The Feeding of the Multitudes…Again

Book of Sermons

Mark 8:1-9a

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied.
6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand were present.

Prayer:

  • Welcome to the Homecoming of Pleasant Grove UMC.
  • After the end of the Civil War – some of the surrounding community men were returning home. Obviously, many were killed either in the battles or died in the long treks and harsh conditions that were involved with the war. But, brothers, sons, uncles and husbands were returning home. What a sense of relief the community must have had as their loved ones returned home.
  • As we all know, this cycle of young men and women going off to war and not all returning has been repeated in our community many times in the last 150 years.
  • Our steeple bell has rung many times in joy and in sorrow. And will continue to ring!
  • Before the Civil War and during the Civil War, a small nearby local community of Christians continued to come together to pray, to read Scripture and to support each other. Their faith was growing because of the compassion of a Christian community that were brought to this land by the Methodist Episcopal church that had been started by John Wesley less than a century before.
  • The Methodist were very vocal as to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the importance of followers of Jesus to become disciples of Jesus and for them to spread the loving Word of a God who calls us to love everyone, in spite of the way that we are treated.
  • In 1867, this current sanctuary was built out of local timber and stone to become a home to Methodists for worship and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
  • On Sunday January 19, 1868, this sanctuary was consecrated to become a holy place of worship for the new congregation of the Pleasant Grove Methodist Episcopal Church.
  • For 150 years we have had continuous worship here. Our church has celebrated baptisms, confirmations, marriages and funerals of people in the community. We have had dinners — especially oyster dinners, pot luck dinners, Christmas Bazaars, Trunk and Treat, Hands Helping Neighbors, UMW bus trips and casseroles for the hungry in Baltimore and dresses and pants for the children in Haiti. Many of you remember the funny, crazy dinner theatres that were held in the Social Hall.
  • Pleasant Grove UMC has lived out God’s call for compassion as it has radiated from the teachings of Jesus and John Wesley. We have been faithful servants to the living Word of God.
  • And we will continue!
  • Welcome to our 150th Anniversary Homecoming!
  • We will celebrate with singing favorite hymns, hearing Scripture read from the original 1867 Pulpit Bible that was recently refurbished. Come and look at it after the service. Notice the new altar and pulpit cloths made by the loving and creative hands of Barbara Oliver and the gorgeous altar flowers made by Jo Oliver. Maybe you will try out the new bench that was made by Art Smith with the original frames that held the 1897 bell – which we rang this morning.
  • What a more special time to have the baptism of Corey Simons and Courtney Garfield and to receive into membership Sara and Corey Simons and Courtney Garfield.
  • God is Good – All the time – all the time God is Good.
  • Pause
  • For the last several weeks and until the end of November, we are working on a sermon series that examines the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the shortest Gospel in the New Testament and one that shows Jesus as the defiance challenger to the cultural norms of the day. Jesus challenged the political and social system that really focused on the powerful and the elites.
  • The Gospel of Mark really has a message that we need to hear again today. A message about compassion.
  • Today we are looking at the feeding of the 4000. This is strange to us because in every one of the Gospels, it is referred to as the feeding of the 5000. In fact, in Mark, the author of Mark has both the feeding of the 5000 and two chapters later the feeding of the 4000.
  • There is a significant difference in these stories other than the numbers fed – 4000 versus 5000.
  • The difference is about where the bread and the fish came from.
    • In the story about the feeding of the 5000, a young boy had the bread and fish.
    • In the 4000 story the disciples had the food and Jesus was asking them to share what they had.
    • Of course, they did the math and figured that there would not be any bread or fish for the disciples – there was not enough to go around – or so they thought. They hesitated – but the compassion of Jesus took over.
  • The disciples gave Jesus all of the bread that they had. The total was seven loaves. Jesus took what they had and then used it for His glory.
  • Jesus blessed the bread
  • The moment that Jesus blessed the bread that day,
    • He set it apart for the use of God.
    • The blessing of Christ is far more than just physical or spiritual. It is about being used for his glory.
