Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

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July 23, 2006

Fred Heard - July 23, 2006

Sermon—July 23, 2006
Mark 6:30-44

Holy Trinity Parish

Father Fred Heard

And so, we come back to where it all began. Three years ago, this last week—those crows led me to this special place called Holy Trinity. The crows are still here. You are still here. I am still here. We have faced ups and downs and we have grown together. You have taught me much and I hope I have reflected what our Lord would have me say to you. I have learned that we are all spiritually hungry and that is part of the excitement in welcoming our new Bishop Marc Andrus. Change can be threatening but it can also be invigorating. I have seen change and excitement come to Trinity as the search for a new rector has moved into the application process. I feel that change coming with the approaching November investiture of a new Presiding Bishop, The Right Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori.

There is much to take with you from today’s Gospel, “…they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” “And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.” This is a miracle. The people are hungry spiritually and physically. The people came and Jesus didn’t send them away as the disciples suggested. Instead he offered hospitality.

Sometimes, I have been hungry emotionally, physically, or spiritually and have politely declined an offer for food because I wanted to be polite—but I have also thought if they offer one more time, I will accept and then the offers stop…and I think, “if only…” Jesus is the bread of life and we are entrusted with making that known—and I have seen people in my ministry who are desperately hungry spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

It isn’t always a prayer or a sermon that will draw people closer to Jesus Christ. It can be a smile as they enter the church or a warm welcoming hand or someone telling them they are glad they are here or someone inviting them to coffee. You see, if you have been coming to Trinity for awhile, you have probably felt or witnessed Christ’s presence. If someone is new it might not be so obvious. There might be no points of comparison—there may have been no lives in which to observe Christ. And so my Brothers and Sisters, when we issue stewardship calls for time or talent or treasure if that is the first rung on your spiritual ladder, that call might mean something entirely different than if it comes to the ears of someone who has witnessed first hand what was done in outreach last year or what the youth did on their recent mission trip or what has been done in spiritual care.

We are not all on the same page in this spiritual journey and we never will be. Our challenge is to level the “playing field” and to always remember that Jesus Christ is at the center of it all. If you have never eaten an artichoke, you don’t know what you are missing. Looking at that strange thistle, you might stop eating before you get to the miracle of the heart. If you have never experienced the wonder of Jesus Christ or seen him in the lives of others, it is difficult to understand what “all the fuss is about” and you might stop eating before you get to the heart.

Jesus’ disciples were tired. They were worn out. Jesus invited them to rest. “And they went away to a deserted place by themselves.” People saw them and a great crowd followed. There they were, thousands waiting for a word from Christ to encourage their impoverished spirits. Isaiah tells us this morning, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.” Additionally in Isaiah, “Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them.” In Psalms, this morning, we are reminded, “They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn the saving deeds that he has done.” In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.” Just as it is today, there was a profound hunger for spiritual food. As we look to grow the church, we must be very careful that we don’t get involved with “techniques for growth” over feeding the hungry.

The people we try to reach are not units, they are saints. This week, there was an item in the news which stated that vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor…but like theology we make distinctions between butterscotch, strawberry, and chocolate and this is where we find little agreement. In the church we need to remember we are vanilla or Jesus Christ. Jesus recognized the spiritual hunger of the crowd. He taught them for long hours. No miracle seems to have made such an impression on the disciples as the feeding of the 5000, because this is the only miracle of Jesus which is told in all the four gospels. It has been interpreted in a number of ways. Albert Schweitzer believed that it perhaps anticipates the great feast to be held in the coming Kingdom of God. Probably there was different emphasis as the story was handed down by tradition preceding Mark. But yet we can clearly see that the disciples had been hesitant to share their limited resources and then when the meal was finished, there were enough leftovers for each one to have a full basket. Here we see the two reactions to human need—the disciples noticing the hour, wanted to be rid of the crowd and Jesus wanting to do something about the problem. The plain fact is it is always easier to let someone else take care of those in need. In these days, it is always easier to let the government raise and handle money for the poor instead of the church.

God is great and we are small. Do we dare to undertake his work? In comparison to God, our efforts are negligible. Our resources are limited. Yet God knows this and he still calls us to his side. Jesus shares knowledge and his ministry. We are called to a hungry, crying and needy world. We are asked to share what we have and in the final analysis it is faith that sustains us. God recognizes that we are lost sheep without a shepherd and yesterday He gave us our new shepherd with Bishop Marc. Soon he will give us two more shepherds—a new Presiding Bishop and a new Rector. There will be new programs—new visions—new leadership with Jesus Christ as the foundation and you my Brothers and Sisters as the saints of our faith. AMEN