Music as We Prepare for Worship
The Lighting of the Christ Candle
As our Worship begins each week, we light the Christ Candle. The flame of this candle reminds us that Jesus promised to be with us always, “even to the end of the age.” God is with us; we are not alone!
I invite you to light a candle in your home, where you are worshipping this morning.
May the Light of Christ shine into all our places of darkness and discouragement, and help each of us to let our light shine.
Invitation to Worship
“Then the King will say. . .I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. . .as often as you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for me.”
This is the day that our God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Let us worship God.
Opening Hymn VU#501 “Break Now the Bread of Life”
Break now the bread of life, Saviour to me, as once you broke the loaves beside the sea. Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord; my spirit waits for you, O Living Word.
Bless your own truth, dear Christ, to me, to me, as when you blessed the bread by Galilee; then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall, and I shall find my peace, my all in all.
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Loving God, we gather this morning with hungry hearts, waiting to be filled: with a sense of your presence; with the touch of your Spirit; with new energy for service. Come to us, we pray. Be with us. Touch us. Empower and enable us for the ministry to which you call us; that we might love the world in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading
The Gospel of Matthew 14.13-21
The Gospel of Matthew was written in the decade of the 80’s in the First Century of the Common Era. The anonymous author was traditionally thought to be Matthew, one of the twelve apostles. It is most likely that the Gospel was from the pen of a writer who was part of the community that had grown up around the disciple Matthew. The author was a Jewish Christian writing for a Jewish Christian community. Our reading this morning tells the story of “The Feeding of the Five Thousand”. Listen for the word of God:
14.13 Now when Jesus heard this (that his cousin John the Baptist had been executed by Herod), he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place with only the twelve with him. But when the crowds heard it, they follow him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a deserted place, the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus replied, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 Astonished, the disciples said, “We have nothing here but five buns and two fish!” 18 Jesus said , “Bring the food here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the grass. Taking the five buns and two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the bread, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciple distributed them to the crowd. 20 And all ate and were filled; and the disciples took up what was left over of the meal and they filled twelve baskets. 21 And those who ate were five thousand men, besides women and children.
O God, Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love, we give thanks this morning for these words from the Bible. May your Holy Spirit, at work in us, help us to understand the meaning of these verses and to put their truth into action as we follow Jesus in the way of compassion. Amen.
Limited Resources?
Here in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew we have a story of pathos and humanity.
Jesus has just learned of the death of his contemporary, his cousin, his predecessor in ministry and mission, John the Baptizer – at the hand of Herod, at the climax of a drunken orgy. Herod had summoned his step-daughter to perform an erotic dance for after-dinner entertainment for his guests. Aroused by the performance, the King promises the young woman any reward that she cares to name. After
consulting with her Mother, she makes the ghoulish request for the head of John the Baptizer on a platter. In order to not lose face in front of his guests, and to keep the ladies happy, Herod gives the order and John is executed.
When word of this reaches Jesus, in grief, he seeks to be alone with his closest friends. The author of Matthew says: “he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” Since he is in a boat, it can be assumed that he is in the company of the twelve disciples. (Jesus, being a carpenter from Nazareth, was not a sailor. Among the disciples were Peter, Andrew, James and John – all fishermen and experienced in the ways of this temperamental lake we usually refer to as the Sea of Galilee.)
Jesus and his closest friends, the twelve and very likely some of the women who were part of his inner circle, head off on a quiet retreat to be alone, to grieve, to comfort one another, to pray.
But alas, their solitude is short lived. The crowds of needy people guess where they are going and follow along the shore. When they arrive at their destination, anchor their sturdy craft and come ashore, they are greeted by a huge crowd who are seeking Jesus.
The author of the gospel says that when Jesus saw the crowd, he had compassion on them. Despite his own need, Jesus was moved by the troubles of those around him, and he acted on their behalf – carrying on his healing ministry among them.
But the need was great and so they began to run out of daylight. The disciples, practical men and women, speak to Jesus and urge him to dismiss the crowd so that the people, who are no doubt getting hungry, can go into the surrounding towns and buy food for their evening meal.
Jesus reply is to say to his friends: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” Jesus reminded his friends of the importance of hospitality in their culture. Jesus saw the crowd as his guests and was obliged to offer to meet their needs.
One of the other gospel writers fleshes out the story by having Philip reply that it would take far more money than they had to buy sufficient bread for those present to have even a taste!
In another telling of the story, the disciples reveal the source of the five buns and two fish – saying “There is a lad here who has five buns and two fish. But what are these among so many?”
But in Matthew’s telling the disciples are invited by Jesus to bring the resources to him. After inviting the crowd to find a comfortable place to sit on the grassy hillside, Jesus then offers a blessing over the simple meal. He then breaks the bread and distributes the fish to the disciples, who in turn hand out the makings of the meal to the people present.
Matthew tells us that there were five thousand men present, besides women and children. Everyone had enough to eat so that their hunger was satisfied. The disciples then gathered what was left over – and they filled twelve baskets!
Not being a Biblical literalist, I’m not really concerned about how this happened. Perhaps it was a miraculous multiplying of the bread and fish? Perhaps there were others in the crowd who also had lunches with them and, moved by generosity, they also shared what they had brought? However, it happened, Jesus’ compassion added to the open generosity of a stranger, resulted in everyone’s needs being met.
