A Little Lad
John 6:1-21 “ One Can Make a Difference with God”
Today’s Gospel calls us to look at the miracle that Jesus did in multiplying the loaves and fish. Jesus sees the crowd and asks one of his disciples, “ Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6:5 He was trying to test Philip the Gospel writer John tells us or “prove” him, for he “himself knew what he would do.” 6:6 Philip sees that they do not have enough money to buy bread for all the people and is “ not sufficient for them” 6:7 But another disciple seeing the same situation Andrew who was Simon Peter’s brother says unto Jesus, “ There is a lad here which has five barley loaves, and two small fish.” 6:8 Even he realized that they were not enough among so many. 6:9
We all encounter situations in our lives where we have to choose courses of action and make decisions. Should we just give up? Some seem to do that. That talk may be under some of our feelings in one way or another. Now giving up is not such a bad idea as it sounds either. For when we give up, we can let God work, if that is our intent. Last time I looked God works through means. He has ordained people to do His work. I want to give Andrew credit. He saw that there was a possibility among the impossible. He did not just do what Philip did and say , “ this is not going to work.”
Are we an Andrew or a Philip? In our own American history I can think of some that persevered and did not give up in the middle of very hard situations. One of these is George Washington at Valley Forge. Here it would have been easy to just give up. He had basically no food and no place to house his army in the winter, but he did not give up. We know from our American history that in the middle of this he developed a plan to attack even in winter because that was when the British would be least expecting him. And in the end he was successful and saved the nation. That is why we honor him with the title, “ father of our country.”
Andrew looked to Jesus and of course we know what happens. He made the men sit down, about 5,000. “ And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples….the fragments left over filled twelve baskets above unto them that had eaten.” 6:13 The Scripture calls this a miracle. 6:14
In our situations are we letting God work through us or others? Or have we said , “ this can never happen?” Unfortunately there are more Philips than Andrews around us. Negative thinking about what God can do is damaging. It stunts our growth and our vitality. It discourages and disheartens us . We lower our heads in deep feeling of disappointment.
Our second reading reflects this as well----Ephesians 3:14-21. I saw this right away when I read it . “ that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love…be filled with all the fulness of God.” It would be well to admit that we have conducted a lot of relationships and business without others remembering the golden rule. “ Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Matthew 7:12 We all want our opinions respected and wish to be heard. We all have rushed to judgment without all the facts. There may be things we disagree on but we can agree to disagree in love. The reading in Ephesians says when we are filled with the fullness of God, we can let Him do His work. Our job is to listen to that direction from Him. 3:20 gives us the goal in the form of a prayer, “ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
If God is to work through His Church we should be more like Andrew than Philip. Maybe we cannot do such and such, but we can do this or that. We can make a start in the power of Christ and in the love that envelopes us . Do you see the difference? “ May we go where God leads “ someone prayed I heard on the radio this week. So we pray, “ enable us for your service” . We pray for the world in which we live and the calling that God has chosen us to .
Yes, God calls us to be the one person that makes a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others. For one person can make a difference with God.
Today’s Gospel calls us to look at the miracle that Jesus did in multiplying the loaves and fish. Jesus sees the crowd and asks one of his disciples, “ Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6:5 He was trying to test Philip the Gospel writer John tells us or “prove” him, for he “himself knew what he would do.” 6:6 Philip sees that they do not have enough money to buy bread for all the people and is “ not sufficient for them” 6:7 But another disciple seeing the same situation Andrew who was Simon Peter’s brother says unto Jesus, “ There is a lad here which has five barley loaves, and two small fish.” 6:8 Even he realized that they were not enough among so many. 6:9
We all encounter situations in our lives where we have to choose courses of action and make decisions. Should we just give up? Some seem to do that. That talk may be under some of our feelings in one way or another. Now giving up is not such a bad idea as it sounds either. For when we give up, we can let God work, if that is our intent. Last time I looked God works through means. He has ordained people to do His work. I want to give Andrew credit. He saw that there was a possibility among the impossible. He did not just do what Philip did and say , “ this is not going to work.”
Are we an Andrew or a Philip? In our own American history I can think of some that persevered and did not give up in the middle of very hard situations. One of these is George Washington at Valley Forge. Here it would have been easy to just give up. He had basically no food and no place to house his army in the winter, but he did not give up. We know from our American history that in the middle of this he developed a plan to attack even in winter because that was when the British would be least expecting him. And in the end he was successful and saved the nation. That is why we honor him with the title, “ father of our country.”
Andrew looked to Jesus and of course we know what happens. He made the men sit down, about 5,000. “ And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples….the fragments left over filled twelve baskets above unto them that had eaten.” 6:13 The Scripture calls this a miracle. 6:14
In our situations are we letting God work through us or others? Or have we said , “ this can never happen?” Unfortunately there are more Philips than Andrews around us. Negative thinking about what God can do is damaging. It stunts our growth and our vitality. It discourages and disheartens us . We lower our heads in deep feeling of disappointment.
Our second reading reflects this as well----Ephesians 3:14-21. I saw this right away when I read it . “ that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love…be filled with all the fulness of God.” It would be well to admit that we have conducted a lot of relationships and business without others remembering the golden rule. “ Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Matthew 7:12 We all want our opinions respected and wish to be heard. We all have rushed to judgment without all the facts. There may be things we disagree on but we can agree to disagree in love. The reading in Ephesians says when we are filled with the fullness of God, we can let Him do His work. Our job is to listen to that direction from Him. 3:20 gives us the goal in the form of a prayer, “ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
If God is to work through His Church we should be more like Andrew than Philip. Maybe we cannot do such and such, but we can do this or that. We can make a start in the power of Christ and in the love that envelopes us . Do you see the difference? “ May we go where God leads “ someone prayed I heard on the radio this week. So we pray, “ enable us for your service” . We pray for the world in which we live and the calling that God has chosen us to .
Yes, God calls us to be the one person that makes a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others. For one person can make a difference with God.
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