St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
July 26, 2015
Year B, Proper 12:
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 11:1-5
Psalm 14
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
We Have What We Need
Well,
I told you so.
If
you were here last week, you may remember that I told you that this Sunday we
would hear one of the juiciest stories in the entire Bible – the story of David
and Bathsheba.
David,
of course, was the King of Israel.
He
had everything he needed – and much more than that.
He
lived in a cedar palace. He had the respect and loyalty of his people. He had
multiple wives.
And,
yet, when he spots the beautiful – and married – Bathsheba bathing on the roof,
he decides to take her, too. And, she gets pregnant.
Bad
enough.
But
then he tries to cover up his sin and makes matters worse.
First,
David recalled Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, who was one of David’s best soldiers
and who was off on a military campaign. David tries to convince Uriah to go be
with Bathsheba so that Uriah will think that the child is his. He even tries to
get him drunk.
But,
through it all, dutiful Uriah refuses to leave his post, refuses to leave the
king’s presence.
And,
so, finally, as we heard today, David arranges for Uriah to fight in the front
lines of battle, where he will die, allowing David to cover up his sin (he
thinks) and also to have Bathsheba for himself.
David
had everything he needed – and much more – and yet was not satisfied. Maybe you
know the type.
In
today’s gospel passage, we meet people who don’t seem to have enough – who
don’t seem to have everything they need – a big crowd of hungry people
following Jesus – a big crowd of hungry people and Jesus and the apostles don’t
seem to have enough to feed them.
We’re
told that “When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, he
said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’”
But,
we’re also told that Jesus’ question is a rhetorical question since Jesus knows
what he’s going to do. Jesus knows where the bread is.
Jesus
knows that he has everything we need – that we
have everything that we need.
It
may not look like it. It may not feel like it.
But,
we have everything that we need.
Jesus’
own disciples – as was and is often the case – don’t get it – don’t believe,
don’t realize, that we have everything that we need.
Philip
has no idea how all these people are going to be fed. After all, it’s a very big crowd. He notes, “Six months’
wages would not buy enough bread for them to get a little.”
And
Andrew pipes up, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.
But what are they among so many people?”
In
response, Jesus has everyone sit down on the grass. He blessed the bread, broke
it and distributed it to the crowd. He did the same with the fish.
And,
there was more than enough. Way more than enough.
This
is a very important moment in Jesus’ life and ministry. In fact, what’s called
the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes is the only miracle that’s recorded
in all four gospels.
It
turns out that the people gathered on the grass that day with Jesus had
everything they needed – they had Jesus, the Bread of Life.
They
had – and we have – everything we need.
It
may not look like it. It may not feel like it.
But,
we have everything that we need.
Yet,
there are so many hungry people all around the world – so many hungry people right
here in our own community.
Many
of us have been hungry – maybe literally hungry for food or hungry for a better
life – a life with enough food and decent shelter and meaningful work and hope
for a better life for our children and grandchildren.
It’s
that kind of hunger that brought – and continues to bring – immigrants to our
country – the hunger that has brought some of you from the Caribbean and
elsewhere right here to Jersey City.
There
are hungry people all around us.
All
the time, people call the church or stop by telling me they don’t have enough
money for food or for rent or for transportation, asking for help.
Please
help me, they say.
Some
of our own parishioners have asked for help with rent or to pay an unexpected
expense.
Each
month people line up along Storms Avenue waiting in line for Garden State
Episcopal’s emergency food pantry at the Church of the Incarnation. Last month
when I was there with some of our youth about 150 people came through, hungry
for the food that had been donated by us and by others.
There
are hungry people all around us.
There
are so many people who are lonely – who eat alone every day and every night –
who crave community – who long to be part of something larger than themselves –
to be part of something with meaning and hope.
There
are hungry people all around us.
There
are hungry people all around us and Jesus asks us a rhetorical question: “Where
are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”
Rather
than shrugging our shoulders like Philip and Andrew, sometimes we answer by
reaching into our own pockets and bags and sharing our own bread or fish with
others.
Sometimes
we answer by bringing items for the food pantry or donating to Garden State
Episcopal – to feed those hungry people lined up on Storms Avenue.
Sometimes
we answer by reaching out the lonely and frightened person – by calling – by
sending a note – by sitting with the person who is alone at coffee hour - by taking
the risk of inviting strangers to be part of our community, to be part of our
lives.
Sometimes
we answer by simply offering our shoulder to cry on.
But,
let’s be honest. All too often, we’re like Philip and Andrew. We say, it’s
impossible – we don’t have enough – there’s really nothing we can do.
And
in reply, Jesus tells us – shows us – that we have everything we need.
People
are hungry all around us – and we – you and I – we know where the bread is.
It’s
right here. We have Jesus. We have the Bread of Life. We have everything that
we need.
So,
it’s time to reach into our own pockets and bags and share our bread and fish.
It’s
time to reach into our hearts and share our love – God’s love – with one
another.
It
may not look like it. It may not feel like it.
But,
together, we have everything that we
need.
Amen.
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