Proper 12B - July 30th 2006
These are resources I have found which might be useful.
Readings:
Jesus asks Philip where they could get food for so many people. Apparently Jesus knew but Philip didn't. Andrew steps in, finding a boy with five loaves and two fish, but he too presumes that this will not be enough. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and distributed it amongst the crowd. (Sounds like eucharistic language - took, gave thenks and distributed) There was more than enough - 12 baskets of left overs - 12 baskets symbolising there's enough for the whole people of God. The setting for this feeding recalls Psalm 23: "He makes me lie down in green pastures." We have today "Make the people sit down. There was plenty of grass in that place." The people draw their own conclusions from what they have seen. Jesus is the Prophet they were waiting for. This realisation was Jesus' cue to retreat because they would have made him king by force. What does that mean? Possibly they would have made him conform to their expectations. This gospel story ends with Jesus walking on water to the disciples two to three miles into the lake. Someone must have told this story to a certain nun, who came to her superiors with three pennies and a dream from God to build an orphanage in Calcutta. They tried to discourage her, saying that she could not build an orphanage--or anything else for that matter--with three pennies. But Mother Theresa told them that with God and three pennies she could do anything. The Presbyterian Hunger Program has resource called "A Kid Started It." It is designed to encourage a sense of confidence that God can use me and what I have to give. It encourages children's stewardship and helps congregations to appreciate the importance of including children in its mission planning. You can download information and a children's sermon based on this passage from the presbyterian web site: www.pcusa.org In Luke, the location of the miracle. It was near a town called Bethsaida. The name is usually translated "house of fishing" and denotes their proximity to the Sea of Galilee and the town's major industry. But the Hebrew root words making up Bethsaida provide real insight into God's sense of humor. Beth is Hebrew for house, and literally means "box lunch." This miraculous and instantaneous feeding took place near the "House of the Box Lunch" and was perhaps the real origin of the fast food industry (just kidding). Jack Kelly |
The Five Thousand by Eularia Clarke
Alemayehu Bizuneh, Scene X of the Misereor "Hunger Cloth" from Ethiopia - Aachen, Germany
We come believing in our emptiness, believing that we will never have enough, believing that what we have is unworthy.
We come fearful of sharing, fearful of losing our tenous grip on security, fearful of touching and knowing the pain of others.
We come overwhelmed by the hunger, overwhelmed by the suffering of children near and far, overwhelmed by the endless tales of senseless violence, greed, and death.
We come aching from the weight of the responsibility, aching from the chilling challenge of knowing our abundance, aching from the gnawing awareness that we have much to share.
We come clinging to our meager lunches; bless them, and us. break them, and us. share them, and us. Thanksgiving We give you all thanks and praise, O God, |
