Imagine for a moment to read a part of the crowd in the Gospel this morning. I listened to the words of Jesus throughout the day. They have a long way. It 'been a long day, you're tired and hungry, and you realize that you do not get something to eat. Suddenly you realize that there is only one member of the crowd that any food at all a kid who has brought only five loaves and two fishes. You and everyone else in the crowd, the samenamely, thought, wish that he had brought enough food to share with everyone. Since it has only a small amount of food, what do you do?
Suddenly he sees the disciple Andrew, the boy next door. Have you heard of Jesus to his disciples in search of food for the people. Andrew responded to the call, and Jesus said to the boy and his lunch. We have been told to Jesus, Andrew, the boy and bring him lunch. They only see Jesus, the food, bless it and give it to the crowd. AfterMeal, you can see the disciples to gather the broken pieces left — enough to fill twelve baskets.
This parable is the word of God and how we receive and act on it in our daily lives. The child is standing for us, as children of God, the loaves and fishes represent what we offer to God is the blessing of life, how God uses what we sell and the pieces represent the rich, spiritual food, is back .
You may recall another parable, where theDisciples seek to keep seeing the children about Jesus, but were rejected when he said: "Let the little children come to me, because that is the kingdom of heaven." The child with bread and fish to us, as children of God we come to him like a child for a parent, naive, but full of wonders, with an inquiring mind, and with some injury. God the Father is like a teacher who teaches us what we need to know the faith, eternal life and our heavenly home.
GodThe teacher feeds our minds. He teaches us not only with his words but also by the priest, the priest, the organist and choir director, teaching readers, in fact, teaches about anyone other than his work in the family church. His teaching materials (lessons, laws, etc.) are never used. In fact, many times, because those of us who are taught by him, can go to teach others. In this way we will do our part to make the Lord Great Commission, that is to say, "Go to –World and make disciples of all nations. "
God takes us, who we are, while accepting what we offer in faith and gratitude toward him. Our range is large or small. God does not matter what you sell, because it uses what we are doing his work in our world and offer them in our daily lives. Weekly specials are a good example. Most of what we offer, is the work of our own church family support, but some are also used to support the work of our parish family. A bit 'ofE 'is also used to support the work of the Church in our diocese, our nation and the world through our two dioceses of award and our offer to the world of primate Relief and Development Fund.
God does not care about what we can offer him, as did everything and anything we offer in faith. Most people today are not in the form of money or donations, non-perishable food for local food bank authorities, but that was not always so. Some of youare stories about how in recent years, ministers have been paid, belongs in the form of animals, fruits or vegetables. I recently read the story of a minister in the United States about his experiences in a church in a Third World country writing. He wrote that on a given Sunday, the congregation came to church and was greeted by three turkeys and a pig, which were tied outside the door. A week before had been in his sermon on the tenth to one-tenth of their income to the church. Thethree turkeys and a pig representing one tenth of the income of farmers who have given, but gave them in the faith, knowing that the mission of God, the resources needed to get done. The boy, who has his lunch of loaves and fishes is likely that in our gospel, he also knew that in order to feed the multitude of God mentally, he had to feed them physically, because without the physical resources for ' power, the crowd was not the intellectual food. The same goes for the SaintsEucharist, because it is through the physical bread and wine, the food we receive the spiritual food of Christ offers, like the disciples at the Last Supper.
If God has on our individual offer, blesses them and connect them with the supply of fellow believers. He uses this combination to bless and multiply what he gives to his people in return. It's like the parable of the mustard seed, God has something very small like our individual offer and makesgrow into something bigger and better, namely, faith in him. Loaves and fishes represent more than just physical food, but also provide food and spiritual nourishment God offers us.
God sees everything, knows everything, and His love knows no boundaries. He shows his love for the spiritual food to his people. The spiritual food is so great that we are not able to absorb all at once. There are always leftovers, which remains in baskets that were collected fromDisciples. Just as the physical food we eat several times a day live physically, we need to keep the pleasure of spiritual food to live our faith. Our human inability of each piece, we learn to hold the power of God to remind us to absorb his love and power, just as our human capacity to ignore what he has to teach us, forcing him to constantly remind us.
