"You Give Them Something to Eat" - Reflection for Thanksgiving

You Give Them Something to Eat
Community Thanksgiving Service
November 22, 2017
First Congregational UCC, Mankato, MN
Matthew 14.15-20

You may be familiar with a TV show called “MacGyver.” It’s a reboot of the original 1985 version starring Richard Dean Anderson, which aired when both of us were young men. “MacGyver” is about a young man who works for a secret government agency working to save lives by “relying on his unconventional problem solving skills.” (IMDB) Essentially, “Mac” is a genius at using whatever is lying around to make awesome gadgets, including copious amounts of duct tape. It’s “Bill Nye the Science Guy” meets “Mission Impossible.” In MacGyver’s hands, seemingly useless items become unbelievable gizmos.

I thought of MacGyver when I read through the text from Matthew 14, especially the whiny response of his followers: “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” It’s been a long day for all of them, and they must be every bit as tired as Jesus is from helping bring healing to the crowds. They’ve been overwhelmed by the physical needs of the people and the situation looks hopeless. In an exchange that is more than a bit cheeky, the disciples tell Jesus he needs to send them away. But, as Jesus often does, he turns the tables on his followers saying, “You give them something to eat.”

Now, I don’t want to trivialize this wonderful story by calling Jesus a “MacGyver,” but I do know that where we see scarcity, Jesus sees abundance. Like MacGyver, something little in the hands of Jesus becomes a lot. When the early church heard that the setting was in a “deserted place,” they would have been reminded of another wilderness experience their ancestors experienced. They would make the connection between God daily providing manna to the wandering Israelites for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land and what Jesus is doing here. There’s a reason why this is the only miracle story in all four gospels, and twice in Matthew and Mark. The same God who provided for them will provide for us.

When Connections Ministry was formed to respond to needs in the downtown area, it was hard to see that housing, especially shelter, would be so pressing. When this need became clear it would have been easy to say, “We have nothing here …” Actually, it’s true that no one church or agency had enough to take care of the problem. Yet built on multiple $20 donations for bedding, scores of volunteers giving a few hours, and a passion for the homeless, together and in Jesus’ hands scarcity has turned into abundance.

I have seen firsthand the generosity of this community and the gratitude of those we’ve served in the shelter. Even so, I look forward to the day when we won’t need shelters because we have affordable housing where anyone who wants can live in a clean and safe environment. But until then, thank you for your support and generosity as “You give them something to eat.” Amen.