It would be really easy for me to write a cliché sermon today about financial stewardship and how this Gospel illustrates for us all of the unexpected ways that our community is fed when we share what we have with others, and we trust God to help us steward our resources too. It would be really easy for me to do that today because I have already written a sermon exactly like that before…thank you internship requirements! For all of our sakes this morning though, I’m not going to go down that route. You all are already a community of people that faithfully gives not just for the sake of the church, but for the sake of the neighborhood around us, and I know you know the importance that our little free pantry has on the lives of the people that it feeds. So today, we’re going to go a little deeper than the clichés because based on who Jesus is, especially in this story, I don’t think he wants us to just stop when we find the easy way out, otherwise the disciples would have simply sent the people away.
Now, one of the reasons that I have always appreciated this Gospel reading is because it gives us a fuller glimpse into Jesus’ humanness. Our story begins with Jesus finding out about the beheading of John the Baptist, his friend and his cousin. This isn’t death by old age, which would have been difficult too, but this was an intentional act of senseless violence against John simply because the people in power could do it. I’m almost certain that Jesus’ heart was breaking and all he wanted was some time alone, I’m sure to grieve and process what this news meant. Jesus just wanted some time away from it all, as I’m sure he knew somewhere inside that his death wasn’t that far off either. If they can do this to John, what are they going to do to Jesus, who was seen as even more of a threat? So Jesus just wanted to be alone because this is a lot to hold. As an introvert, I really resonate with that. But, the crowds followed him anyway.
This is one of the many ways that I differ from Jesus because I would not have been able to pull myself together enough to teach a crowd of 5,000 when I want to just be hidden away and buried in my grief. Jesus though sees the crowd that followed him and gathered them around to heal the sick, to teach them, and the main emphasis for today, to feed them. The feeding of the 5,000 is this grand example of what God can do even in the midst of human doubt, but I think it also emphasizes how humans were created to be a part of community. I’ve always felt like the community came together to feed one another in this story, through the mutual support of one another. And, this story also emphasizes how central food is to our gatherings. Whether it be church potlucks or meals after funerals, communal meals are a central piece to how we gather. Even on Sunday mornings, the communion portion of the liturgy is called “the meal.” We break bread together, even if it is just for a few minutes.
There is a vulnerability in eating together because it forces us to let our defensive guards down and simply be in that space together. What I have always loved about communion is that its structure requires people who might not share a meal outside of church to be present at the same table, if only for a minute, where Christ is the host. It isn’t about having the fanciest food or the nicest place setting, but it is strictly about how God feeds us and nourishes us for the days ahead. What would happen if this was our mentality outside of church too?
So, meals bring us together, it’s why so many stories in Scripture and in life are centered around food! My time on vacation was no different. Whether it was eating peanut butter sandwiches while driving the backroads of Montana, breakfast sandwiches (and most importantly coffee) that we cooked over the fire, or McDonald’s breakfast on the day we woke up to a frozen tent and packed the car as quickly as possible despite our plans to make pancakes that morning, food was a central part of our camping experience. As we ate, there were stories that were shared too, like the last time our tent froze over 2 years ago when we were moving Emily out to Seattle, my fear of bears after seeing the muddy bear pawprints on the bear locker, or Emily’s stories of leading canoeing trips as a camp counselor as we waited for the trail donuts, she was teaching me to make, to finish cooking.
And, food was a central part of our time at home too, as we shared meals with our friends and family that we hadn’t seen in months or years. Or our trips to some of the restaurants that we miss when we are out here in Seattle. Like how we were able to see my niece and my whole family went out for Raising Cane’s, which if you don’t know what that is it is a fast-food restaurant that really only makes chicken tenders and Texas toast, and it is delicious! As I sat next to my niece, she was somehow able to convince my sister, my mom, and I to share some of our coveted Texas toast with her. We all joke that she’s lucky she’s cute, but it’s our way of showing her that we love her! My family isn’t always the best at expressing our emotions, but they have always expressed their love by feeding people. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Emily about how my great-aunt kept trying to feed us cupcakes at 7:30 in the morning… Emily said a lot of my mannerisms make sense now after spending time with even more of my family! And, I think about our goodbye dinner, when my parents and almost all of Emily’s family gathered with us for one last meal before we began our road trip back home to Seattle. This was the first time so much of our family was able to be together and it was beautiful and felt so special. We did a lot of really cool things on our trip, but so many of my memories revolve around the food, or more importantly, the people who gathered for the meals with us.
Now, I don’t know what that says about me that I remember the food, but I do think it highlights what the Scripture is getting at today about the importance of eating together, in the midst of the happy days and the incredibly difficult ones too. I think about how in grief or illness it sometimes feels impossible to eat and the idea of preparing food is exhausting, which is why we bring each other meals. We take care of one another and feed one another, physically and emotionally too. So while this Gospel story is a great one to emphasize financial stewardship within the church, I think at the heart of this Gospel Jesus is reminding us of the simple ways that we can be more fully drawn into community together. After all, they had a meal of bread and fish. It wasn’t an elaborate banquet, but I bet the people who dined on the hill together that day never forgot that experience. So may we continue to feed one another and surround each other in love and care. And, perhaps this Scripture is telling us it is time for another potluck soon!