Seventh Sunday after Trinity (2026)

Mk 8:1-9

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have in our Gospel Lesson this morning one of the miracles of Christ as he feeds 4000 people at once using just 7 loaves and a few small fish. From this he provides a great bounty for the people who have been with him these 3 days. This reiterates the love, the care, and the compassion that Christ has for people since the foundation of the world, after he formed Adam from the dust of the earth, and breathed life into him. So let us learn about our great and marvelous God and Lord.

The Lord of Creation

Genesis shows our Creator.

I want to be clear that God is not a shaper, he did not work with material that already existed, nor did he evolve life on our planet, but rather God is the creator. A carpenter needs wood and tools to build, a cook needs food and utensils to prepare a meal, but what does a Creator need? Nothing at all, this is why the Scriptures that it is by faith, that we believe God made everything from nothing.

God made it in 6 days.

He created the sun, moon, stars, planets, the plants, fish, birds, animals and mankind. The description we have in Genesis 2 as the second chapter looks back on that 6th day shows how God fashioned and formed us from the dust of the earth and breathed into us that we might live. What follows in Scripture shows us that

God remains active.

God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, didn’t then walk away from the creation like the deists believe that God built the watch of creation and then left it to its own devices. To read the Scriptures and come to such a conclusion could only be described as willful stubbornness and childish refusal to understand language. Look at God’s activity just in Genesis alone, with Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, to say nothing of what follows during the days of the exodus, and most clearly in the life of Jesus Christ.

Amazing Miracles

Jesus does the impossible.

For while we can recognize the laws of nature and the limits that are imposed upon us as part of God’s creation, the one through whom all things were made is not limited like we are. So in our lesson today, we see Jesus feed 4000 people with a 7 loaves, and a few fish. There isn’t a little left over, but an abundance, which is a miracle. Now, we must remember

Miracles don’t create faith.

I remember as a kid thinking if I saw the miracles I would have no issue believing that Jesus is God in the flesh. But consider how many miracles were witnessed and yet people did not believe. God performed miracles through Moses in front of pharaoh, and the egyptians, God performed them in front of the Israelites, and yet they both fell. Jesus performed miracles in front of Pharisees, Crowds, and all his disciples even Judas, and yet they struggled to believe that He would rise from the dead. We still witness God’s activity through means.

How does God still provide?

We pray that God would provide for us our daily bread, and what is contained in Daily bread? Do you remember what is included in the small catechism? Everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land animals, money, goods, devout husband or wife, devout children, workers, and the list goes on for a while and it is included with the like. God is still active and is

Our Gracious Provider

Our wants are endless.

This is why people get frustrated with God quite often, because he does not provide for all their desires. God does provide for our needs. The Lord cares about His creation and does watch over us. We always desire a bounty, but that is not promised to us. In terms of his grace, consider

Does God give only to believers?

The Lord provides not only for those who love him, but even those who have rejected and despised Him. This is why when we speak of God’s great love, the world sees the disasters, wars, and plagues, and resolves from these incidents that God has no love for the world and is a harsh and mean-spirited Lord, but the truth is that the

The Lord has compassion.

He cares for us, and has provided for us even when we have been far from him. The many centuries that he has provided for people, and that patience God has shown to us. What we see Christ do here for 4000 people as he feeds them with these loaves and the fish, God does by sustain life and giving to us not what we have deserved or earned, but out of love even for a world that rails against him. This is why we give thanks.

Giving Thanks

The world wants more.

This shouldn’t surprise us, because that is how we are wired, and we think that if we have more stuff than life will be better, and we are certain with more stuff that life will be better, and yet we find ourselves at this point in our society overwhelmed by stuff. Think of how many blessings beyond our needs that we have and amass in our world today, but we still aren’t satisfied, the world told us that this would make us happier, but it hasn’t. The reason they put their trust in stuff, is because they

They don’t trust God.

We will be studying the book of Ecclesiastes in the fall in the Sunday morning Bible Study and it is a sobering reflection of Solomon who chases after everything that the world has and finds that it doesn’t bring any lasting joy. He money, he had women, he had entertainment, and power, but you find that our appetite for distraction is never satisfied. But if we understand first what we need, then we will see that

God has given us much.

More than we have deserved and showed us love and had compassion upon us for our sins didn’t deserve any of this, and yet God showed love. For it isn’t just material things that God has blessed us with, but especially the spiritual blessings that He has given to us. For while food, and clothing are good, God didn’t withhold his only begotten Son, and Christ was willing to trade his perfect life for your sins, that you might receive not just bread and fish, but the gift of eternal life, and a place in the house of God.

This is why we pray.

Not just at meal and give thanks for the bounty that the Lord has given us, but we pray also for the blessings that God bestows upon us every day and night. We pray giving thanks especially for the forgiveness that Christ secured through his suffering and death, and which He has given to you again this morning through the Absolution, and by giving us His body and blood.

What We Seek First

The people were there for days.

Why be there for so long? Because the Kingdom of God is in their midst with the teaching and proclamation of Christ. Why are you here this morning? You may reply well the 3rd Commandment say to Honor the Sabbath day and so I am commanded to be here. So why did God command you to be here? Why does He demand that we set aside work, recreation, labor, and everything else to be here?

What did Jesus promise?

Jesus has promised that those who seek first the kingdom of God will have what they need for the body, and more than that you will be given that which is more precious than bread, more valuable than fish, more desirable than even gold for all of those things perish along with the world. You have here the gifts of heaven given to you because Jesus has had compassion also upon you. So

Let us not trust mammon.

And all that the world offers, for the treasures of mammon are found where moth and rust destroy, but Christ has come that we might have eternal life, and a place in the house of God. He has given that gift to you, He has given you the treasures of heaven that you might not perish on the way to your heavenly home, but desires that you make it to paradise safely. For God has provided for all the creation since the beginning and you are precious in His sight.

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there is more that could be preached on this lesson, but if we try to unpack it all it one sitting it will turn into a jumbled mess. I would have you see how God cares for his creation, and most especially for mankind as that chief part. Christ had compassion on this Crowd, and this shows the love, mercy, and care that He has not only for them, but also you. Do not be afraid to seek His Kingdom first, and don’t let the world ensnare you with perishable treasures, for Christ will carry you through this world into paradise. In Jesus name. Amen.