Eating the Word with 5,000+ (Lectio Divina)
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· 5 viewsA sermon in the form of a script for Lectio Divina, reflecting on the perspective of each group of people in the story of the feeding of the 5,000+
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Rest assured you will hear the Gospel reading (multiple times, in fact), but I’m going to step outside the normal order today and start the sermon, as it were, now. But be warned, this will be something of a DIY sermon. We’ll practice a guided form of Lectio Divina together. If you’re not familiar, Lectio Divina is a spiritual practice that involves reading or (ideally) listening to a passage repeatedly, with time for reflection in between. It is designed to help you dwell in the Word and explore and experience the depth and variety of ways the passage reflects God and God’s world.
While you can do Lectio Divina completely on your own and without any plan, today I’m going to invite you to listen with an ear for the experience of different characters in today’s very familiar story each time we read. I’ll provide some brief reflection after you’ve had some time to consider for yourself, but really the power of this method doesn’t lie in my interpretation but in how each of our reflections is based on our own experience, our own needs today, and the nudges of the Holy Spirit for each of us, as individuals and as a community.
So I invite you to listen to today’s Gospel with new ears. After each reading, I’ll close with the Gospel response, but then leave some time for you to reflect to yourself.
This first time, I invite you to listen for Jesus: What did Jesus do? What can you imagine Jesus’ experience and feelings were like? How did Jesus interact with others? What does this tell us about who Jesus is?
Let’s begin.
The Gospel for today is from Matthew the 14th chapter. (Glory to you, O Lord.)
Now when Jesus heard [that John the Baptist had been killed and buried], he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The Gospel of our Lord. (Praise to you, O Christ.)
[Pause 1 minute]
What did Jesus do?
Went away (probably to mourn John the Baptist) to a deserted place
Came ashore (in the deserted place)
Saw the crowd, had compassion, and cured their sick
Called on the disciples to feed folks instead of sending them away
Had the disciples bring the food
Ordered the crowd to sit down
Blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to give to others
How do these actions reflect Jesus’ person, Jesus’ intention, Jesus’ priorities, and Jesus’ love for others.
[Pause 30 seconds]
Now let those thoughts settle in a way that you can reach back to them but they’re not at the top of your mind. Instead, this time, let’s focus on the crowd: What did they do? Why did they make those choices? What was their experience of Jesus and the disciples? How did God show God’s care for the last, the lost, and the least of them?
Let’s begin.
The Gospel for today is from Matthew the 14th chapter. (Glory to you, O Lord.)
Now when Jesus heard [that John the Baptist had been killed and buried], he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The Gospel of our Lord. (Praise to you, O Christ.)
[Pause 1 minute]
What did the crowds do?
Follow Jesus (in a roundabout way) on foot
Bring their sick (on foot, apparently) and their families
Ignore that it was getting late
Listen to Jesus and sit down on the grass
Take and eat the food
How do these actions and the crowd’s feelings and reactions show who we are as humans and who God is in relation to us.
[Pause 30 seconds]
Now, like before, try to set those reflections aside (but not far aside) and approach the Gospel freshly one last time.
This time, I invite you to listen for the experience of Jesus’ disciples. What did they do? Why did they take the actions they did? How did they feel throughout the events? What does this tell us about God’s compassion and calling for us as fellow disciples?
Let’s begin.
The Gospel for today is from Matthew the 14th chapter. (Glory to you, O Lord.)
Now when Jesus heard [that John the Baptist had been killed and buried], he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The Gospel of our Lord. (Praise to you, O Christ.)
[Pause 1 minute]
What did the disciples do?
Follow the crowd (I think? It doesn’t technically say whether they went in the boat with Jesus, or whether the crowd followed the disciples)
Bring enough food to feed themselves and Jesus something (5 loaves; 2 fish - good for a baker’s dozen but not a crowd)
Observe the hour and call on Jesus to send people away for food
Observe the limitations of the food they had
Follow Jesus’ directions
Take up the leftovers (after finding some baskets for them, I guess)
How is your call reflected or challenged in the experience of the disciples?
[Pause 30 seconds]
As we close, I want you to now recall all three perspectives that I asked you to take and then, in turn, set aside, and consider: what did everyone do? That is, what are the common threads of humanity in this story, regardless of whether it’s God’s son or his disciples or regular everyday folks?
[Pause 30 seconds]
What did everyone do?
Seek God where God could be found (and in the wilderness)
Come together in chosen community seeking to care for each other
Eat together in fellowship
Seeking God for themselves, coming together as faith community, and sharing the mundane things of life together.
You can’t get much more of a succinct summary of the Christian life than that. May your life be enriched this week by your own reflections and discoveries as we read together today. Thanks be to God.
