John 6:1-15, World Communion Sunday
Introduction
On this World Communion Sunday we turn to this story we all know so well—Jesus feeding the 5000+ women and children. From a small offering comes a miracle that transforms the seemingly insignificant into something great and extraordinary. This story is a lesson with layers upon layers—a text a preacher can come at from multiple different angles.
And so on this World Communion Sunday I want us to consider the small offering made to Jesus and what he did with it, because there is a lot of truth today in what was said a century ago by evangelist D.L. Moody, “There are many of us willing to do great things for the Lord but there are few of us who are willing to do the small things.”
Move 1
Anytime we hear this story— which has been a lot throughout our lives all the way back to our childhood Sunday school days— we hear about the Disciples and how they doubted what Jesus was going to do. We hear about the amazed people who were satisfied. We hear about the little boy and his faithfulness and willingness to offer up what he had, as little as it was. These are among the many layers to this story.
But you know who never gets the shout out for their role in the story? The parent who packed the boy’s lunch. Now I say “parent” for today’s vernacular because I know both moms and dads pack lunches for their kids. But in our text, we can probably safely assume it was the boy’s mom who made sure her son left the house with a lunch.
And when I think about the role of this mom to this story I bring my own awareness of getting kids up, dressed, fed, packed for the day, and out the door in a timely manner. And I imagine that mom getting up early, before her kids, and tending to tasks as the minutes slipped by like seconds as is often the case. Consequently, I imagine she became more and more desperate to get her boy out the door, only to realize she still needed to pack him a lunch, causing her to wonder “What do I have that’s not stale or moldy?”, realizing she hadn’t been to the store lately. I imagine her thinking, “How badly will I be judged if I send my kid off with a couple of carrot sticks and a Little Debbie fudge round?” Fortunately this parent had some small loaves of bread and a couple of fish so she threw them in a basket, said “I love you”, and sent her son on his way.
And so here’s another layer to this layered story… I think we can be certain she didn’t give a second thought about that lunch—she didn’t think about the broad impact those loaves and fish were going to have. This was just her routine, that she had done how many times? Hundreds? Maybe more if she had older children. She was doing what she did. She was doing what God called her to do—be a mom, care for her family, pack a lunch— and she was faithful and committed to that task.
Is she wringing her hands wondering “Is it God’s will that I packed my kids lunch?” No. Her kid was probably saying “Yes! And God wants you to pack the fudge rounds!” Is she thinking “How will God use this lunch to impact others?” No. She was just doing what was put in front of her. She was faithful in her daily work. She was faithful in what was in front of her… The next thing…no matter how small.
Move 2
Now most of the time after doing the next thing, and moving onto the next-next thing, we never give that last next thing another thought. But once in a while the last next thing comes back to us, doesn’t it?
Imagine that mom when at the end of the day her son comes home and says “Mom, mom! You’ll never believe what happened!” And he tells her the whole story of Jesus, the disciples, the crowd, and out of all of them his mom was the only one who packed a lunch. “So I offered to share what you packed me. And you’ll never believe this, but this Jesus guy, blessed my lunch, and after doing so my lunch became enough for everyone.”
Now if you’ve had teaching moments with children—whether your own children or a grandchild, a niece or nephew, as a teacher or coach—you know you’re often wondering if the kid hears anything you’re saying. And normally they don’t. Shoes on son. Put your shoes on. Shoes. Put your shoes on. No don’t take your socks off. Shoes on. Shoes on. But in addition to shoes and socks and whatever else we are trying to get kids to do, we also try to teach them lessons and values, like… Be helpful, be kind, share, treat others as you want to be treated and so on.
And when we bring this perspective with us to this story we’ve all heard again and again, I can’t help but think, when the boy came home and told this amazing story to his mom, that she wasn’t focused on this Jesus guy. I think she was thinking, “Oh my goodness. My boy shared his lunch. He is listening. He is getting it. He is treating others as he wants to be treated. He is paying attention.”