    • Consecration means that something or someone is set apart for the service of God.
    • Just like our church was consecrated for Gods use in 1868.
  • There is no way that we can be used to the fullest, if we do not allow Jesus to set us apart for His work and His plans.
    • The issue is one that begins in surrender and then flows through a willingness to be used.
    • The power of God moves in our lives when we allow ourselves to be used by Him.
  • Jesus was moved by the needs of the people.
  • Jesus had compassion for the people who had gathered to be with him. His message to the multitudes was more important that the food.
  • Compassion is a deep-seated concern for others that moves us to action.
  • The fact that Mark records here is that Jesus felt something for these people from the very core of His being.
  • The implication is simple: whatever our need, whatever our hurt, whatever our struggle – we have a Savior who feels for us.
    • No matter what we face in our lives, Jesus is moved in His heart to feel our pain and sympathize with our problems.
  • The reality is that Jesus is not only aware of the needs that we have but he is also concerned about them.
    • More than mere concern, Jesus cares about the difficulties we face in life.
  • Whenever we see the word compassion associated with Jesus it is always followed by action.
    • The reality is that compassion without action is worthless because nothing happens, and nothing changes.
    • The work of Jesus moves people into the care of God Himself.
  • Jesus had compassion on the people like sheep without a shepherd
  • Jesus had compassion and healed the sick
  • Jesus had compassion and He fed those who were hungry
  • Compassion demands us to take action.
    • Jesus saw the great crowd and had compassion on them.
    • He began to teach them about the Truth of God, He shared with them good news and he gave them a sense of hope.
    • Jesus reached out to people to meet both their physical and spiritual need.
    • There were two types of hunger in the crowds that day: physical and spiritual.
    • Then Jesus saw their need for food and fed them. Jesus not only feels compassion, He acts on it.
  • Jesus did not pick and choose who would get His compassion.
    • He reached out to all who needed Him.
    • He reached out to those who were in critical need and He reached out to those who were critical of Him.
    • Jesus saw the need of the crowd was urgent and critical.
  • What message from the story of the feeding of the 4000 can we take home with us today?
  • Ponder the word compassion. Compassion – a deep seated, inner core sense that we need to help because we have been helped.
    • When we were struggling with a health issue, there was someone close to us who helped us.
    • When we were having financial problems, someone came to our rescue.
    • When we needed a listening ear, some one was there for us.
  • Jesus would not allow the needs of the people go unmet and He would not allow them to walk away without caring for them.
    • The same is true of our lives today.
    • Jesus cares about our needs and He wants to give us the strength we need to continue on.
    • And Jesus raises up people with compassion to enter our lives!
  • Compassion is rooted in personal experience
  • Jesus had experienced the reality of hunger during His life.
  • During His forty days of fasting, Jesus understood hunger.
  • Going forty days without food allowed Him to experience what it meant to be without needed food. The experience gave Him an added compassion for these people.
  • Jesus knew what hunger was and His compassion was rooted in His own human experience.
    • He understood hunger,
    • He understood temptation and he understood the depth of human need.
  • We have a Savior that is familiar with our need and has compassion for us in the midst of them.
  • So, what do we do?
    • The world we live in seems to be moving away from our traditional values – of caring for and being compassionate for the disadvantaged and the poor.
    • We denigrate people who are different than us – different in race, economic standing, different in gender or religion.
    • We are beginning to look down on the less fortunate and say that it is their fault — they could have done better – so they pay the price.
  • Jesus told the story of a man who was beaten and robbed and lay alongside a deserted road. Two holy men came by and looked on and then passed by. Then a man who was of the despised, lower class society came by and had compassion for the beaten man— helped him up and took him to an inn and covered all of his expenses. —- that despised, lower class man – was the true neighbor.
  • Many times, in Scripture, Jesus says to the reader or listener – go and do likewise!
  • After 150 years of worship in the same location — we – the next generation are being called to become more compassionate and to “go and do” likewise.
  • Thanks be to God!