Written and Delivered by The Rev. Philip Schaffner

In the name of the Living God, Amen.


Being a disciple of Christ can be exhausting. It can take everything you've got and still there's work to do. And just when you're ready to give up, then completely unexpectedly a miracle happens.

That's exactly what happens to the disciples in today's gospel passage. They're exhausted and ready for a much-earned break, and yet they are asked to do more and in the process a miracle happens.

So let's review what happens in the gospel leading up to the feeding of the five thousand men and who knows how many women.

Jesus experiences a powerful calling experience in his baptism and spends forty days wrestling in the wilderness. He is tempted to abandon his call, but instead rejects the temptations and emerges from the wilderness ready for action. The first thing he does is recruit disciples. He begins telling them the good news and they witness his public teaching. He astounds them with his power, and before long, Jesus has developed a following. He goes from town to town. And in each place, he tells people the goods news that the kingdom of God has come near. Jesus tells everyone to repent and to believe the good news. And then he heals the sick, casts out demons, raises the dead, teaches and tells stories about the kingdom of God. The disciples see and witness all of this and they even see Jesus calm a raging storm. The only time Jesus seems powerless is in his hometown where those who watched him grow up cannot accept his calling to public ministry.

All along, he keeps instructing the disciples. In private, he debriefs the events they witnessed and explains the parables to them. They become a family for Jesus. He retreats with them to secluded places, so he can pray in solitude. Thus, he prepared the disciples to be on their own in mission.

When Jesus did send them out for the first time, he sent them in pairs. However, he sent them with only the clothes on their back and a walking stick. No food, no money, no extra clothes. I think so often, we approach ministry as if it's a camping trip. We want to make sure we have enough provisions and the right equipment. We chart our course beforehand, and bring maps and first aid kits. In contrast, Jesus simply said go: preach, teach and heal. Stay wherever you are welcomed and don't take it personally if people ignore or reject you. Just keep going and remain open and flexible.

It is when the disciples return to report back to Jesus that our gospel passage this morning begins. The disciples are excited to tell Jesus everything that's happened, but they're also tired and it's very busy. Jesus was surrounded by activity. So as he has taught them before, he asks them to retreat to a secluded place. However, with all the people around, their going isn't unnoticed and a crowd gathers to meet them.

At this point, the disciples are exhausted and hungry, but Jesus has compassion on the crowds and decides to teach them. After a while, the disciples have had enough and seeing an impending disaster with thousands of hungry people they ask Jesus to call it a night. Instead, Jesus shows them that ministry doesn't occur on a set schedule. That needs change and our job is to remain open and flexible to the need before us.

Being a disciple can be exhausting, but again just when you've had enough a miracle happens.

The great crowd of 5,000 men and who knows how many women eats and is full. For good measure and a good lesson in not doubting each disciple comes back with a full basket of leftovers. The meager meal of five loaves and two fish that the disciples were going to share became a feast of twelve baskets of food. It is in serving that we are served. In feeding others that we are fed.

So much of ministry and discipleship is not about programming or planning. Instead, it is about showing up and being willing to offer whatever little gifts we might have. This can be difficult, trying and exhausting at times, but if we keep showing up and serving we will be fed.

There is great hunger all around us. Spiritual and physical hunger, isolation and pain that we need to pay attention to. I encourage you to pray for eyes to see the hunger right next to you and I encourage you to pray that God would use you to feed the hungry. If you don't know how to, find someone else here who will serve with you and teach you.

As the Middle East teeters on the edge of open war, our world is in desperate need of peace. We are in desperate need of people being willing to show up and join Isaiah in proclaiming, "peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the LORD" (Isaiah 57:19).

The path of peace, the path of life, the path of a disciple can be exhausting. It often requires us to sacrifice our time, our energy and sometimes even our previous identities for the sake of the kingdom of God.

Paul wrote to a community in Ephesus that included Jews as well as Gentile converts. However, belief in Christ allowed the community to unite and overcome barriers of belonging, whether circumcision or diet. Today, we have many barriers that divide us: democrat, republican, independent, green, libertarian, urban, suburban, rural, liberal, conservative, terrorist, patriot, freedom fighter, hero, socialist, capitalist, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, native American, citizen, immigrant, free, oppressed, western, eastern, male, female, old, young, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Pagan, Agnostic, atheist, Animist. We are called to serve all. In the end, we are all children of God.

Even though it can often feel overwhelming, our call is to show up, offer whatever we have at that moment and expect to be surprised by miracles even when it seems hopeless.

The author and theologian Frederick Beuchener wrote, "Go into the world and know how much a tired and hurting world needs your strength and gladness. For there are deeds of compassion and courage that will never be done unless you do them, and words of hope and healing that will never be spoken unless you speak them."

Are you willing to offer yourself in service to the Kingdom of God? I pray that you are.

Amen.