8th
Sunday after Pentecost
Proper
11
St.
John's, Chicago, IL
In
the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
It's
intimidating. Imagine if there were no
concessions of sale, and half of the fans at Wrigley Field were famished, all
at the same time. And all you have are
five small loves of bread, and two small fish.
You might be looking for a way to sneak out, rather than feed them.
"Hold
on," you say. "Wrigley holds a
lot more than 5,000." Yes, it
does. But our Lord tells us there were
5,000 men in today's text. Women and
children were there in addition, and biblical scholars conservatively estimate
the multitude to have been around 20,000 -- about half of Wrigley's 41,210
capacity.
So
it's intimidating. The disciples are
getting nervous about what to do, and Jesus says, "You give them something to
eat." "Lord! What are you saying?!" The apostles are struck with fear,
overwhelmed. Jesus has just commanded
them to feed the people, and they can do nothing to make that happen.
But
Jesus can. And He does. Your loving Lord multiplies those loaves and
fishes, and gives them to His apostles to give to the people. He had the crowds sit in groups of 50 or 100,
just like synagogs, and receive His nourishment that He gave through His
ministers.
The
Word of the Lord, "You give them something to eat," struck fear in the
hearts of the disciples. They doubted
anything could be done. They lacked
trust that God would provide. They were
so overwhelmed by the gigantic size of the crowd when He gave His command, that
they did not recognize His promise to provide the gifts needed.
You
too. The Word of the Lord can simply
strike fear in you. You often doubt
God. You look at the budget needs at
home and here at church, and lack trust that He will provide. You become overwhelmed by the gigantic size
of debts, and salaries, and governmental mandates that drive up insurance
costs, that you do not recognize His promise to provide the gifts needed. Your trust in Jesus as your provider
falters. You hear the news of disturbed
gunmen, and become fearful of something as simple as going to the movies.
Yet
the One who is the Bread of Life nourishes you with forgiveness, life, and
salvation, in spite of your lack of trust.
He feeds you Himself, even when you doubt Him and find the things and
people of this world intimidating. He
fills you with His flesh and blood, that you may be freed from fear.
Really? How can you be free from fear when some
deranged mad man can walk into a theater and unleash violent chaos and dole out
death? How can you not be intimidated by
lunatics who prey upon unsuspecting civilians?
Because God is Sovereign and in control?
No. He is, but that is not what
can calm and give you peace. Jesus
Christ has become Man for you, and suffered and died to take away your
sin. That is why you have peace with
God, and no matter what befalls you, you know you are forgiven and saved. You have the sure and certain hope of the
resurrection that conquers any tragedy that the devil and the world may throw
at you.
This
morning, you witnessed Christ Jesus delivering the calm and peace that He alone
gives. Through the saving waters of Holy
Baptism, these children were just rescued from the devil, and all the harm he
attempts to inflict in this life. Jesus
snatched them from the clutches of Satan, and has assured them of eternal
salvation. Each of them, like you, have
become God's own child.
And
you, baptized children of God, are fed and nourished with Bread from heaven,
the Body of Christ. He gives you His
very body and blood, filling you with Himself, that you may have life, and have
it abundantly. He sits you in green
pastures, in His congregation, and tells His pastors all over the world, "You
give them something to eat." And He places His Word into their mouths and
His Blessed Sacrament in their hands, that they may deliver the Bread of Life
to His people. He feeds you. He
preserves you. He "keeps your going out and
your coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore." Amen.
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