WEBVTT 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:10.960 Well, our gospel reading today comes from Matthew chapter 14, verses thirteen to twenty one. 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:18.079 And I invite you to hear now the word of the Lord. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:27.600 Now, when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.359 But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:42.479 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:51.600 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:58.079 Send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves. 00:00:59.039 --> 00:01:03.039 Jesus said to them, They need not go away. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:06.480 You give them something to eat. 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:12.239 They replied, We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish. 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.840 And he said, Bring them here to me. 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.519 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:29.840 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:36.079 And the disciples gave them to the crowds, and all ate and were filled. 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:42.000 And they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:48.079 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:51.359 This is the word of God for us, the people of God. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:54.879 Let us pray. 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:11.280 Oh Lord, we ask that you would speak to us through these scriptures, that you would encourage us and challenge us and inspire us to offer the little we have that you might work your wonders in the world around us. 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:12.719 In Christ's name we pray. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:13.599 Amen. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:27.759 In college, I worshiped and volunteered at an inner city church in Tallahassee, Florida, that was particularly focused on caring for the poor and the marginalized within the city. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:37.680 And as someone who grew up in a stable home with ample food and security, those years were eye-opening for me. 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:45.840 It wasn't just the shock of seeing food and security up close, of seeing how difficult life can be for the working poor. 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:55.199 It was also eye-opening to me to see the depths of their faith and generosity. 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:00.719 There was a woman in the church who we'll just call Mama Z. 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:07.039 And Mama Z was a faith leader in that church. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.360 She sang in the praise band. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.960 She would talk to the people after service. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:15.120 She listened to their struggles. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.479 She just shone with the light of Christ. 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:28.479 She was a single mom of two, working hard to provide food and safety and stability for her daughters. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:32.400 And I admired her immensely for all of these reasons. 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:37.360 And then I learned about what she did in her free time. 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:50.879 Because twice a week, Mama Z would make as much chili or soup as her budget would afford in as many crock pots as she could borrow. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:04:04.240 And she'd make giant platters of homemade cornbread, and she'd towed it all to a park where many of the hungry in the city congregated, and she'd set it up at the same picnic pavilion. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:11.680 And everyone knew that if you showed up hungry, Mama Z would hand you a bowl of something delicious. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:14.479 No questions asked. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.879 I was so intrigued when I heard of this ministry she did. 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:26.240 So I visited once to see how it all worked, and I was amazed at how many people she could feed. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:28.720 The food did not run out. 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:33.040 There was always miraculously enough. 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:42.639 But I watched in awe as I realized she was doing so much more than just providing a nutritious meal because she knew them all by name. 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:44.399 She knew their stories. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:45.759 She would listen to them. 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:47.439 She would pray for them. 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:49.759 She cared about them. 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:54.720 Now, Mama Z had a lot stacked against her. 00:04:55.120 --> 00:05:02.160 There was a lot going on in her life that she could have complained about, that she could have been bitter about. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:06.480 There was a lot that could have made her feel so helpless. 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:11.360 No one would falter if she just threw up her hands in despair. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:24.000 But instead, being the saint of God that she was, Mama Z approached the world like a caring shepherd to a wandering, weary flock. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:34.720 One might describe Jesus as a caring shepherd before a wandering flock in this story from Matthew, the feeding of the 5,000. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:43.199 If you listen closely, you can hear echoes of Psalm 23 in the account of the feeding of the 5,000. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:46.399 Jesus makes them sit in green pastures. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:49.680 Jesus restores their souls. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:56.079 He feeds them and nourishes them and cares for them as a shepherd cares for sheep. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:02.959 This miracle, the feeding of the multitudes, is the only miracle that is recorded in all four Gospels. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:21.199 It was a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry, and I could preach four separate sermons about this story, but today I want to begin by focusing on something you may not have considered, and that is the context of this miracle recorded in Matthew. 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:29.279 Because immediately preceding this story is the story narrating the death of John the Baptist. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:35.759 Now, John the Baptist was a beloved and popular teacher among the Jewish folks of that day. 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:37.519 He was beloved to Jesus. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:41.199 John the Baptist baptized Jesus. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:53.519 And what happened was John was imprisoned by Herod, who was the ruler Rome had put in place over that region. 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:57.920 And Herod was throwing a big banquet, a big feast. 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:09.680 And one of the guests at that banquet connived and schemed until Herod had to promise to kill John the Baptist. 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:19.279 And so John is unceremoniously beheaded, and grief settles across the land at his unexpected death. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:30.160 Upon hearing the news, Jesus set out by himself into a wilderness place, as he often did when he wanted to be alone. 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:35.680 He set out for prayer and solitude, probably to grieve in his own way. 