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SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008

THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Matthew 14:13-21 (You YOURSELF give them something to eat)

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TODAY’S SERMON THEME:

It is so easy to look at the perplexing problems in the world -- or the problems in our own lives -- and to cry out to God to do SOMETHING. To take DRAMATIC ACTION to FIX everything. As Scripture shows us, though, God rarely works that way. He first wants us to look to our own abilities and resources, however meager, and to offer them to Him. When we have surrendered ourselves, our will and our lives, to Him . . . He will show us what to do.

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1. As many of you know, Dixie and I took some time off over the last 10 days -- working around the house, resting, taking our dog Amos for long walks. Except for a couple of day trips, we spent most of our vacation time around the house. Early last week, as I do every week, I started thinking about the Gospel lesson for the next Sunday . . . And I realized that today’s lesson has ONE PARTICULAR VERSE that has haunted me for most of my ministry. (Now, to be honest, the Bible contains a great many verses that trouble me -- and without exception all of them point out things in ME that need changing or modifying.) But the verse I want to look at this morning is the second half of Matthew 14:16: DO’TE AUTOIS HUMEIS PHAGEIN . . . These are Jesus’ words to His apostles: “YOU YOURSELF GIVE THEM (SOMETHING) TO EAT.” We will look at this verse more fully in just a moment. But the immediate context of the verse is this:

(1) Shortly after the execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas, Jesus and His apostles withdrew by boat, across the Sea of Galilee, to the little fishing village of Tabtha. This would have been a safe place, almost on the far end of the sea from the Roman-occupied resort town of Tiberias.

(2) A great crowd of people followed Jesus -- taking with them their sick, their lost, their confused, their possessed, their troubled companions. All four Gospels record the number, somewhat shockingly, as being 5,000 families.

(3) Jesus had compassion on the huge crowd, and spent a full day healing the sick and providing hope to those who had lost hope.

(4) At the end of the day, with no provisions at hand, the apostles asked Jesus to dismiss the crowds so they could go find food for the evening.

(5) Jesus said to the apostles: “They need not go. Do’te autois humeis phagein. YOU YOURSELVES GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.” You YOURSELVES give them something to eat.

2. The first time I remember being haunted by this verse was almost 20 years ago, when I was assigned (as a young priest) to my first parish. I had been a priest for about five years by then, but nearly all of my experience was as a chaplain -- at the high school and university levels. I took over a church that was fairly comfortable in its ways, with about 70 people coming on an average Sunday. The church had no office, no answering machine, no worship times listed on the sign in front. The bishop asked me to do whatever I could to help the church grow. I was overwhelmed. After several weeks, I found myself asking the Lord for a miracle -- for a spirit of revival and renewal. A dramatic intervention, as it were. DO SOMETHING DECISIVE, O Lord -- that was my prayer. That is when I first encountered the haunting verse: DO’TE AUTOIS HUMEIS PHAGEIN. YOU YOURSELF give them something to eat. Over the next four years, we rolled up our sleeves . . . We sent 50 people to Cursillo . . . Energized our outreach ministries . . . Started a men’s group (the Brotherhood of St. Andrew) . . . And added new in-reach ministries (adults’ night outs, parish cookouts, spiritual growth groups). Our attendance doubled.

3. There have been other times, over the years, when I have been confronted by this verse -- Do’te autois humeis phagein -- You YOURSELVES give them something to eat:

(1) In one parish, which had undergone unbelievable tragedy and heartache by the time we got there, we started an excited and spirit-filled outreach to our children and youth -- through a full-time youth minister; we started an exciting house church program . . . And a men’s group . . . And youth and children’s choirs . . . And year-round Christian education for all ages. In five years, our Sunday attendance went from a declining 160 to almost 400, our youth group went from 15 to 85 every week, and we started 10 house churches. We led the entire diocese -- and most of the Episcopal Church -- in stewardship for three straight years.

(2) In another parish, which had gone through five years of rapid decay and decline before we arrived, we started a soup kitchen . . . And two 12-step groups . . . And two half-way houses for men coming out of treatment. Our presence in the community increased dramatically, and our attendance went from less than 80 on Sunday mornings to 250.

