25th. July. 2021.Service.
Service of Worship 25th July 2021
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude: “Praise to God who reigns above”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcH7bXbZwHw
Introit: 600 “Spirit of God unseen as the wind”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozWAspk5Zcg
Collect for today
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn 485 “Dear Lord and Father of mankind”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAxiN0egN-I
Call to Prayer
Great is the Lord who is worthy to be praised.
None can measure the greatness of our God.
Let us worship God who is faithful in all things.
We will sing of God’s power and speak of His loving kindness.
O God, we proclaim you our ruler in all things,
And we will praise your holy name forever
Prayer of Adoration and Confession
Holy God, joy of the universe, it is your awe-inspiring love that brings us into your presence today. You awaken within us a loving response, creating hunger and thirst for your goodness, truth and beauty.
As we worship you, we ask that you give us the blessings we most need even though we may feel we want something different. Satisfy us with the truth that helps, heals and challenges us, even when that truth may be very uncomfortable. Challenge us with the beauty of your holiness even though it may cause us pain before it brings its healing. Through Christ Jesus your joyful Son. Amen!
Confession and assurance
Gracious God this is the time for our confession; our opportunity to face up to our human failings and ask for your help. Give us insight and courage as we do so.
We are here, our Saviour and Friend, in your presence, each of us in need of your healing and grace to set us up for the week that lies ahead of us. Here we do not need to be overwhelmed with shame as people without hope. Instead you call us to open our lives to the mercy which is always available to us.
To you, Saviour and Friend, we bring our failures and our successes.
We are sorry for our failures, especially those we should have foreseen and prevented. We are sorry for any way in which we have added to the frustration and hurt of others. We are sorry that words escape our lips thoughtlessly and that we forget so easily our resolution to be more like Christ Jesus.
We are very glad of our successes and victories over ourselves yet realise that even our best deeds are always flawed.
We acknowledge that our lives are such a mixture of good and evil, and that we need your grace.
In your love, do for us now what we cannot do for ourselves Grant us an honest repentance, sure forgiveness, profound peace, and a new vigour of spirit.
Let us make amends wherever that is possible and may we have the faith to leave the rest in your wise hands, trusting your healing power.
Forgiveness
According to the riches of God’s glory, displayed in Jesus our Saviour, may we be forgiven and strengthened through the power of the Spirit in our inner beings. Amen!
May we rejoice with the saints in the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of Christ which is far beyond worldly knowledge. In him may we be filled with the fullness of God.
Generous God we pray you to enlarge our expectations of both heaven and earth, that we may be more willing to receive and to give love and grace as today we hear the challenge and promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our teacher, example, our Saviour in whom we pray,
The Lord’s Prayer (in the words most familiar to you)
Intimations
Liz and Cheryl invite you o save and recycle empty medicine blister packs. Superdrug has a scheme to do this. They can be left in the church near the book recycle bin when you have gathered a few and they will be delivered to Superdrug.
Invitation to the Offering
The story of Jesus feeding the crowd with a few loaves and fishes is a parable of God’s power to multiply our gifts offered in Jesus’ name. Make your offering to God as you are able, and trust that God will create abundance from what we bring to him.
Prayer of Dedication
God of abundant love, we offer our gifts to you willingly, yet sometimes we wonder what they can achieve in a world of great need. Bless our gifts and multiply them in your love. Surprise us with your power, working in us and through us, to accomplish worthy things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. Amen.
Hymn 181 “For the beauty of the earth”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh4WlpxxUMo
Reading
Psalm 14
For the director of music. Of David.
1 The fool says in his heart,
‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the Lord.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Hymn 624 In “Christ there is no east nor west”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpITJOShix0
John 6:1-14
6 Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing those who were ill. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’
10 Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. Amen.
Hymn 540 “I heard the voice of Jesus”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kyfROS4q8
Sermon
When we lived in Prince Edward Island, one of the traditions among the women of the congregation was to make quilts together. During the winter months they met as the Women’s Missionary Society and the Ladies’ Aid usually in the home of Minnie Thomson into which they incorporated quilting bees. Scraps of fabric were hand sewn into favourite patterns: scallops, fans, maple leaves, Tree of Life. It was all part of a Canada wide tradition. The quilting was done cooperatively on a large frame after the patterns had been individually constructed in the outer cover. Otherwise useless leftovers were transformed into useful works of art.
The story of the feeding of the five thousand is before us once again. Like many of the Gospel stories it is rich in symbolism which yields its meaning as we look more closely at the details.