The sharing of the loaves and fishes is also God, sharing his wisdom and love for his children.Uneaten food reminds us that the love of God and the wisdom to absorb the excess of our spirit and our soul and our capacity for what he offers us. What will overflow yet been approved by us, as long as we continue to seek his spiritual nourishment.
God has no spiritual food, without anything in return from us. When fed us, also asks us to feed, teach, govern, and other guides. He asks us to feed the crowd, offering what we do. Our offer for the weeklyThe support of the Church are a good example. As already mentioned, in support of such offers, even better than the work of Trinity Church. They also go to the spiritual power of the Church, locally, in this diocese, in this nation and the world. A practical example is the provision of non-perishable food, we offer every week for our local food bank. Since I am the person who deals with the capture of our donations to local food bank every Monday morning I saw firsthand howOur simple act of feeding the masses make a difference in the lives of clients of food banks.
How do you distribute the spiritual food that increases and fills the soul, as well as physical nourishment of the loaves and fishes feeding increases the quantity and listen to Jesus There is an interesting parallel with the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist is a physical representation of the distribution of spiritual nourishment God offers us. Just as the public has had the physicalFood of the loaves and fishes in the acknowledgments, you get the meal of bread and wine in thanksgiving for the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of our Lord when we come to Him in faith.
God always wants to know that our faith in him. If we do not show this belief is not open, asks us to show that we trust. This is why Jesus asked the disciples, where they could find food for the public. He could easily have caused it to rain manna from heaven, like the Israelitesafter Moses led them from slavery in Egypt, but he did not. He knew that the disciples could not understand everything he had taught them both caused and quantity, but their understanding, not ignorance, but from a lack of faith. Finally, she had been at his side for a long time and had seen and heard his teachings and his miracles, as the crowd gathered to see him one time gain, even as it carries a famous musician, who would enjoy seeing, would a big city, onlyonce or twice during his career. When the child has offered his lean lunch, a meal that was physical enough to run a little boy, his little gift of faith in a rich harvest for the masses. Even a small amount of faith in Jesus brings a rich harvest of spiritual life and blessing for his people. Jesus used the application to test the food for the old adage that "great things come in small packages."
In John 6:27 Jesus tells us to "not by works of food,transitory, but for the food, but a life that is eternal, who is the Son of Man will give to him, the Father, God has a seal. "What does this tell us that spiritual food is more important than physical nourishment. Spiritual food is the key to the survival of our spiritual lives as physical nourishment is the key to the survival of physical life. Spiritual food allows us to understand that What God has for us in Serbian what he wants us to do in our lives, and what to expect in ourheavenly home. God wants us this food, because he loves us. All we have to do is come before him with humility and faith.
Christ himself said: "I am the bread of life." His doctrine is the word of eternal life, so we must live by it, to have a spiritual life and believe in him. We must always remember the words of the prayer after Communion in the Book of Common Prayer: "Almighty God, we thank you with all my heart that you graciously feed us in these holy mysterieswith the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, which he assures us, your grace and kindness to us …".
Spiritual food is not confined to the Holy Eucharist and the teachings of God Worship weekly fill the void, especially in periods in which the Eucharist is not celebrated. We can not come to church only a few times in our lives and we expect that the small amount of spiritual food we receive in these moments will give us a sustainableforever. Just as physical food you eat several times a day, forced to live, we must receive spiritual nourishment at regular intervals. This is why many of us are attending services each week – because we listen and provide spiritual nourishment offered through the regular worship. Those who go to church only on special occasions such as weddings and funerals, christenings, Christmas or Easter, will receive a small amount of spiritual food, while those who regularly worship in the church and sincereFaith has received the honor of a seat at the table of God's holy head feast.