Concentrating on what we don’t have

Passage for reflection: John 6: 1 - 14 

We’ve had to go back to our old shopping habits now that restrictions have been lifted by the government but the  “extremely clinically vulnerable” group of which we are both members are now told “don’t mix with people who’ve not had two vaccines”. I love to shop and to browse so to go back to on line shopping is hard. The Sainsbury’s delivery this week was short of milk and bottled water and cat food pouches. There were things also they just did not have. So we have to just use what there is. And adapt!  

 

I’ve just read a sermon on the passage for this Sunday, John’s account of the feeding of the 5000. The title of the sermon was “We often concentrate on what we don’t have.” That’s a good summary of the panic the disciples had when they saw a large and very hungry crowd come towards Jesus. 

Jesus asks where can we buy some bread. 

Philip panics. “Where are we going to get enough food to feed all this lot?”  

He probably SHOULD have said something like, “Well Jesus, I’ve seen you provide wine at a wedding from water, I know you healed with a word, and while I don’t want to sound like Satan, is it possible you could turn these stones into bread?   Or is there any chance you could just make some bread materialize?

No, he doesn’t go the “I’ve seen what you can do, I’m sure you can handle this” route.

I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t do any better.

It’s more like, what, are you kidding me?  If there was even a place to buy it (which there’s not) we would need 6 to 8 months wages to just give all these people a few crumbs.

Enter Andrew who says  “We’ve asked everyone – “got any fish?” No. “got any fish?” No. “got any fish?” No. “got any fish?” No.

4,999 times they heard no.  One time they heard yes.  Another Gospel tells us a young boy had something. Five loaves and two fish. Enough for one, not 5,000. 

Here’s what we do have, but there’s no way this will suffice. 

Who will be the judge of whether it’s enough?

There’s a difference when we control what we have and  when we hand it over to Jesus.  If Andrew had kept it, he would have been right, no way it would have been enough.

But when we give what we have to Jesus –  its amazing what he can do with what little we have.  If you have the faith of a mustard seed…faith in what or whom?  Faith in Jesus.  Have faith in Jesus and He’ll meet every need – spiritual and physical.

And He almost always uses people to meet those needs.

They gave it to Jesus. Jesus gives it back to them, and has them share it around. 

Don’t concentrate on what we don’t have, or how little we do have.  Whatever we have is enough if we place it in the  hands of Christ.  He’ll make do with what we have and bless it, and use us to bless others. Think about it, twelve disciples found the Church, and at communion, one piece of bread and one cup of wine are enough to renew those who receive them in the words of one post communion prayer to be sent out “in the power of the Spirit to live and work for God’s praise and glory.” 

Some of you think you’re not the right one for something, but Jesus says you’re exactly the one. But we are not good as churches believing that.

“We haven’t got enough money.”

“We haven’t got any energy.”

“We haven’t got anyone to take on that job.”

“We haven’t got the time.”

“We often concentrate on what we don’t have.”

The problem is I think we don’t give what we have to Jesus. We rely on our scarce resources being sufficient and we wonder why we are burnt out and exhausted. A simple act of allowing Jesus to bless what we can offer, however inadequate we think that offering is, then he can make much out of little. I wonder if we’ve just got into a “can’t do it so won’t do it” mentality. Or maybe we’ve forgotten to believe in ourselves. 

Lord, so often I think what I can give you won’t make a difference so I won’t offer it. 

I don’t have the gifts you need.

But then, Lord, you remind me of this. If I give you what I can, however small it is, you will take it and do great things with it. That tiny bit of bread and fish became a miracle of abundant sharing because you blessed it and valued it. 

So today, Lord, will you remind me of my usefulness? Will you call me to make a difference? Will you help me feed others through my giving?