Some people find stories like this difficult to believe because they contain supranatural occurrences, miracles. I think that nowadays we are well past the twentieth century habit of trying to explain such stories by forensic examination. I recall William Barclay’s attempt when he speculated that many of the five thousand brought food which they shared with their neighbours in the crowd. Perhaps! But that makes the disciples’ enquiry about resources a fiction and misses the point of the event which is about the profligate goodness of God. We have to let Jesus be the Christ to us here; and if we find such stories difficult, look past the miraculous to the message and give this a go. Or as one person of faith said, centuries before Jesus was born, “O taste and see for yourself that the Lord is good.”
Confronted then, by 5000 hungry people in a barren place on the east bank of lake Galilee, Jesus was not at a loss. He took what was available, a child’s gift of 5 barley loaves and two small fish and created a feast. The food was so plentiful that we are told that twelve baskets were left over. We will return to this later.
That is the kind of thing Jesus did. It is the kind of thing he still does. In barren places, with hungry souls, he turns despondency into relief, and hunger into fulfilment.
We shouldn’t have so many problems with a story like the feeding of the five thousand if we can think of instances where we have experienced something like it ourselves. This story is as a parable revealing a truth which is very real to sincere practitioners of the faith.
In Prince Edward Island there were three linked congregations in my parish. North Tryon was the largest and most prosperous. Breadalbane and South Granville were very small and remote, in that they were situated in valleys often inaccessible in winter. The ministry in these places was to a dozen or so small holder farmers and their families. Their gatherings were in modest, weatherboard churches. As you know, farmers do hard physical work and have big appetites. Any minister who has had the privilege of sharing farm hospitality knows about their appetite. Yet as though by miracle, members of these rural congregations would go home fulfilled by just a sip from a cup and from a tiny piece of bread. It is as if those souls had feasted at a sumptuous banquet.
Similarly in Sydney. where busy urbanites are accustomed to a very wide range of dining options, they gather in larger numbers inside grand and elegant churches. There they come to a common table and receive just one fragment of bread and no more than a tea spoonful of wine. Miraculously, these city people also find their strength renewed as they go on their way filled and fulfilled.
That is the sort of thing Jesus does. It is one of his specialities. With a blessing from his hands the small becomes large, the weak become strong, the blind begin to see, the poor become rich, the loser become winners, and the nobodies become the first citizens in the kingdom of God.
If we offer to Christ whatever small gifts we have, it will surprise us what he can do with them. It is as simple, yet as profound, as that.
If we are to really experience the truth which threads through this story in John’s Gospel, we must first be open to it. We must allow Christ to become hands on for us. He called for resources, and the only one who responded was a boy with five loaves and two small fish. Like that boy long ago, we are called to put our resources into the hands of Christ. There is no way around it. How many of hopeful religious folk, have never experienced the full beneficence of Jesus? Is it because they have never pushed their hesitation aside and committed all they have and are to the disposal of the Lord Jesus. All, with nothing held back.
Cautious people might protest: “But only those who fully believe can commit.” That is not as true as it sounds. What is truer is this: “Only those who will commit will fully believe.” Repeat: “Only those who commit who will fully believe.”
Next week, our son, Jimmy is heading to Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. He will have to quarantine for two weeks in a former prison and rehabilitation centre.
There used to be an advert on TV which featured the tourist attractions of the “Northern Territory” of Australia. It sought to entice people to visit the large, and for a long while neglected, portion of the ancient continent which was, and in many ways still is, engaged in its pioneering phase.
The advert said, “Come and see Katherine George, Alice Springs, Uluru, Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks, Berry Springs, and of course the small but rapidly growing city of Darwin.” The key phrase in the television advert was a play in the words from earlier years of settlement when the outback was often called the: “never-never land”. This ad insisted: “You’ll never, never know, if you never, never go.”
The Northern Territory is one of the vast expanses, rugged red mountains, the immense grasslands, deep gorges, ancient rock outcrops, wetlands, waterfalls, and prolific flora and fauna. You have to be there to experience the brilliant red walls of Stanley Chasm at midday and watch the rock wallabies come out after the tourists have gone. You have to be there to watch dawn over the massive monolith of Uluru, or watch dingoes padding through the desert scrub.
You must for yourself delight in the lily lagoons of Kakadu, marvel at the prolific bird life, or listen at dusk to the trumpeting of brolgas across expanses of flood-plain.
Only first-hand can one know the awe of standing in rock shelters that were inhabited by fellow humans for between 30,000 to 60,000 years. Or the wonder of being at Ubirr or Norlangie and looking at the various styles of rock art from different periods of aboriginal history; stretching from 40,000 BC to 1900 AD.
You have to be there. You will never, never know if you never, never go. Now it is easy to speak of the glories of a place which I hope Jimmy will be able to sample before he settles in Brisbane, his ultimate destination. However, at first he is going to hot and steamy Darwin and his first two weeks will be like a health spa, for there are no luxuries or indulgences in Australian quarantine facilities. But if he decides to commit for a while to the Northern Territory he may see some wonderful sights.