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:49.920 But the crowds of people who heard so much about Jesus, who were so distraught over the death of their beloved John the Baptist, they followed Jesus into the wilderness and sought him out. 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:57.360 The multitudes gathered around Jesus, and this was a gathering of grief and helplessness. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:59.839 What were they to do now? 00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:02.160 Who would teach them? 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:03.920 Who would lead them now? 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:14.240 And surely there was also anger in the crowd at the at the violence that was that was um fell upon John the Baptist. 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:19.839 There was also probably this fear of the violence that could be imposed upon any of them. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:24.079 And so they were there looking to Jesus for what? 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:26.000 For comfort? 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:27.120 For direction? 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.040 Should they revolt? 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:36.639 Maybe they were looking to Jesus to lead them through this valley of the shadow of death. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:46.240 And like Mama Z, Jesus looked out upon this multitude of people with compassion as a shepherd looks upon a beleaguered flock. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:49.759 And notice that Jesus didn't stir them up for revolt. 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:57.840 Rather, Jesus healed the sick and he blessed the suffering and he cared for hurting bodies and souls. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:13.679 And then when evening came, Jesus was still caring for the masses of hurting people when the disciples pulled him to the side and tried to convince him to dismiss the people, to let them go and find dinner for themselves. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:23.360 And when you think about this story from the perspective of disciples, you can understand why they would want to dismiss the people as night fell. 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:28.720 These disciples were likely heartbroken over John's death as well. 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:33.600 Some of them had been John's disciples before they were Jesus's disciples. 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:41.919 Some of them might have hoped that Jesus would use this moment to garner support to overthrow their Roman occupiers once and for all. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:50.720 I mean, Jesus had an army of 5,000 men in front of him who were hurting and angry, but the day slipped away. 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:55.519 And all Jesus did was comfort and heal and pray. 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:59.360 Surely to some of the disciples, this wasn't enough. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:06.960 Surely this wasn't the big statement they wanted Jesus to make in light of the injustice of John's death. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:17.840 And then when they tried to tell Jesus to send the people away so they could all figure out dinner, Jesus did something even more surprising. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:22.399 He turned to his disciples and he said, They don't need to go away. 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:24.000 You feed them. 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:26.799 You feed them. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:37.919 All day long the disciples had been bystanders watching Jesus work his miracles, and now Jesus gives them an impossible task. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.080 You feed them. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.159 How are they supposed to do that? 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:44.879 There were no supermarkets in those days. 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:49.120 There were no Costco platters or$5 rotisserie chickens. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:50.960 They were in the desert. 00:10:51.440 --> 00:11:01.919 They were surrounded by nothing, and all they had was a measly amount of food that wouldn't even satisfy Jesus and his 12 disciples. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:06.639 They said, We have nothing but five loaves and two fish. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:08.320 And they knew that that was it. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:12.159 If they gave this away, they would all be hungry that night. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:17.600 And surely none of this sat well with the disciples, but Jesus wasn't swayed. 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:19.519 He meant what he said. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:21.279 You feed them. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:23.360 You feed them. 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:31.279 You know that feeling of overwhelm you get when you are staring at a problem that seems too big to solve. 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:38.080 I remember the first time I experienced this feeling, I was a child, and my parents told me to clean my room. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:41.200 Any parents out there can understand this feeling. 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:47.039 It was so messy, and as a child, I tried to like stuff it in the closet before, but they always caught that. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:52.320 And so I remember sitting in this room and just feeling so overwhelmed and not knowing where to begin. 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:59.440 And so I just sat there and fought them and pouted until my mom told me to just start somewhere. 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:06.320 The start somewhere in this miracle is the five loaves and the two fish. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:10.799 And I can imagine the disciples felt so overwhelmed. 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:18.080 I imagine they felt how we feel when we consider a weighty problem that just feels out of our control. 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:24.080 Or when we catch up on the news and read about wars and wildfires and suffering beyond our reach. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:32.879 Have you ever considered that we are probably the most informed people ever, with 24-7 news that tells us everything happening across the globe? 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:41.679 But we also might feel more helpless than ever because so much feels so far out of our grasp. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:50.480 That's how I imagine the disciples felt as they scanned the multitudes and took stock of their meager loaves and fish. 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:53.600 But Jesus had compassion on them too. 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:57.600 He helped them out by giving them their somewhere to start. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.320 He said, Bring the food to me. 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:13.200 And then he had the crowds sit down, and he took the food and he blessed it, and he broke the bread and he gave it to the disciples, who then turned around and distributed it to the crowds. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:18.799 And like Mama Z's pot of chili, it never ran out. 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:23.840 Now there are two details in this story that I want to make sure you notice. 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:30.320 The first is that Jesus used the disciples' food to feed the multitudes. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:33.600 He didn't make bread appear out of nowhere. 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:38.240 He didn't snap his fingers and produce two perfectly filleted fish. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:49.679 He used the small amount of food that the disciples possessed, and he miraculously stretched it and expanded it so that it was enough for everyone gathered. 