Luke 9:16-17
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled.
When I was five-years-old, my grandmother sent me a beautifully illustrated story book about the feeding of the five-thousand. Prominently featured was the little boy of John's gospel who offered his five loaves and two fish to Jesus and the disciples. He gave selflessly, without reservation or thought about how he would fare without his dinner, and, as we know from the scriptures, Jesus enabled his small gift, blessed and broken, to feed to fullness him and thousands more that day.
What is your immediate assumption when you see someone break an item of food in half? Of course, you think, they are going to share with somebody else. At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) They didn't understand then what Jesus meant: that he would have to be broken on the cross and resurrected before the message of his redeeming love and grace could be shared not just with his earthly friends and followers, but with the entire world for ages to come.
We are a broken people in need of fixing; when we confess this, the good news is Jesus wants to share in our lives, turn us around, lead us along paths of righteousness, and help us to share the gospel with a hurting world. Never imagine that your gifts, whatever they may be, are too small or insignificant to share - a smile, a kind word, a hug, a prayer - all these simple gestures can make a loving difference in the life of another. Believe that when you feed one, you are feeding five-thousand. Miracles do happen!
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled.
When I was five-years-old, my grandmother sent me a beautifully illustrated story book about the feeding of the five-thousand. Prominently featured was the little boy of John's gospel who offered his five loaves and two fish to Jesus and the disciples. He gave selflessly, without reservation or thought about how he would fare without his dinner, and, as we know from the scriptures, Jesus enabled his small gift, blessed and broken, to feed to fullness him and thousands more that day.
What is your immediate assumption when you see someone break an item of food in half? Of course, you think, they are going to share with somebody else. At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) They didn't understand then what Jesus meant: that he would have to be broken on the cross and resurrected before the message of his redeeming love and grace could be shared not just with his earthly friends and followers, but with the entire world for ages to come.
We are a broken people in need of fixing; when we confess this, the good news is Jesus wants to share in our lives, turn us around, lead us along paths of righteousness, and help us to share the gospel with a hurting world. Never imagine that your gifts, whatever they may be, are too small or insignificant to share - a smile, a kind word, a hug, a prayer - all these simple gestures can make a loving difference in the life of another. Believe that when you feed one, you are feeding five-thousand. Miracles do happen!
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