August 6, 2017 - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - Feeding All Without Turning into The Bread King

The Tree of Life liturgy was worship-filled today.

Tini provided great vocal leadership and Matt played the music with great feeling and moved the congregation to a devoted communal response.


Pastor Michelle's sermon focused on what God can do with whatever we have to offer. She thought she had nothing to preach on the gospel for Sunday's worship as she was preparing on Friday. "I had nothing. I had pocket lint, so that's what I offered God".According to Pastor Michelle from the lint came the sermon she preached. She drew a parallel with this Sunday's gospel lesson of the Feeding of the 5,000 plus.

After the beheading of John, Jesus wanted to retreat but had compassion when he found a great crowd and he healed their sick and ministered to them. The disciples suggested what they thought Jesus might want after this demonstration of compassion, namely a little time to do what he initially set out to do and withdraw.

Pastor Michelle admitted that for years her attention centered on whether the mechanics of this miracle defied natural law or, perhaps, demonstrated the crowd physically had all they needed as individuals and collectively fed each other. Now, rather than detailing that she preached about the 12 baskets left over, one for each disciple. Each of them had more "resources" even after the miracle.

Beautiful insight. Jesus resisted temptation in the wilderness when the devil essentially said "Turn these stones into bread, and mankind will run after Thee like a flock of sheep, grateful and obedient, though for ever trembling, lest Thou withdraw Thy hand and deny them Thy bread." Jesus could have fed the crowd and by himself and become their Bread King. This was the devil's temptation. The bread did not multiply before him when Jesus blessed the bread but when the disciples distributed it and everyone was fed.

Jesus never demonstrated a power to cause his followers to fear either his wrath or be intimidated by a miracle that might Jesus might withdraw if they were judged unworthy. This is not presented as a plan to insure everyone receives all the earthly bread they need. At the end of the story, we cannot say "If only Jesus were physically with us today he would feed the world as today's Bread King". He did not become the benevolent Prosperity Gospel benefactor that rewards those who follow him.

God provides the resources we need to do what God asks us to do.