Sermons

“We’ll Borrow From Each Other”

John 6:1-14 – Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn

Vista La Mesa Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), La Mesa, California – March 19, 2017

“Hearts of Love & Gifts of Gold” Stewardship Campaign

Holy God, bless the speaking and the hearing of these words, that we might become more aware of all that we have to offer and share our gifts in the spirit of your Christ. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

One boy. One boy in a crowd of 5000 or more people, just one boy thought to bring along a snack. That may be the hardest part of this entire story to believe. Don’t tell me there weren’t any mothers of toddlers in the crowd. Five thousand people and only one kid brought a lunch? There is another way to look at this story that makes it simultaneously more believable and equally miraculous. Our first presumption is that there was way more food within that crowd than the story lets on. It’s entirely possible that even the disciples had a stash within their cloaks, which they’d been holding onto till the crowds dispersed. Maybe not everyone had had the forethought or the resources to pack a lunch, but surely some significant portion of them had.

And then we come back to this unnamed boy. That he had food with him is not what made him special. What distinguished him from the rest of the crowd was what he didn’t have: Philip’s worldly-wise sense of proportion. He didn’t have the “sense” to realize that five loaves and two fish added up to little more than nothing in the face of 5000+ hungry people. He didn’t know any better, but it turned out he was right. And here’s where the miracle comes in. When the dubious disciples saw the way Jesus accepted the boy’s gift, when the crowd saw the gratitude and confidence with which Jesus welcomed his offering, something shifted among them. The way I see this story, suddenly everyone had something to add to the pile. Some cheese here, another loaf there, a bit of goat jerky, some olives, some fruit, more fish, a pot of hummus. The miracle here is the way that boy’s naïve generosity confronted the crowd’s hoarding spirit of scarcity and transformed it into a desire to share everything they had. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be part of what was happening. That is what Jesus’ love and faith did. And it’s not over.

What kind of meal do you think we could cobble together just from what we’ve got in our pockets and purses, right here in this room? We have no need to, of course, but pretend that we did. What would we come up with? I’m sure at least a few of us have some form of calories on us, even if it’s just a cough drop. A meal heavy on peppermints and cough drops wouldn’t sustain us for long, but maybe it would tide us over till we were rescued from whatever calamity trapped us in the sanctuary. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to; there is a wonderful meal out there that we’ll share when we’re done with worship. And even if it seems a little sparse, which it sometimes does, it has a way of working out.

The story of the loaves and fishes is perhaps the one that we re-enact most often, of all the stories in the Bible. When we gather in Jesus’ name, when we open our hearts to one another and answer the call to share what we have, when we give thanks to God for all we’ve been given, it turns out that everyone has plenty to eat and there are enough leftovers to share. Twelve baskets, the gospel said. That’s no random number; that there were twelve baskets of leftovers is a symbolic way of saying there was enough for everyone else who was hungry. That is to say, this kind of sharing is what makes church possible. And yes, it is true that I’m not just talking about potluck meals anymore.

The life and ministry of this congregation exist because many, many people pitch in what they can to make it possible. People in this very room have made the decision to be part of what God is doing here at Vista La Mesa by contributing whatever it is they have to offer. Some of those gifts are large, some of them are small; all of them are significant, all of them make a difference. Next Sunday, we will all have the opportunity to commit to being those regular, intentional givers who sustain this congregation by completing and turning in an Estimate of Giving card. It is my prayer that more and more of us will make that choice this year.

If you’ve never turned in a card before, I invite you right now to think about why that is. Is it because you feel like your gift isn’t really needed? Is it because you feel like your donation wouldn’t be good enough or big enough? Is it because you worry that you wouldn’t follow through? Is it because you don’t feel like you have anything to offer? None of these things need to be barriers. As someone who looks at our financial numbers very closely, very often, I can tell you that every single gift, large or small, makes a difference. As a pastor who has walked with folks through life circumstances that drastically alter someone’s capacity to give, I can tell you that nobody’s coming after people who don’t follow through and nobody’s printing those names in the newsletter. Life doesn’t always turn out like we hope. And as someone who believes in a God who creates each of us with special gifts and capacities, I can tell you unequivocally that you DO have something to offer.

Last week, we remembered about Patty Ayer and the many ways she enriched our lives. Most of you know that Patty didn’t have a lot of financial resources. But I think she would be okay with me sharing with you that on her Estimate of Giving card, Patty committed to giving a dollar every Sunday. Because Patty understood what it means to choose to be part of how Jesus is feeding people here at VLM; she understood what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. There are others whose gifts you will recall with gratitude or even surprise – Trudy Murray, Ed Gurling, Sophie Bunch, Bob Pitts. Each of them, in their own way, contributed what they could, and each one of them made a difference. You can do that too. Nobody needs to sit on the sidelines. Even the folks in that crowd who hadn’t remembered to bring any lunch or didn’t have any lunch to bring became part of the miracle; they helped pass the baskets, they made sure the children all got enough. As the song I sang earlier puts it, “We’ll borrow from each other, till each cup has overflowed.” That’s how church works.

If you were listening closely when we heard the scripture passage this morning, you noticed something else. In verse 11 it reads, “Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them… So also…” Does that remind you of anything? This story that we’re constantly re-enacting, it’s the story of the Lord’s Supper. God helps us gather together what we have, we give thanks, God adds the blessing, and we share the meal with all who come to the Table, trusting that there will be more than enough, so that we can share what is given with God’s people far beyond the walls of this room. There is a reason this particular meal is at the center of our common life. There may come a day when there isn’t a naïve and generous boy in our midst to break our hearts open. But Christ will always be at this Table, waiting to pour out his life for us. It is his generosity from which all our giving stems. It is his innocence that inspires us to hope that we can be made new again. It is his faith that makes it possible for us to trust in God’s faithfulness. He has set a place for each and every one of us at this Table. Let us join together in the feast of God! Amen.