00:13:50.159 --> 00:14:02.159 And the second detail to notice is like the first: Jesus didn't feed the people himself, he fed the disciples, who then fed the crowds. 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:08.960 Jesus was the power source for the miracle, but the disciples were the ones who executed it. 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:15.440 They are the ones who actually passed bread from hand to hand and never ran out. 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:22.000 As Jesus' disciples, we must remember these two important details of the story. 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:37.840 For no matter how wealthy or poor we are, no matter how successful or not we are, no matter how confident or uneasy we are, we will run into situations that we feel ill-equipped to handle. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:50.879 There will be times when we doubt that we are enough, that we have enough to offer to make any kind of a difference. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:57.279 And likewise, there are times when we just want God to fix something. 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:01.759 And all we want is for God to fix it and for us to have no part of the miracle. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:08.639 We want God to intervene to solve that problem or to change that person's heart or to fix that global crisis. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:13.440 So we go to God in prayer and we say, God, such and such is really on my heart. 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:15.120 Will you please fix it? 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:23.519 But rarely do we listen for God's response that probably sounds something like, you give them something to eat. 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:28.720 And like the disciples, when we hear that commandment, we balk. 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:29.919 Who am I? 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:36.399 I don't have the skills or the power or the money or the influence to do anything about this. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:38.879 I only have five loaves and two fish. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:42.559 What's that compared to a problem so big? 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:49.200 And perhaps God's response might be just start somewhere. 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:55.120 A couple of summers ago, I traveled to Kenya with a program called Zoe Empowers. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:16:01.919 And you may be familiar with this program because North Raleigh UMC has been a supporter of Zoe for a while. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:16.639 Zoe is an empowerment model of ministry that goes into the poorest of the poor regions in places like Kenya, and it finds teenage orphans who are responsible for their younger siblings. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:24.320 These families usually have only one meal a day, if that, and it's nothing really nutritious. 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:30.639 Sometimes they have a place to stay that their parents left behind in their death, but sometimes they don't. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:37.279 The kids and these families have no hope, no future to plan for. 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:47.360 But when they enroll in the Zoe program, they begin this three-year process of learning how to become self-sustaining, how to pull themselves out of poverty. 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:53.200 The Zoe teens first start by learning farming techniques so they can farm their land. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:17:00.320 They learn about their governmental rights, and then they get to select a business in which they are a trained, a profession. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:09.200 And after they are trained, they are giving startup money and coaching support so that they can start their own business. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:15.200 I could talk for hours about Zoe, so if you want to talk more about this, let me know and I'd be happy to talk with you. 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:24.079 But for now, let me summarize by saying: after three years, the majority of Zoe teenagers are running successful businesses. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:26.400 They're living in stable housing. 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:30.000 They're eating three meals a day and feeding their families. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:39.519 They're even making enough money to pay the required fees they need to put their siblings through school, a luxury they never had themselves. 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:48.319 It was remarkable to hear their stories, to see their homes, to visit their businesses, to see remarkable things God was doing in them and through them. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:59.759 And I'll never forget the moment we were sitting in a church in a small little village with a group of Zoe teens who were about to finish their third and final year of the program. 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:03.599 Most of them were absolutely thriving. 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:08.640 They selected a representative to tell us his story. 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:20.559 And so he stood up in front of us, and with the translator's help, he told us a tale of heartbreak and loss and hunger and housing insecurity, a tale that broke our hearts. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:31.039 And then he told us about the journey that got him to where he was then, the starting small, with just the small plot of land his parents left them. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:44.319 That small farm produced enough to then buy chickens, which produced enough to buy goats, which produced enough to expand his business into a market, which produced enough to expand his house, and so on and so on. 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:50.720 And then he talked about how he employs other orphans in the village. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:57.039 Kids who were in the same position he was in just a couple of years before. 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:14.799 How he was paying whatever little amount he could from his prophet to give them a good wage so that they could share in the resources and he would share with them the little knowledge that he had gained through the Zoe program. 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:28.720 And all of us American visitors were so touched by his paying it forward approach, and we applauded his efforts and thought, what a special guy, what a unique way for him to offer love to the world. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:46.079 But the translator looked at us and smiled a knowing smile and turned to the 24 other Zoe teens who had not stood up to speak and asked, how many of them employ or house or feed orphans in their village? 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.599 All of them raised their hands. 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:51.680 All of them. 00:19:52.960 --> 00:20:02.640 All of them were sharing the five loaves and the two fish they had, and the collective impact was breathtaking. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:19.599 When I thought of the thousands of Zoe graduates across Kenya, across the world, and the thousands of lives that had been transformed by these kids, five loaves and two fish, I was humbled. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:23.279 Because making big changes doesn't require big acts. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:29.680 The Zoe kids made this parable or this story, this miracle come alive for me. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:35.680 It made the lesson of this feeding of the five thousand come alive for me. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:47.039 Because big miracles begin with small gifts that are offered in faith and compassion for Jesus to put to use. 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:34.400 Amen.