After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
“Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Two of the three onboard fuel cells were inoperable. The crew of Apollo 13 moved to the lunar module to save electricity but the big problem was the buildup on carbon dioxide. Without a way to filter it out the crew would die.
Feeling useless at the 4077th, Father Mulcahy took Igor’s place in the litter jeep with Radar and headed to the front to transport a badly wounded soldier back to the MASH unit. On the way back the soldier couldn’t breath and they stopped to help. Panicked, Radar calls back to the 4077 but when they get out the first aid kit there is nothing inside that will help save this soldier’s life.
The crowd continued to grow as Jesus made his way through he countryside. As he did signs and healed the sick the crowds grew even bigger. Turning around Jesus saw 5000 people and asked Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
In each of these desperate situations the available resources seemed to be somewhere between underwhelming and non existent. Orbiting the earth, under enemy fire and on a hillside in ancient Palestine… these are not the situations where what was needed was anywhere within easy reach! But in each of these situations a miracle happened, but NOT the miracle most folks point to as THE miracle. Most people, if asked to describe the miracle, would point to the crew of Apollo 13 splashing down safely back on earth… the soldier surviving… and 5000 people being fed. But in each of these situations, I think the REAL miracle happened BEFORE those things occurred.
In Apollo 13, the REAL miracle happened when the crew noticed that they had several spare containers of lithium hydroxide onboard. These containers could filter out the excess carbon dioxide! But they were square, and the vents they needed to be connected to were round. But noticing the lithium hydroxide led to more noticing, both in orbit and back on earth. Soon the noticing grew and with plastic from a garment bag, the cardboard cover of an instruction manual, a tube sock and some duct tape, a make-shift carbon dioxide scrubber had been created which kept the crew alive until they returned to earth a few days later.
In the battlefield, surrounded by snipers and a panicked Radar O’Reily, the REAL miracle happened when Father Mulcahy stopped focusing on the dull scissors in the first aid kit, “like you got in kinde-garden” that would NEVER work and was able to notice the Tom Mix pocket knife he DID have. That noticing lead to more noticing and soon the barrel of a fountain pen became a tube and in spite of Radar’s drama, Father Mulcahy soon had performed a tracheostomy under fire in the back of a jeep and saved the soldier’s life.
On the hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Philip only saw what he did not have… enough to feed 5000. Andrew noticed only slightly more… it was just some kid with five fish and three loaves. But in that tiny bit of noticing a miracle had its start. It was infinitely less that enough to feed everyone, but it was more than enough for Jesus to start passing out food. In the end the disciples gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers after everyone had eaten their fill.
In each of these stories the REAL miracle happened when they stopped focusing on what they DID NOT have and instead began to look around, notice, and put to use what they DID have. When THAT happened, the situations began to immediately turn from scarcity to abundance, from despair to hope, from darkness to light, and from death to life.
The story in today’s Gospel reading is an absolutely amazing and wonderful miracle story! But it is not JUST a miracle that could only be performed 2000 years ago on a hill by the sea by the Son of God. The miracle in today’s Gospel story is a miracle WELL within the grasp of each and every one of us… you and me… us mere mortals, right here in little ol’ Sheffield! It is a miracle that begins the moment we stop obsessing about what we DON’T have and instead look around us and see what we DO have and begin to put that, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it might seem, to work in the world. And here’s the REAL kicker… NOT ONLY is this sort of miracle we CAN DO… This is the EXACT SORT OF MIRACLE we’ve already DONE! Bishop Doug noticed hikers on the Appalachian Trail. That helped us notice a ministry development grant, that helped others notice other churches wanting to help and now how many hamburgers and hotdogs have been served? I don’t know… maybe 500 or so? But not 5000 you say… well…
When the pandemic hit and the schools closed, school families who relied on school meals were going without but all the NORMAL ways we help hungry people couldn’t be done! No teams could gather to cook, no cafeterias packed with people for spaghetti suppers! People wanted to help but there was NO way to help! But then we noticed the school was sending food home. That led to noticing The Marketplace still doing takeout dinners. Then that led to community members sponsoring meals and then before we even knew what was happening over 8350 people had been fed… a number greater than 5000, I might add! The fact is… We do miracles here my friends! We really, really DO and they all begin when together we help each other to look past scarcity and notice the abundance God has given us lying all around us. Then we look up from despair and see hope staring us right in the face. Then we walk step by step toward that tiny pinprick of light even while we are surrounded by darkness. Then miracles happen and the world is moved from death toward life. Amen.
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