The Rev. Robert Lundquist XI after Pentecost 7/31/05 St Paul’s, Ft Collins

“Can God set a table in the wilderness? Is he able to give bread for his people?”

[Unconsecrated hosts are flung upon the congregation…]

“So God commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them grain from heaven. So mortals ate the bread of angels; he provided for them food enough. This is the body of Christ, the bread of heaven. Behold what you are, become what you see…”

And the disciples said to Jesus, “This is a deserted place, and hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves. We’ve lost the number for the caterer and we’ll never be able to provide for them. Send them away!” And Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” YOU give them something to eat.

We Episcopalians are good at liturgical responses. “The Lord be with you. [And also with you.]” See? I want to teach you a new one today, a statement and response that captures today’s lessons very neatly. I say, “God is good,” and you respond, “All the time.” “God is good, [all the time.]”

This goodness is acted out by Jesus today. You see, his disciples were operating under a theology of scarcity. There’s not enough, there’s never enough, there’s too little, we can’t do it.” Jesus is operating from a theology of abundance. Because of God’s goodness, there is enough. You have 5 loaves and 2 fishes, just enough for a family’s lunch? Bring it here!

Jesus then did what we see and participate in every week. He took, blessed, broke and gave. “He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. 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, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” And this way he fed 5,000 men, and if you include the women and children who were certainly present I believe some 10,000 were actually present. There was more than enough. Everyone was fed, everyone was satiated, everyone was satisfied, everyone was filled. “God is good, [all the time.]”

This feeding is the only miracle mentioned in all 4 Gospels, so it can’t be set aside as a fluke, or as not important. And remember, Jesus had withdrawn from everyone to be alone. He was grieving from his cousin, John the Baptizer. He had just learned of his death by beheading in the court of Herod. Jesus needed to be alone. But the crowds followed him. Jesus “had compassion on them,” and began to heal them. We lose something of the original in translation – in truth Jesus’ “guts churned with compassion.” His was a visceral response to the needs, the hunger of the people. I’m sure your compassion is visceral when you see pictures of the starving in Niger, learn of the victims of war and terror, when you hear the stories of those caught in floods or hurricanes. Your guts churn with compassion, and you urgently desire to do something. That’s how Jesus felt.

It’s important to note, however, that it’s the disciples who collected, distributed and cleaned up the feast in the deserted place. I cannot help but think of our equivalent ministries: the Altar Guild, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, chalice ministers, servers and acolytes. Our ingathering for Loaves and Fishes Sunday is magnificent! The food piled around the altar and down the aisles will go to our local feeding ministry, thanks to the children and teachers of St Paul’s organizing our collection. We join churches across our Diocese in offering our collection to the hungry during this, the lowest time of year for food banks everywhere. Your generosity is wonderful to behold – it takes a recognition that disciples carry out the feeding ministry to carry out this feat. Because “God is good, [all the time.]”

God’s disciples – you and I – are called to partner with God in this work. I heard a story years ago about a village in Central America that asked their young people to create a statue of Jesus for the town square. After much prayer, thought and work, the day came to unveil their creation, kept secret until that moment. When the statue was uncovered, the people gasped. It was a stature of Jesus… but without hands. Looking up to heaven, Jesus’ arms stretched out… and ended with his wrists. “What sacrilege is this?” asked the townspeople. “How can you desecrate our Savior?” The youths looked at each other in puzzlement before responding, “We showed Jesus this way because we are his hands in the world, and we never want to forget.”

In today’s Gospel Jesus depends on the disciples to collect and distribute the meal. Remember how Jesus, in raising Lazarus, called on those present to “Roll away the stone,” and to “Unbind him.” Here is the One with power over life and death, and he needs help rolling boulders and unwinding bandages? No, Jesus was partnering for ministry. God is always waiting for us to partner in the Divine plan. The feast was catered by the disciples, and it was extravagant! Everyone was fed! Compare with Herod’s feast – held in a lavish court, of course, a court filled with greed, deceit and murder. It was the place in which John was slain for entertainment. But at Jesus’ banquet, everyone was more than satisfied. Because “God is good, [all the time.]”

So, partner of God, what are you going to do? Open you eyes to God’s abundance in the world! How will you care for it? For you have been made a steward in your baptism. You are the Body of Christ – behold yourself in the host, the manna, the symbol of God’s love in the world. Become the Body of Christ, which you see within you and around you in every moment. “God is good, [all the time.]”

God rains down upon you, upon us, the bread of angels, the grain from heaven. There is more than enough. All the time.

Amen.

A Parish For All People!