Bible Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10; John 6:5-15 | Pastor: Lynn Thompson Bryant | There is no way to add enough drama to the reading of this story. It is one of the few that is recorded in all four gospels. The feeding of the 5,000 follows Jesus’ healing of a man who had been severely ill for 30 years. He couldn’t get to the pool of healing waters. It was the Sabbath. With a word, Jesus healed him. As you can readily imagine, Jesus is in trouble with the religious authorities. Listen to where you might enter into this reading…

There are many places to enter this story. We have the crowd of 5,000 who have scurried to follow Jesus. Are you one of those who have been in a rush this morning to make it to Homecoming, with your food, and your children, and camera, and everything you needed for this festive occasion? Are you amongst the 100s, even 1000s of people who set out this morning to worship God in a beautiful sanctuary?

Or do you identify with one of the twelve disciples? They aren’t exactly sure what to do in this situation. They feel a bit overwhelmed, perplexed, and at a loss for what to do next. Even if there was a local food mart where they might get some bread and juice, they surely don’t have enough money to get enough for this crowd. What are we to do, Jesus?