(3) In another parish, which had gone through a turbulent five straight years of massive declines (in which Sunday attendance had dropped to 63), we energized our staff (increasing it from 5 to 12 people); we started a free community breakfast once-a-week, serving 200 people; and we formed a scholarship program for our choir, increasing the choir from 11 to 25 and hiring TWO music ministers; and (lo and behold) we found that the more we reached out in faith, the more money we found in our bank accounts. In three years, our budget doubled from barely $325,000 to more than $600,000.

4. The main point I want to make this morning is this: It is so easy to look at the perplexing problems in the world -- or the problems in our own lives -- and to cry out to God to do SOMETHING. To take DRAMATIC ACTION to FIX everything. As Scripture shows us, though, God rarely works that way. He first wants us to look to our own abilities and resources, however meager, and to offer them to Him. When we have surrendered ourselves, our will and our lives, to Him . . . He will show us what to do.

5. And now let us look at the rest of our Gospel lesson for this morning:

(1) The setting -- the area around Tabtha, at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, is a holy place. It is still permeated with a sense of the miraculous. The presence of our Lord Jesus can still be felt. In our Gospel story, a very large crowd followed Jesus there to be healed. Jesus loved them all. But the hour grew late, and no one had brought provisions.

(2) The dilemma -- The apostles begged Jesus to send the people away -- so they could return to Capernaum or Bethsaida to buy food. But Jesus declined: YOU Yourselves give them something to eat.

(3) The tiny lunch -- The apostles looked to the crowd, finding a young boy with a sack lunch -- five loaves of barley bread and two salted fish. “But what are they, among so many?” the apostles asked. “Bring them to me,” Jesus said.

(4) The miracle -- Jesus TOOK the offering (however meager), GAVE THANKS (blessed) the offering, BROKE it into pieces, and GAVE it to them to eat. He had the crowds sit down in an orderly manner . . . And gave the pieces to the apostles to distribute. The four-fold Eucharistic action: Taking, Blessing, Breaking, Giving. All ate and were “satisfied.” The Greek word says they were “gorged.” And 12 baskets of pieces were taken up as leftovers.

(5) Another view -- The apostles saw ONLY the problem. But Jesus had them sit down and relax. He had them LOOK AROUND carefully at what was available. He had them GATHER what meager resources they had. And He had them OFFER them to Him. This is NOT a “name it, claim it” type of faith. This is a faith that calls us to OFFER to God all we have, however meager. The miracle is that God TAKES us -- and our gifts -- and multiplies them for use in His service. You yourselves give them something to eat.

6. Now. What about us? What about us as individuals? And what about Gethsemane Cathedral? It is so easy to look around and see the PROBLEMS. It is so easy to expect GOD to intervene dramatically to fix everything. (And, to be honest, God sometimes does exactly that . . . But not often.) It is so easy to look at our meager resources and say we don’t have enough. It is so easy to look around and say that everyone in this community is already in a church. It is so easy to be NEGATIVE. But let’s look again -- from the updated U.S. Census data from 2005 for this ZIP code (58104): (1) There are 20,000 people in this ZIP code, and fully 35 percent are not involved in ANY church. (2) The average age in this ZIP code is 33.5, and fully 67 percent are between 4 and 44 years old. (3) The BIG concerns are SPIRITUAL development, career concerns, marriage issues, childcare issues, retirement worries, financial security. (4) 85 percent are married, with children. 35 percent are un-churched. And even with average family income of $88,616, SPIRITUAL growth is a MAJOR concern.

ONCE AGAIN: It is far too easy to look at the perplexing problems in the world -- or the problems in our own lives -- and to cry out to God to do SOMETHING. To take DRAMATIC ACTION to FIX everything. But as Scripture shows us, God rarely works that way. He first wants us to look to our own abilities and resources, however meager, and to offer them to Him. When we have surrendered ourselves, our will and our lives, to Him . . . He will show us what to do.