Matthew 14:13-21

August 6, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 14:13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”

And he said, “Bring them here to me.”

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

| Centering Prayer |

Congratulations, Benjamin Thomas Kingsley, on this,

Your day of Baptism;

And to your parents, Dan and Kathy,

And to your brother, William.

Well done, good and faithful servants.

Benjamin, you should know

That your baptism was not a fluke or by chance.

Your baptism is highly intentional and set to be a defining moment in your life.

You see, God spoke to your mom and dad.

The Holy Spirit came upon them …

… in a dream,

through reflections upon scripture,

maybe through a sermon,

Even, possibly,

By means of stern admonitions of parents or grandparents.

This is your day, Benjamin.

This sermon is my gift to you.

…

Life lesson number 1, Benjamin:

God has a habit of achieving God’s will by what ever means available.

Jesus was, is, and will remain forever, the Son of a Loving Heavenly Father.

Jesus was sent to forgive the sins of the world

And to offer salvation to all who accept this gift

For the simple cost of belief.

Your baptism today, Benjamin,

Forges you as a disciple of Jesus.

Vows to follow Jesus Christ

have been made in your name

by your parents

Until the day comes when you are able to confirm these vows for yourself.

I look forward to that day

When you will complete God’s baptismal will for your life,

And accept Jesus Christ for yourself,

As your Lord and Savior.

…

Life lesson number 2, Benjamin:

You are a disciple of Jesus.

It’s a done deal.

Nothing you can do to change it.

God owns you.

God’s plan is for you to live as a faithful disciple of his son.

Thank goodness, our God is a loving, benevolent God,

Who has given us his Son as a gift of love.

You’ve got the rest of your life to learn everything you can about Jesus,

To discern and follow his will and ways,

To invite others to meet and follow him,

To build God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven,

To be forgiven of every sin, and

To claim eternal life.

Spend your time well.

Don’t waste away time.

Once time is gone, it is gone for good.

…

Life lesson number 3, Benjamin:

God has given you the members of the Rush United Methodist Church

To support you and your family,

To teach you all that has been taught to the rest of us about Jesus,

And to love God and serve our neighbors in need.

Crowds that surrounded Jesus

Wouldn’t leave him alone.

Jesus had compassion on them and cured their sick,

Even though, at the time,

He was grieving for the murder of his friend and cousin, John.

A crowd gives cover for complaints.

Don’t be that guy, Benjamin.

Instead, think of it this way:

This is your tribe.

Learn the best from them,

But don’t be afraid to discard worldly traits

That don’t square with the Gospel.  

…

Life lesson number 4.

Jesus was, and is, in the healing business, Benjamin.

So, too, should you.

Make it your business to bring God’s healing

To the sick of body,

The sick of mind,

The sick of spirit.

Heal with compassion, Benjamin,

Just like Jesus does.

Illness and disease are all around.

Hurt and brokenness divide families and alienate friends.

Be the healing hands of Jesus, Benjamin.

Lead with love.

Speak words of kindness.

Serve, instead of being served.

Give freely of your time, talent, and money to bring healing to those who are sick.

Where you see a need, meet it.

Lace up your sneakers and walk that 5k for breast cancer.

When you are older, volunteer and make contributions to organizations that facilitate healing.

When leadership openings arise,

Step up, man up, be that community servant leader and join the Board of Directors.

…

Life lesson number 5 Benjamin,

Is that, while people may fail you,

Jesus will never fail you.

He will abundantly provide.

No one in the crowd planned ahead by packing a lunch.

Short sighted disciples suggested

Jesus let them go to feed themselves.

Jesus has a different plan.

He wants his disciples to feed the crowds.

You can’t give what you don’t have,

So fill yourself up daily

With all the blessings a life of discipleship has to offer.

Study the Gospel.

Remain laser focused on Jesus.

Learn scripture inside and out.

Pray daily, and meditate on God’s word.

Watch and listen for God to act.

Discern God’s intent.

Act boldly.

Jesus will never fail to fill you up, Benjamin.

Just open yourself

To receive God’s abundant, amazing grace.

…

Life lesson number 6;

Jesus doesn’t take kindly to complaints.

Benjamin,

If Jesus tells you to do something,

Don’t complain that you lack the resources to get it done.

Complaints reflect poorly on God, you, and all other Jesus followers.

The only thing worse than whining

Are fingernails on a chalkboard.

Oops. You’ll probably never know what a chalkboard is.

Seriously,

When tempted to whine or complain

Step back.

Count to ten.

Pray. Listen. Think.

Consider alternatives to complaints.

Replace complaints with opportunities,

Even if solutions require personal sacrifice.

…

Jesus doesn’t suffer fools.

Life lesson number 7.

Don’t be a fool, Benjamin.

Weather it be work, school, church, or family,

Work hard.

Set goals.

Make progress.

Get it done.

Once you have faithfully fulfilled the will of God,

Move on to God’s next job.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25

Fools fail to see the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, or prisoners.

The wise not only see,

The wise meet and exceed the needs of others.

The wise feed, at the same time, they work to correct the root causes of hunger.

They quench the thirst of the thirsty, as well as help drill new water wells.

The wise welcomes strangers, as well as creates opportunities for a new life.

The wise clothe the naked, and support the Super Sale (unique to the Rush UMC),

The wise keeps in contact with the prisoner, and work tirelessly for justice.

The wise love God and

Love their neighbors.

…

Life lesson number 8, Benjamin.

Jesus has already given you everything necessary for the successful completion of God’s will and kingdom.

If you come up short,

It is because your stewardship hasn’t been up to snuff.

If you come up with an excess,

Say 12 baskets full,

You’re not giving enough away.

Expand your distribution plans.

God is not now, nor has ever been, a god of scarcity.

God is a god of abundance.

The problem, Benjamin,

Is when you or I become too greedy,

Too self-centered,

To see a neighbor in need

And to reach out with love.

Greed, ego, and pride suck the compassion right out of person.

Don’t be that guy, Benjamin. 

…

Life lesson #9,

Make it a habit, Benjamin:

Before every meal, first pause and give thanks to God

For the gift of our daily bread.

Jesus did it,

So, too, should we.

Don’t shirk praying if you are out in public,

Say, in a restaurant.

Let others witness your example.

Let others learn by your humble act of

Recognizing God

And giving thanks for the food you are served.

….

Life lesson #10,

Take the time, Benjamin,

To occasionally retreat from life

Just to take time for yourself.

Jesus did it,

And so, too, should you.

Take care of yourself.

Grow and be healthy.

Find time to rest and reflect,

Time to restore and revitalize,

Time to listen and learn.

Always keep learning.

Practice a healthy lifestyle

And you will always be prepared

For the crowd or crisis that is coming tomorrow.

….

It appears to me that others have been listening in, Benjamin,

To these life lessons I have shared with you,

That come from today’s Gospel from Matthew 14.

That’s great; because someone might learn something.

Someone might be bold enough to apply it to their own life.

(I’m looking at you, Mary Ann David!)

Someone might be bold enough to apply

These life lessons from Jesus to their own life.

I hope and pray

Many do.

Benjamin, I hope and pray

You do, too.

Amen.