This sermon was preached at Bridlington Priory Church by Rev K.F.Godfrey
(Isaiah 55: 1-5, Matthew 14: 13 -21)
Let us pray. Loving God, we come unto you for your words to us today. May your words enrich our thoughts, enlighten our paths and empower our lives. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Dear friends, I am indeed pleased to share the word of God with you, this morning.
A Professor of Astronomy and a Priest were friends. The Professor of Astronomy was interested in learning about Commitment to Jesus. And so his friend, the Priest started teaching him all details that he wanted to know before he committed himself to Christ. After several weeks of teaching, the Professor of Astronomy said, "I have got a great respect for your profession and I am grateful for all that you taught me. But, to me, all your theology can be summed up in two lines, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."… Yes, the Priest accepted. Then he said, I too have a great respect for your profession. To me, all your astronomy can be summed up in two lines, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are."…. However, mind you, the professor did have a point….[adopted from a story told by Bishop Richard]. The love of Jesus calls us for commitment again and again. Friends, the theme for our meditation this morning will be Commitment and Transformation. Commitment and transformation always go together.
In our gospel reading, we heard about Jesus feeding more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish…. Little things, when committed into Jesus hands', became plenty. And what was thought as insufficient became more than sufficient when placed into the hands of Jesus. This could be the same with our lives too.
I believe that as people of God, we rejoice in coming to church week after week and that is good. We also rejoice in spending time in the presence of God and that too is good. But, have we rejoiced in giving whatever meagre things we have into the hands of God? Have we rejoiced in committing ourselves into his hands? In fact, to know who we really are and to know what we could become we need to put ourselves into God's hands completely.
There is a story, which says that a man found an eagle's egg and placed it under a brooding hen. The eagle's egg hatched with the chickens and the little eagle grew to be like the chickens. He clucked and cackled; scratched the earth for worms; flapped his wings and managed to fly a few feet in the air….Years passed. One day, the eagle, now grown old, saw a magnificent bird with golden wings, above him, high up in the sky. The eagle on earth with the chickens asked his friends "who's that?" They replied "That's the king of the birds, the eagle. He belongs to the sky. We belong to earth - we're chickens." Sadly, the eagle lived and died a chicken for that's what he thought he was… Even today, some live and die like that eagle on earth. They commit themselves to money, to fame and to short-term pleasures. Like that eagle on earth, they think that they are children of the world….. But to know our true identity, who we are and what we could become, by the grace of God, we need to put ourselves into God's hands. Little lives are blessed and transformed with peace, joy, abundance and life in its fullness before Christ.
What is our gospel passage all about? On hearing that John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus wanted to be alone and grieve for some time. But soon crowds found him. What was Jesus' reaction? Was he irritated? or Was he angry? No, not at all; but he looked on the crowds with compassion and love. They were like sheep without shepherd. And so Jesus taught them and he healed the sick. The day quickly passed. It got to be later, long into the day, and one of the disciples said: "Lord, the hour is late and the people don't have any food. Maybe you should send them home now". Jesus said, "Look around the crowds and see what you can find." John's version of the story says, Andrew found a little boy with five loaves of bread and two fish. The little boy gave his food to Jesus. Then Jesus invited everyone to be seated on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, looked upto heaven and broke the loaves….gave it to his disciples and they gave it to the crowds. And they all ate and were all satisfied. Further, there were twelve baskets left over. The number of people who ate were 5000 men plus women and children.
I wonder - what does this miracle mean to you today? The heart of the story, for me, is that the little boy gave his meagre gifts to Jesus - his five loaves of bread and two fish - with Jesus that was sufficient to feed more than five thousand people. The message to us today is clear. God can do the same with us even today;… that we bring our meagre gifts to God, our meagre talents, skills, knowledge, and lives; we bring the simplicity of what we are to God, and look what mighty things God can do with our little lives. Thus, the question is persistent when the memory of this story lingers on: Have you surrendered/committed? Have I? The little boy did.
Let me offer you two commentaries about this story. First, some commentators say that some people want Jesus to work a transformation of the loaves, so that the loaves continually multiply, endlessly, so that the loaves themselves experience transformation and become an endless supply of bread… Second, some others suggest that what was really transformed were the hearts of five thousand men; that when these five thousand men saw the example of the little boy giving his five loaves of bread and two fish unto Jesus, these men were inspired to look inside their coats and share the food that they brought with them, food that had been hidden inside their clothing. The real transformation then, was not of the loaves, but of five thousand hearts……It is a bit like our pledges…when our Archdeacon preached and pledged we were inspired…we have got 16 very positive responses and thank you to the sixteen of you. Perhaps this story should inspire others as well.
The second commentator goes on to ask - which would be the greater miracle? The transformation of the loaves or the transformation of hearts. Obviously, for him, it is the transformation of hearts. In fact, today, it is not that important for us to know how the transformation took place because any transformation is possible with Jesus. But what is very important for us to know is that the commitment of the little boy preceded the transformation.
When Jesus asked what have you got the little boy forgot that he was hungry…he forgot that it was his food - his parents had given it for him…he forgot that he needed it to sustain his life, and he also forgot that it was only 5 loaves and 2 fish and it was insufficient for more than 5000 people. He forgot everything except to give the food to Jesus.
Today, the same Jesus asks each of us - "What have you got?". Let us forget everything…except to commit ourselves unto him. Let him bless us, break us open and transform us. He breaks us open so that we have the capacity to be what we really are, and to do our best. He transforms us by making us more fully His children, by revealing that identity of which we ourselves are not fully aware, the unique way in which each of us is called to bear God's image.
Today, are we saying we don't have enough talents, skills, knowledge, experience or money? And are some of you saying - we having nothing….Put whatever you have and whatever you are into Jesus' hands. Put the nothingness into his hands……..I promise you - you will be amazed….I still remember how I was nervous when I first preached…how my heart-beat rose when I climbed up the pulpit. Not here, but about 12 years back in India…. But soon I learned that true committment is saying, along with St. Paul, it is not me, but it is Christ who lives in me.
Some of you might remember our Archbishop's sermon here during the re-dedication of the Organ in 2006. Recently, I had the privilege of watching the video. He had said, "people of Priory must go out and shout - I am dead. I am dead. People might think, you are mad. But that is what gospel is all about." True commitment is to know that it is not we, but it Christ who lives in us.
Are we really commitment? People out there wait for us to invite them for commitment? Do please start inviting them for the great day - September 28th….Do not be ashamed. You have the greatest message of fullness of life. Some of you might think - it is disturbing them….disturb them…let them have a better life with commitment and of transformation.
In our personal lives, with whatever expectation we might have come here, with whatever little spirit we might come here - let us go back knowing that nothing is impossible with God. Five loaves and two fishes were enough. Our willingness to give whatever we are to him is what matters. He can transform us, use us, and break us open in unexpected ways. It is God who brings out the best in us. For what God has kept for his people no eyes have seen, no ears have heard and no heart has felt.
Finally, knowing and experiencing the love of Christ on the cross is crucial. He completely gave himself to us so that we could be with him. Before that love of Jesus - let us commit ourselves once again unto him, this morning…..Commitment and transformation cannot be separated - they are bound together….. Whenever we have committed, we have also been transformed.
Amen.