as Jesus did and to find some time for yourself…in your special place…or your favourite chair where you can settle down and enjoy a good read with a nice cup of tea… or watch TV…or soak in the bath….or go for a walk… or simply just be…

…with God.

Amen.