So, what does this have to do with us here in our South Bay United Church or at Picton United Church communities of faith, on this summer Sunday in August 2020?
We too are disciples of Jesus. We too are confronted by the needs of the world. Some of that need is close at hand – those who are homeless, those without affordable housing, those who aren’t able to make their family’s resources last from one end of the month to the other. Some of the needy are those threatened by COVID-19 – especially front-line workers, the elderly, those with underlying medical conditions.
Some of that need is further afield. We know that there continues to be a threat of starvation due to famine in Africa – due to civil war in a variety of places. We know that the World Health Organization is struggling to deal with those most threatened by the Virus – in the two-thirds world – the global south. We know that the world’s need is also present in the million species threatened with extinction. We know that the world’s need is present in those who will be most heavily impacted by climate change – coastal communities, and island nations like Indonesia.
Like those first disciples that day on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, we sometimes wish that the world’s needs would go away. Sometimes we feel like asking Jesus to send them away so they can meet their own needs.
But to us too, today, comes the challenge. “They need not go away. You give them something to eat.”
We too are seeking to follow Jesus in the way of compassion. Our hearts are touched by the needs of the world, close-by and further away. But what can we do? How can we, a tiny and seemingly insignificant group of a few dozen souls, how can we possibly respond affirmatively and effectively to Jesus’ invitation, to Jesus’ challenge?
Well we have done it before and we can do it again!
Back in the 1980’s Rev. Ken Murray was Minister of Picton United Church. He saw that there was great need in the community – that there were people who were hungry – that there were children going to bed without supper. Rev. Ken shared his concern with a couple of key lay women in the congregation – Beth Thompson (sister of Peggy Welsh) – and Marilyn Bradley – and I’m sure there were several others. These women helped their congregation, the wider United Church community and other people of faith to rise to the challenge. The Picton United Church County Food Bank was the result. Over the ensuing decades, even to this day, the Food Bank continues to meet the needs of families every week.
Back in the autumn of 1995, Jim Papple from the Canadian Food Grains Bank came as a guest speaker to South Bay and Cherry Valley United Churches. Jim, himself a farmer, shared the story of how rural communities of faith were helping to alleviate world hunger by growing grain. The folk of Prince Edward South Pastoral Charge heard this message and embraced the idea. Beginning in the spring of 1996 the first crop for their growing project was planted – and a field of barley was harvested about this time of year. Every year since then – to the present moment – a crop has been sown, tended and harvested. Eastminster United Church joined volunteers from South Bay and Cherry Valley with financial contributions.
Over the course of those decades, at least $250,000 has been raised to help alleviate hunger in the two-thirds world.
We have responded to Jesus’ invitation and challenge: “They need not go away. You give them something to eat.”
God help us to remain open to the leading of the Spirit, that we might continue to faithfully follow Jesus’ way of compassion – to love the world in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Offering our Gifts
When we gather, Sunday by Sunday, in our sanctuaries, we take time during the Service to offer our gifts, tithes and offerings. Even though we are not able to meet together this Sunday – the ongoing needs of the ministry & mission of our congregations continue. Those from South Bay can contribute through the PAR Program, or you can mail in your donation to PO Box 102, Milford, ON K0K 2P0. Those who wish to contribute to Picton United Church can mail your donation to the Church Office at 12 Chapel St., Picton K0K 2T0.
God bless you for your generosity.
Prayers of Gratitude & Concern
Gracious, Merciful and Compassionate God, from whom comes all that is good, we give thanks today for all your gifts:
For your goodness that has created us;
For your grace that has sustained us;
For your wisdom that has challenged us;
For your patience which has born with us;
And for your love that is redeeming us and all creation.
Help us to love you and all your creation – instilled with your life. May we always be thankful for your gifts. Help us to serve you with passion for compassion – and to delight in your will. We pray in the words that Jesus taught us:
The Lord’s Prayer
Parting Hymn More Voices #12 “Come Touch Our Hearts” vs.1-4
Come touch our hearts that we may know compassion, from failing embers build a blazing fire; love strong enough to overturn injustice, to seek a world more gracious, come touch and bless our hearts.
Come touch our souls that we may know and love you, your quiet presence all our fears dispel; create a space for spirit to grow in us, let life and beauty fill us, come touch and bless our souls.
Come touch our minds and teach us how to reason, set free out thoughts to wonder and to dream; help us to open doors of understanding, to welcome truth and wisdom, come touch and bless our souls.
Come touch us in the moments we are fragile, and in our weakness your great strength reveal; that we may rise to follow and to serve, steady now our nerve, come touch and bless our wills.
Commissioning & Blessing
As our worship concludes this morning, we go to all the circumstances in which we live, inspired by God’s Presence, empowered by God’s Spirit, to live the love of Christ for all the world.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Sung Response: “Go Now in Peace”
Go now in peace, never be afraid, God will go with you each hour of every day.
God now in faith, steadfast, strong and true, know God will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe, reach out to others so all the world will see.
God will be there, watching from above (walking by your side); Go now in peace, in faith and in love. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Extinguishing the Christ Candle
Each week as our worship ends, we extinguish the Christ Candle. But as we do so we remember Jesus words from Matthew: “You are the light of the world.” So it is that we are invited to take the Light of Christ with us as we go – and to look for the Light of Christ in the faces of everyone we encounter – even virtually – in the week ahead. (You are reminded to extinguish your own candle(s) at home.)
Music as we Move into the World