But how much more true is it for the realm of God? That beauty and fecundity which Jesus taps and releases among us when we commit to Him is amazing. How much more when speaking about magnificent landscapes and natural beauties can we get carried away by the riches of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the brave new territory of God to be explored. But we will never, never know if we never, never go to Christ and place our hunger and poverty, together with our few gifts in his strong yet gentle hands.
Have we experienced the love of God to the level that St Paul speaks of a life blessed by Christ Jesus in Ephesians 3:20-21?
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
With Jesus putting in unstintingly, the return on the investment of the little that we have is always immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Producing high returns for our small investment is not dependent on the extent of our input but on God’s infinite resources. This is demonstrated by what is left over.
What is left over can be used to produce more. We live in a society which tends to throw out what is left over. I believe there was dismay among food charities last week that Amazon has been destroying surplus food that is still in date. That is just one example. Think of left0ver vaccines being destroyed rather than sent somewhere they can be used. The point about the quilting bees in Canada is that in a more frugal society the scraps of fabric were to be turned into comfortable and pleasing bed clothes.
Today in Inverkeithing, Cheryl Johnston and Liz Hunter are starting to collect medicine blister packs for recycling through Superdrug. Who would have thought?
Twelve baskets full of leftovers. This could also be translated as “broken pieces” of bread and fish. I’ve no doubt these were distributed to others in need. But let us consider this idea before we finish.
The pandemic has produced broken pieces in the lives of countless people: Families who have lost members, broken health in Long Covid. Marriages which may have been struggling anyway, but which could not survive lockdown. Other relationships whose tiny fissures have torn wide open in the stress of this time.
What will God do with all these ‘broken pieces,’ with all these left over things from a world we once knew but may no longer quite recognize?
In the story there is no mention of what happened to the abundance of fragments of bread which highlights the fullness which God intends – by the fact that there is so much. But also in the significance of the number twelve as we have seen in so many other stories of how God is at work in the world bringing wholeness. The number twelve represents the fulness of God. Here, even the broken pieces left over are symbolic of wholeness.
But there is a difference between fragments of bread and the broken places and broken people we stand in and among, Bread is made to be broken, but human lives are not.
At the same time, if human hearts do not have the capacity to be broken or ‘broken open,’ like the very bread of a communion service what good are we? As he in Christ was broken, so God takes our brokenness and makes uswhole.
Janet Hunt puts it this way:
For isn’t this almost always the way of it among us? Those whose hearts have been broken, and perhaps have been able to accept the invitation to allow ourselves to stand still in and experience that brokenness, somehow have a greater chance of our hearts being truly open to the pain of the world. And maybe that is how God starts putting it all back together into something new. And useful, perhaps. And surely always beautiful.
The same word we hear for ‘broken pieces of bread’ is the same word used for breaking the bread in the Biblical witness whenever we hear about Jesus at the table with his disciples.
The same word is ours as we repeat the words, “This is the body of Christ broken for you.”
And yes, this is the image we do hold: that of the body of Christ on the cross whose brokenness led to the promise of wholeness for all of this too much broken world, and all these broken lives, and all these broken hearts. For, when we stand still in the brokenness, holding high twelve baskets full of broken loaves of bread, taking in again the image of a broken body on a cross, we do meet Jesus there, don’t we?
And might that possibly be the beginning of wholeness even before anything else happens? Even if it doesn’t yet seem like it?
Thank goodness that from time to time, as we are so blessed, we do get to see those broken pieces coming together to form something new. And perhaps useful. And always beautiful.
When we experience brokenness in our lives and allow it its place, it brings us closer to God. The ladies of PEI gathered their cut offs and scraps and created something new and comforting in the beautiful wholeness of a quilt, so God can and will gather the broken pieces of our lives and create a wholeness that will be glorious now and in eternity. Amen
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
We thank you, God our Friend, that although we are frail creatures your grace enables us to be more like Christ Jesus. What we do may be flawed but is never without value in your eyes. Thank you for every good thing you have helped us to do and be.
Thank you for faithfulness in times of doubt, quite optimism when those around us have been gloomy, and compassion when others have been hard hearted.
Thank you for the courage we have been able to show under duress, the patience we have mustered for a difficult neighbour, the kindness we have shown to a stranger.
Thank you for the money we have given to the church and the needy, the time we have given to others, the skills we have made available without thought of any reward.
Thank you for the love we have been able to show to the unlikeable, offences against us that we have forgiven, prayers we have been able to offer for our enemies.
Thank you for the times we have tried to redress injustices, the persistence with which we have fought wrongs, and for the crosses we have carried with Christ.
