Tag Archives: Matthew 14:13-21

All I Have

bible, faith, God, Lectionary, Religion, Thanksgiving, theology, , , ,

This is all I have,
It doesn’t seem much,
But I’m giving it to you

Some see the difficulties,
the lack,
the need for more

You see the possibilities,
what can be done,
if only
we hand over
what we have

What I have
seems so small,
Insignificant,
not enough
for the need,
for all that is required

But in your hands,
broken,
blessed
and shared,
it is beyond
what is needed,
so much more than I gave.

And so Lord,
I give to you,
what I have,
what I am,
for you to break
and bless
and use

PICT1081

Matthew 14:13-21 (MSG)

Supper for Five Thousand

13-14 When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick.

15 Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.”

16 But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”

17 “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.

18-21 Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.

“Love, like two fish and five loaves, is never enough until you give it away”

That’s enough

God, Jesus, Lectionary, ,

What’s not to like about a picnic with friends?  A nice leisurely afternoon enjoying the fresh air, and good finger food.

Yet that is not quite the situation Jesus and his disciples find themselves in, in this story.  The people have gone out to listen to Jesus speaking, and had spent so much time there that now it’s getting late and they’ve got no food.  The disciples want to send the people on their way, Jesus tells them not to do that, but to do something about the situation themselves.

I’ve blogged about Mark’s version of this story already this year You Do Something.

It can be so easy to pass the buck, let someone else pick up the pieces of a situation, but Jesus challenges us to do something.

I’m not sure about you, but so often I’m with the disciples, ‘what have I got that can be of any use?’  ‘Look what a small thing I have for such a large task.’

Jesus response to that?  To smile slowly, and say

bring it here, give it to me

In Jesus hands, five loves and two fish are not just enough – but an abundance.  They meet the need and some.

So what have we got that we’re doing nothing with – because we don’t think it’s enough?  We think the little we have is too small, too insignificant.  But Jesus says to us,

bring it here, give it to me

and in his hands, what we have to bring to him is enough.  He can take it and use, and bless others with it.

So don’t worry that you have nothing to offer, that what you have is not enough.

Bring it to God, give it to him – and watch what he can do with it.

Lord,

I feel insignificant,

inadequate,

lacking –

but,

I offer to you

what I have,

and ask you to take it,

and use it,

to meet the needs you see