Eat and Be Satisfied
audio link: http://lcmssermons.com/images/aut52/CY2010/Trinity7.2010.EatandBeSatisfied.mp3 Manuscript: TEXT: 1In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, [Jesus] called his disciples to him and said to them, 2"I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away." 4And his disciples answered him, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?" 5And he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." 6And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. Mark 8:1-9 Dear Children of God, And that IS what you are-dear children of God-your baptism tells you so. How many times a day do you eat? Probably average 3 meals a day, some of us more some of us less. Athletes eat 6 meals a day to keep the metabolism going. And children seem to be eating constantly-especially when they are preparing for a growth spurt. I remember my Grandma Hering saying we kids must have a tapeworm. The truth is to live and to grow you have to eat-often. Our Lord created us that way-after creating all that we would need to satisfy our appetites. As the David writes: The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. If only every living thing would let Him, that is. Eden was a garden of food-with only one tree off limits. Of course that was the one that the devil used to attract Adam and Eve and lead them into sin. Surrounded by luscious life giving food-not to mention having 24-7 in-the-flesh access to the One who created that food and them-our first mother and father listened to a deceiver and decided they just had to have something else. And ever since Adam and Eve and their children down through the ages and still in these Latter Days have been making bad, that is to say evil and deadly decisions based upon the fact that they get caught up in lies and are never satisfied. It is into this very world of dissatisfied children that our Lord steps once again in our Gospel lesson. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:15-19 So, the same God who walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden has been walking and talking amongst the crowd gathered around Him for three days. He has been feeding them the Bread of Life-the very words that proceed from the mouth of God to identify the lies that they have been following, call them to repent of their sinful dissatisfaction, forgive them their sin, and deliver them from the lies to the truth that gives real satisfaction and everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven. The same Lord from whom Adam and Eve fled, thus bringing a curse upon the earth that causes us to this day to labor for our daily bread and suffer and die from the very things we eat and put into our bodies, this same Lord once rejected in the Garden of Eden and who will once again be rejected in the Garden of Gethsemane and put to death on a cross has compassion on those who have been listening to His preaching and feeds them earthly food as well. He takes from the meager supply left among the thousands-seven loaves of bread and a few fishes-and feeds them all so that would not feint from hunger on their long journeys home. Now certainly this a great and wondrous miracle that our Lord performs and a great display of His compassion for the children of God. But how He does it is also important and instructive for us today. "He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them." The Lord gathers the people and has them rest. He takes of the dwindling supply the people have brought with them and multiplies that supply because He is the one from whom those loaves and fish came in the first place and with the Son of God comes an endless supply of all that is truly needful for both body and soul. But Jesus doesn't just take the fish and loaves and cause them to fall out of the sky into the people's mouths, or to appear out of nowhere before the people, or transport them telekinetically through the air into their laps. No, he takes the loaves and fishes and breaks them into pieces and gives them to "to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they ate and were satisfied." Dear children of God, that is still how our Lord works today. It is why you are here, why our Lord has gathered you in this place today. It is why He continues to gather people around His Word and Sacraments in places all over the world. To feed you with His Bread of Life that sustains you for eternal life. And He does it through servants in whose hands He has placed the pieces He Himself breaks off to feed to you. In the hands of our Lord is an endless supply of all that you need-and more! And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. He sent them away to go back to their homes and their families and their neighbors and their daily work to tell others of the wonderful things He had done, to establish churches where God's ministers preach the Word among them for eternal life, and to serve their neighbor that they also might have the food and other necessities of life here in this world. Deer children of God, as often as you come to the table of the Lord in His house, He has more than enough to feed you and send you away back to your daily life to serve your neighbor, just as He has for thousands of years and billions of people. So come often to eat and be satisfied. Our Lord always has enough grace and mercy to forgive the sins of those He has brought to repentance. He always has enough water to pour over another sinner's head to baptize them into the kingdom of God. He always has enough bread and wine to feed you His very own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting with Him-in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Rev. Kurt (Aqualung) Hering, Pastor Trinity Lutheran Church 74 N. Fort Lane Blvd. Layton, UT 84041 801.544.5770 www.trinitylayton.org "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers." Deuteronomy 7:6-8 ____________________________________________________________ FIRE SALE: iPads for $23.74? SPECIAL REPORT: Unique auction site can save you 90% off retail. http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL3241/4c435086745b381a05st02vuc