Thank you for our readiness to find goodness in awkward relatives, our good will towards colleagues whom others put down, and our joy in the rehabilitation of offenders.
Thank you for the affirmation we give to friends, the times when we treat those who serve us as real persons, and the help we are ready offer to strangers.
Thank you for our courtesy when driving in heavy traffic, our generous attitude towards competitors, and our willingness to take a lowly place without feeling self-righteous
We thank you most wonderful God that your grace in us has not been in vain. For every measure of light, love, and peace that we have been able to share, we thank and praise you. Glory be to your name forever. Amen.
Let us bring before God for all those people whose vulnerability puts them at risk today
Father we pray for:
Young people who, subject to peer pressure, are at risk of taking drugs or submitting to promiscuity or are tempted to put their freedom before their safety.
The ever-busy Christians who are in such a rush that they are in danger of losing touch with the core peace of their faith.
The very heavenly-minded who are so caught up in their own salvation that they hardly see Christ in a needy neighbour.
Middle aged folk who, after years of married faithfulness, are sorely tempted to sacrifice it for a brief affair.
The leaders in business, politics and unions, who are ready to surrender their early ideals for personal gain or aggrandisement.
The weary person who, having risen above many previous setbacks, is now very close to giving in to bitterness and despair.
The church members who, seeing so little of their early visions and prayers fulfilled, are on the verge of resigning from the work.
The suffering people who feel that maybe their faith in God was wishful thinking and are about to retreat into bitterness of heart.
The people in this congregation who are today may be wrestling with challenges, fears and temptations that threaten to overwhelm them.
Loving God, hear us. Jesus Christ, save your people.
Ever loving God, you are the companion of the lonely, strength of the weak, comfort of the sad, scourge of the apathetic, physician of the sick, rebuke of the self-righteous, friend of sinners, and the light of all those who must walk in darkness. Please give to your people the full blessing of your Holy Spirit, that we may keep the faith and practise the love, not matter what the circumstances. Through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
Hymn 259 “Beauty for brokenness”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO1G-o7Yj-c
Sending out and Benediction
You are the ambassadors of a faith that is able to move mountains and of a love which increases the more it is given away. The world awaits you, go out and live for Jesus.
Now to the One who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to this God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. Amen!
May God’s blessing surround you each day
Postlude: “Deep peace of the running wave to you”
For Children
Do you see all of these bowls? At our house, we use these to store leftovers in the refrigerator. Do you ever have leftovers at your house? People often cook more food than they can eat at one meal, so they have leftovers again the next night, and the next, and maybe even the next. Do you get tired of leftovers?
I heard of someone who said, “My family will not eat leftovers. If we have any food left over, I just have to throw it out.” What a waste! One time they cooked some steaks on the grill. When they had finished their dinner, they went to their neighbour and said, “We had this steak left over and since my family won’t eat leftovers, I thought you might like to have it for your dog.”
“Oh yes, I’m sure my dog would love to have it,” the neighbour answered. Well, guess what they had for dinner the next night. That’s right, they had steak! There is nothing wrong with leftover steak, so they did not give it to the dog!
Our Bible story today tells us about a time when Jesus and his disciples had some leftovers. It is a familiar story — one that probably all of you have heard. It is the story about the time Jesus fed 5000 people.
You probably remember that Jesus had been teaching a large crowd of people. It was getting close to dinner time, and as he looked out over the crowd, Jesus turned to one of his disciples whose name was Philip and asked, “Where are we going to buy the bread for these people to eat?”
Philip said, “You’ve got to be kidding!” No, he didn’t really say that, but I imagine he probably thought it. What he did say to Jesus was, “Even eight month’s wages would not buy enough bread for each of these people to have one bite!”
Andrew, another of Jesus’ disciples spoke up, “There is a small boy over here who has five small pieces of bread and two small fish, but that is not enough to feed all of these people.”
“Bring it to me,” Jesus said. Then he gave thanks, blessed it, and began breaking it into pieces to pass around to the people. When they had all had enough to eat, Jesus said, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” They gathered up twelve baskets full!
There are a couple of very important lessons we can learn from this story. All of us could learn a lesson from the little boy. He didn’t have very much — only five pieces of bread and two small fish — but he was willing to share what he had, and Jesus used it to feed a huge crowd of people.
Another lesson we can learn is that God often blesses us with much more than we need. When that happens, what do we do with the leftovers? Jesus told the disciples to gather up the leftovers so that nothing would be wasted. The Bible doesn’t tell us what they did with the leftovers, but my guess is that they probably used them to feed more hungry people.
Some of us may only have a little. Some of us have been blessed with much more than we need. Either way, God is pleased when we share with others.
Dear Father, we thank you for all of your blessings. Help us to be generous in sharing with others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.