With a Thankful Heart (our theme for November)
Our scripture focus today is Matthew 14:19, part of a very familiar story for many.
Then Jesus told the people to sit down on the grass. And he took 5 loaves and 2 fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God’s blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave some of the bread and fish to each disciple, and the disciples gave them to the people.
Each time I hear this story, I am reminded of a very special moment when this story came to life right in front of me. While serving on the ministry staff at First Church, I was blessed to be a part of an annual youth retreat, Resurrection. Sharing in this event with our youth was such a moving experience. Of course, the planning, long hours, patience and stamina required were not always easy. The joy of watching our youth engaged with their faith, growing and seeking a deeper relationship with Christ was priceless.
On one very holy weekend in 1992, the main speaker was the Rev. James King from the Nashville area. He is now a retired Bishop. His personality was a great match for all of us. Smart, funny, inspiring and he brought our faith alive in those sessions. There were about 5000 youth and leaders in attendance. First Church had nearly 90 attending. It was an amazing experience.
Sunday mornings at Resurrection included one final session centering around worship and communion. Sometimes the final session had less in attendance as churches from other states or inclement weather made returning home more difficult. This year, the conference center was full for the final session. The altar was filled with communion elements, the bread and wine arranged filling every open space on the altar. Even that sight was moving. I am sure it was no easy task to prepare to serve 5000 participants at multiple stations around the room, all beginning at the altar. Great efforts had been made to assure for ample stations and no confusion during this part of the service.
As the elements were blessed and the bread and juice were delivered to their stations, no one gave a thought to the possibility that there might not be enough. Minds and hearts were focused on receiving communion and sharing this time together. However, quickly it became evident that there was not enough bread to serve everyone. You could feel the energy in the room as contributors – disciples- came forward. Bread was offered in the form of pringles, goldfish, saltines and a few loaves of bread (one of the leaders had run to the store next door when he realized there might be an issue). Though, truth be told, these gifts were meager by themselves, they had been offered for the good of all and they were truly multiplied. When communion was complete and the elements were returned to the altar, the table was overflowing with bread. The congregation, disciples and followers had stepped up and shared what they had. Just as Christ called the disciples to serve the multitude, this gathering of believers was also called to feed the “crowd of youth” with what appeared to be “not enough”. By sharing what they had, Resurrection 92 was fed and nurtured.
There were many misty eyes and feelings of awe on that morning. It’s one spiritual experience I will never forget and I have often shared with others. My heart was so full.
However, that is not the end of the story for me. At that time, I was attending classes in preparation to be consecrated as a Diaconal minister. These classes were held at Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville. I left Gatlinburg that Sunday destined for Nashville and two weeks of intense classwork and...