In that moment she saw how her son got it. Be helpful. Be kind. Share. Offer what you have. He did hear her. But more importantly than her telling him these lessons and values, her son had seen them demonstrated and modeled… by his mother. She had shown him that he has a mother who does the small things to take care of others, a mother who does the next thing no matter how small, all so others will be cared for, helped, treated as she wants to be treated. She does this work—the next thing and the next-next thing— faithfully and consistently, because though they may be small, they are important, they matter, they make a difference.
Move 3
There are so many small pieces of our lives God can use in big ways when we are aware that small things can be used by God for greatness. And when we fall into God’s will in this way—with a willingness to do the next thing no matter how small— that is when we wake up saying “OK God, I’m going to go where you lead me today. What do you have for me today? Where can I be faithful today? This family you’ve given me… This job you’ve given me… This rehearsal, this practice you’ve given me… This life you’ve given me… How can I show up and be faithful to your will and make a difference?
*******
Now, are the small things, the next thing we do, as glamorous as bringing a lunch and have it feed thousands? No. Sometimes showing up and doing what we do, looks boring and feels insignificant. Do they make movies about showing up for work? Yes, but only when you forget to put the cover sheet on your TPS reports, have a weak and bullied cubicle neighbor named Melvin, and Jennifer Aniston as a love interest—they make that movie sure, but no, they don’t make movies about the mundane, the showing up, the doing the next thing, or modeling to others faithful, consistent commitment.
But doing the small things—because you know they have an important impact— still matters. And they matter because they are where God has put you. And wherever God puts us, God will use us to make a difference.
Conclusion
Today is World Communion Sunday. It’s not a flashy, high holy day in the life of the Church—a lot of churches aren’t even recognizing it today. But we can rest assured far more are because even though it’s not a big, significant day it is still important and it still matters.
Coming to the table of our Lord is always important, it always matters, because it is with a small piece of bread and a small amount of juice or wine or water or even Coca Cola (because sadly that’s the only safe thing to drink in some places around the world)—it is with these small elements that we are reminded none of us were ever too small, too insignificant for Jesus to love.
And World Communion Sunday reminds us of what we often forget… God uses small acts of daily faithfulness and transforms them in ways we could not imagine.
This story of the feeding of the 5000 reminds us that we are to take the small things and offer them to God and let God do what God always does— turn them into something bigger than we dared dream was possible, because God has shown us how God values the small things. God tells us not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it. And so how much more valuable are the small pieces of our lives that God is guiding us to shape and create?
*******
God uses the small things. And God will use the next small thing, and the next-next small thing. A boy’s lunch, packed by his mom, to feed a multitude. A small table, with just bread and cup, and has the world come and sit. A church that knows doing the next small thing means those seemingly insignificant next small things matter—and will in some way or another, make a difference.
So let us not wait for a great thing to do for God. Let us be open to, and seek out, the next small thing. For we never know how the small passions and offerings we make can become in God’s hands a great and extraordinary miracle that makes a difference. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer for World Communion Sunday, October 2, 2022
Gather us in, Lord. Gather us in with those around the world who are all responding to your invitation to come to the table of hope—a table where these is room enough for all.
Gracious God, we give you thanks in this breaking of bread: a breaking that somehow puts us together and makes us whole.
Gracious God, we give you thanks in the pouring out of the cup: a pouring out that somehow fills us full again.
Alongside our brothers and sisters around the world, we ask that your mercy is experienced, for we seek your presence in the open space of this table that we are again made ready to faithfully respond to your invitation to do the big and the small things that create paths to Jesus for others.
For we want the unity of today to become the unity of tomorrow and beyond.
Help us to see that your vision for a world of peace and unity can become real when we set aside our personal desires that lead us to divisiveness.
Help us to see that your vision for a world of peace and unity can become real when we cease to see differences as deficiencies, and begin to see all human beings as you do—as those who have been created in your image, as those who are your children and who you love without condition.
So gather us in, Lord. Be near us in this place, yet gather us in with those around the world who are all responding to your invitation to come to the table of hope—a table where there is room enough for all.
Hear now the prayers of our hearts as we offer them in this time of Holy Silence.
We pray all this in the name of the one who came to set us free from sin, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”