Sermon for 9th Sunday after Trinity – “Offering”, preached at the Eucharist, Sherborne Abbey on Sunday, 28 July 2024 by The Reverend Robert Green (2 Kings Ch 4: v 42 – end; John Ch 6: v 1 – 21).
When I was serving in the Winterborne Valley, at the request of some of the congregation in one of the churches, a more relaxed liturgy of the Eucharist was introduced with a keyboard and drums providing the musical accompaniment, and the sermon was sometimes a dramatic interpretation of the Gospel. The service was at 10 a.m., and we decided to call it “Good News at Ten”, in contrast to what the News at Ten on TV and Radio so often broadcasts, which is anything but good news. We all understand how one unkindness can so easily escalate in to something more, and a real conflict soon emerges. On the other hand one act of kindness can trigger a whole succession of kind acts, which were quite unimaginable and unexpected at the outset. Today we heard of two simple acts which had unimaginable consequences. The first was from the Old Testament when we heard about the distribution of twenty barley loaves among a hundred people -a combination of one man’s generosity and Elisha’s close and faithful relationship with God, so close that he can discern God’s will and act obediently. The result is many more people are blessed by the original gift than could have been imagined.
For our Gospel Reading we heard how one boy’s offer of his packed lunch is accepted with thanks, blessed and used so that thousands are fed. It is always a temptation to look at huge needs and dismiss what we are able to do as being pathetically inadequate so we end up being too discouraged even to use what we do have. Mother Theresa’s work was sometimes dismissed as too little to make any difference, but as far as she was concerned every little act of loving kindness was something beautiful for God, and infinitely worth doing. Those little acts have been so greatly blessed and brought hope and joy to so many all over the world.
Each of us have a lifetime’s worth of moments to offer, each very small, but each there to give. Anything that we offer to God, however small or insignificant it may be, is gathered up, blessed and redistributed for blessing beyond our imagining. I am reminded of the story at a youth service where the young people were asked to bring something that was important to them, and one young lad brought a tray, and explained that he was from a very poor family. He promptly stood on the tray, and said all I can offer is myself. That young lad subsequently became a Church Army Officer, and as an Evangelist was able to offer the love of Jesus to many.
Let’s return to that Gospel passage from John, and it is interesting to note that all four Gospels have an account of the Feeding of the 5000, and this boy with his packed lunch Thinking rationally what was the point of him offering so little, when there were so many thousands to feed? Perhaps he should have simply eaten it himself, but look what happened when the boy wanted to offer what he had to share. Jesus used it. The gift was blessed, and all the people were fed, with some left over.
More than one commentator on this passage sees it as having Eucharistic overtones. In fact the Greek word, eucharistesas, ‘having given thanks’ is used as Jesus takes the boy’s loaves before distributing them to the multitude. There are clearly comparisons with the Last Supper on which our Eucharist is founded; furthermore, the act of Offering is central to this act of worship, both in terms of our money and the bread and wine for Communion. God is giving us through the bread and wine a token of his love, that we might share his love with those who we meet.
Those who have been on the journey of faith for many years will have noticed that God is very good at giving us more than we asked for, but He does need us to offer what we have, whether it is time, money or talents and skills. Basically what we have to offer, like the young lad, is ourselves, and when we do that God can use the rest of our life in ways we haven’t even dreamed of.
Some very familiar words come to mind which we always sing at Christmas:
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man I would do my part;
yet what I can I give Him, give my heart.