All ate and were filled. Five thousand men - probably an additional 10,000 women and children. All ate and were filled. And there were leftovers to spare.
This story of the feeding of the multitudes is such an important part of our story as the people of God that it’s found in all four gospels. We’ve all heard many explanations of the event itself. We’ve all heard that the five loaves and two fishes were indeed miraculously multiplied to feed the thousands. We’ve imagined that the people were somehow moved to share what they brought with them, so that none had too much and none had too little. We’ve heard about the way this story reflects the miracle of manna in the wilderness, with the twist that this time the food is given to all rather than just to the Hebrews who were journeying to the Promised Land. We’ve heard all kinds of things about this story, and we stand in some kind of awe and wonder about what actually happened that day.
I will tell you that I’m not amazed by the fact that Jesus somehow fed all these people. My own experience with Jesus tells me that his response to need is always compassion and abundance beyond expectation. What amazes me is that he tells the disciples what to do, and they actually do what he tells them. He tells them to find out how much food they had, and they come back with the count. He tells them to gather the people in groups, and they arrange them in groups of fifties and hundreds, sitting on the cool green grass. He gives the broken bread and the fish to the disciples and tells them to place them in front of the people. And they do that. And all the people eat and all the people are filled.
Jesus tells the disciples what to do and they do it. Most of the gospel stories show the disciples having difficulties following Jesus’ instructions. But this time, they do what he tells them to do. And a miracle happens.
Jesus didn’t give the disciples—and us—many instructions. Paul was prolific in his instructions, but Jesus told us just a few things to do. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Feed my sheep. That’s all. The list of instructions is very short. And it’s very inclusive.
Last month, representatives from every diocese in the Episcopal Church will gathered in Ohio to for the work of the 75th General Convention. During the days of the Convention, hundreds of resolutions were presented to the bicameral houses of the convention, the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Two of the Convention’s actions actually were noticed by the media – and by most of us who watched convention from afar.
The first of these actions was the election of the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. The second action was the last-minute passage of Resolution B033, which calls bishops and standing committees to “exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.”
These actions certainly had the attention of the media and the attention of most of us. These actions and our response to other resolutions – which were and are less visible in our eyes and in the eyes of the world – offered an opportunity to hold our deepest convictions in the sight of the world outside the church.
I think I’ve been clear about my position. Even as I celebrate the election of Bishop Katharine, I am impatient that we still question the inclusion of all people as full members of the Body of Christ. Jesus said “Place the food before all the people.” I am impatient that gender, race, ethnicity and orientation—the basic attributes of humankind—are still issues that divide us. I am impatient with the divisions in the various denominations throughout the Christian Church, in our Anglican Communion and in our own diocese. As I listen to us and watch us, I try to imagine how we look to the eyes of those who are not Christians. I don’t imagine that many people outside our church say, as Tertullian did in the 2nd century—”See how these Christians love each other.” Given the picture of intolerance and division we Christians often present to the world, I marvel that anyone ever walks through a church door for the first time.
We serve a God who showers us with grace and abundance in every day of our lives. Why is it that we let ourselves be caught up in the fear and hatred that obscures the mission of the church? We are living in a world in which children die for lack of clean water to drink. We are living in a world where families sleep in the streets. We are living in a world where people starve to death—not because there is not enough food, but because we can’t seem to figure out how to get food to the people who need it. We live in a world where war is a fact of life and touches increasingly more lives every day. We live in a world where poverty and oppression are rampant. Yet we so often choose to focus on the issues that divide us rather than ask what we, the people of God, the brothers and sisters of the living Christ, are going to do about the devastation we see around us. When we turn away from need in the world to focus on directing the lives of other people, we turn away from the work God has given us to do.
Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.”
The budget passed by General Convention gives hope that we are hearing Jesus’
words. The convention endorsed the United Nations Millennium Development Goals,
pledging more than the requested 0.7% of the Church’s income for work
that supports the implementation of the MDGs. You may not have heard of the
MDGs. They’re not exciting in the way that conflict excites and energizes
us, but they are a way to live into Jesus’ words in our lives today. The
goals are:
1. Eradicate poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental stability
8. Create a global partnership for development with a focus on debt, aid and
trade.
These are huge goals. They are goals that will make a difference in the world – our world. Please consider what Jesus is calling you to do. Please consider what Jesus is calling all of us to do about the needs of the world in this hour.