The Rev. Robert Lundquist Lent IV 3/26/06 St Paul’s, Ft Collins

Abundance. God’s super-abundance. “Is it too good to be true?” Do we trust it?

So this multimillionaire returns to the church of his youth. Everyone was impressed, and he was urged to speak to the congregation. “I owe everything I have to God. God blessed me because I gave everything I possessed to the Church.” A voice called out from the back, “I dare you to do it again!”

God’s abundance – too good to be true? Trustworthy? In today’s Gospel lesson we encounter the young boy who gave all he possessed – or at least his lunch for the day, his daily bread. You see, Jesus’ preaching was attracting many, attracting thousands. Perhaps Jesus wondered, “Are my disciples paying attention?” He had spoken of the birds of the air, how they neither toil nor spin, yet God feeds & clothes them, and how much more valuable are we to God? Jesus had taught them to pray for daily bread. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan noted that slaves, soldiers and laborers were given enough food for the day every morning – daily bread. And the word translated as “daily” appears only here in all the Greek testament. I suppose one would have to trust one’s employer or master on a daily basis.

This is what Jesus has been teaching his followers. Seeing the crowd coming toward him, he turned to Phillip and asked, “So, where should be shop for these folks, Phil?” Now Phillip strikes me as the kind of guy who would have a calculator on his wristwatch. He says, “Too expensive, Lord – we can’t do it.” Phillip doesn’t get it, Jesus’ lessons about God’s abundance. But Andrew pipes up, “We’re got a lad here with 5 loaves and 2 fish – but that won’t be enough.” Andrew almost gets it, but gets caught in the mindset of scarcity. He gives the classic “Yes/But” answer. “That’s a great idea, but we can’t swing it,” he seems to say.

Daily bread. It’s enough. Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and gives. Take note, because this is what goes on in our worship and in our lives, over and over. It’s the story of abundance, God’s gracious generosity. Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and gives. We see it in our Eucharist:

He takes the gifts we offer. God’s grain planted, grown, harvested, ground and baked into bread. God’s grapes cultivated, picked, crushed, and fermented into wine. God’s gift of our selves, our souls and our bodies. On God’s behalf Jesus takes these gifts we offer.
Jesus blesses the gifts, making holy all that we give. “Now bless this bread and wine, that they may be the Body and Blood of Christ.” What we offer, all of it, is made sacred in the blessing.
He breaks the bread – Christ broken for you on the cross, the Body broken to be shared. Christ died and risen. Over and over we are broken, and over and over God is merciful, generous and compassionate.
Jesus gives “the gifts of God for the people of God.” Daily bread for 5,000, from 5 loaves & 2 fishes. He shows us a God who can’t help but be overflowing in generosity. It is literally too good to be true. And yet…

Then we see what is perhaps an even greater miracle. “Gather up the leftovers, so that nothing may be lost.” That nothing may be lost – not you, not me, no one and nothing is to be lost. 12 baskets are filled with the leftovers…

Author and Christian mystic Evelyn Underhill wrote that what we call baskets were actually more like satchels, the sort that people like the disciples carried, that could hold food for a one-day journey. Not a scant amount, enough to fuel a day’s travel. There were leftovers for 12 in all, 1 per disciple. They each received their daily bread – and a lesson. “Give without reserve, and your lunchbox will be full.” Do you believe that? Do you live it? It is a radical trust, this whole notion of daily bread.

God gives abundantly, God gives obscenely and outrageously. Can we ever stop being surprised at God’s generosity? And the stewards of God (that’s you and me) are to give as God gives. We are to conserve as Jesus instructed his followers, that no one and nothing may be lost.

For the bread we share today, and every day, comes from one of those satchels of leftovers. Have you ever considered that? Our daily bread began centuries ago with those leftovers. We are the richer for “being downstream” from yesterday’s stewards. Our bread today is left over from previous miracles, from earlier believers who followed Jesus’ direction to “gather up the leftovers.”

Believe it or not, you are not the pinnacle of Christianity! In fact, we are living in the first days of the Church, not the last. The Church is young in God’s eyes – “when we’ve been here ten thousand years bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.” This means we have work to do, brothers and sisters. Addressing and ending racism. Reaching beyond ourselves, beyond these walls. Speaking for the Church that God has revealed to and in St Paul’s, a community that brings a fresh and living Word to this part of the vineyard. Praying and planning for this parish community for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years. St Paul’s Church will turn 50 in 4 years. How will we equip ourselves for the next 50?

5 loaves & 2 fish. Offer to Jesus and expect abundance, not scarcity. Whatever you’ve given to be blessed, broken and returned…

I dare you to do it again.

Let us pray, in words from workers in community soup kitchens in Lima, Peru:

God, food of the poor;

Christ our bread,

Give us a taste of the tender bread

From your creation’s table;

Bread newly taken from your heart’s oven,

Food that comforts and nourishes us.

A loaf of community that makes us human,

Joined hand in hand, working and sharing.

A warm loaf that makes us a family; sacrament of your body,

Your wounded people. Amen.

A Parish For All People!