Genesis 46:1-7, 28-34
Psalms 42, 43, 85, 86
1 Corinthians 9:1-15
Mark 6:30-46
Psalms 42, 43, 85, 86
1 Corinthians 9:1-15
Mark 6:30-46
As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them
many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a
deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may
go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to
eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” Mark 6:30-46
After reading through the passage from Mark, I laughed. I thought, geez, I got the passage with the loaves and the fishes? How many sermons have I heard over the years dealing with this very same passage? In the words of Wayne and Garth (see Wayne’s World), “we’re not worthy!” (Or, rather, I’m not worthy.) Despite the intimidation of tackling a passage raked over by oodles of Bible brainiacs (let’s call them religious scholars), I wanted to share with you a few words on what this passage means to me.
The loaves and the fishes is one of my favorite passages because in it, Jesus shows what a true badass he is. (Those who would like to PG rate this meditation should substitute “super amazing” or “awesomely cool guy” in your heads now.) The badass part is not just that Jesus feeds a multitude of people with five loaves and two fishes. (Don’t get me wrong...that in itself is pretty amazing...let’s even call it a miracle.) The badass part is that despite the fact that he’s tired, despite the fact that his peeps are annoyed and badgering him to stop, Jesus continues on.
Jesus sees people in need. He stops what he’s doing. And he helps them. Simple as that.
For me, this passage drills down to the very essence of being a Christian. Yes, helping people can be inconvenient. Yes, it may involve sacrificing time or sacrificing money. But, it’s what Jesus calls us to do.
I myself put up a lot of roadblocks when it comes to volunteering. Don’t get me wrong, with two kids, a husband and a full-time job, I have a very busy life. I have a whole slew of excuses for saying no to volunteer opportunities. But, every time I’ve volunteered and worked one on one with people in need—whether participating in an ESL class at MAM during Maundy Thursday, reading to kindergarten students or sitting side by side with Alzheimer’s patients with our old therapy dog—I have always come away full of joy and feeling grateful to have had that opportunity. And every time, I think, yeah, that’s what badass Jesus wants me to do.
Peace,
Susan Diemont-Conwell
After reading through the passage from Mark, I laughed. I thought, geez, I got the passage with the loaves and the fishes? How many sermons have I heard over the years dealing with this very same passage? In the words of Wayne and Garth (see Wayne’s World), “we’re not worthy!” (Or, rather, I’m not worthy.) Despite the intimidation of tackling a passage raked over by oodles of Bible brainiacs (let’s call them religious scholars), I wanted to share with you a few words on what this passage means to me.
The loaves and the fishes is one of my favorite passages because in it, Jesus shows what a true badass he is. (Those who would like to PG rate this meditation should substitute “super amazing” or “awesomely cool guy” in your heads now.) The badass part is not just that Jesus feeds a multitude of people with five loaves and two fishes. (Don’t get me wrong...that in itself is pretty amazing...let’s even call it a miracle.) The badass part is that despite the fact that he’s tired, despite the fact that his peeps are annoyed and badgering him to stop, Jesus continues on.
Jesus sees people in need. He stops what he’s doing. And he helps them. Simple as that.
For me, this passage drills down to the very essence of being a Christian. Yes, helping people can be inconvenient. Yes, it may involve sacrificing time or sacrificing money. But, it’s what Jesus calls us to do.
I myself put up a lot of roadblocks when it comes to volunteering. Don’t get me wrong, with two kids, a husband and a full-time job, I have a very busy life. I have a whole slew of excuses for saying no to volunteer opportunities. But, every time I’ve volunteered and worked one on one with people in need—whether participating in an ESL class at MAM during Maundy Thursday, reading to kindergarten students or sitting side by side with Alzheimer’s patients with our old therapy dog—I have always come away full of joy and feeling grateful to have had that opportunity. And every time, I think, yeah, that’s what badass Jesus wants me to do.
Peace,
Susan Diemont-Conwell