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"Bring Them Here To Me" by Rev. Melanie Silva
August 4, 2002
Matthew 14:13-21I always feel sorry for Jesus when I read this passage of scripture. As would any of us, he seeks a place away to try to assimilate the news of the death of a loved one. He goes to the desert to be by himself, away from the constant commotion of the phone ringing and the FAX machine and people continually coming to him with their problems. He seeks some solace for his grief in the peace and quiet of the wilderness. He searches for solitude in an effort to re- group and unfortunately for him, the people follow and before he knows what hit him, he is surrounded.
I feel sorry for Jesus…and yet, I love that he allowed the interruption to become his day's work. I feel sorry for him and yet…his actions can well serve as a model for us when we are bent on following our schedules. We can well imagine him saying, "Bring them here to me," and with compassion, he heals the sick. We can well imagine the wisdom of his words and the grace of his actions- and the crowd is mesmerized.
We can well imagine the afternoon slipping by-one of those magical days when we lose all track of time and we say…"Where has this day gone?" But the disciples noticed and they came to Jesus and said…"Look what time it is! We have no food. We are a long way from Vons. Send these folks into the city and let them eat at McDonald's."
But as usual, Jesus had another idea. "What have we got?" They did a quick survey… "It's next to nothing Jesus. We have 5,000 men here-and that doesn't even include the women and children. And we have only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish."
"Bring them here to me," Jesus demanded. And Jesus blesses the bread and the crowd is fed…and there are leftovers. You see, what is brought to Jesus out of love is transformed into something greater than it was originally.
At Ground Zero after 9/11, a mother and her daughter-in-law established a depot to collect and ferry items to the workers. Perhaps you heard about it. Word spread quickly and people brought what they had: hard hats, batteries-whatever. As the women were leaving a restaurant one night to make a delivery to Ground Zero, the cook stopped them and handed them a shopping bag: "Here's a dozen apple crisps. It is our best dessert, still warm. Please take them to the rescue workers."
The women were touched; they promised to make the delivery. Yet, on their way, they thought…how meaningless..except perhaps as a symbolic act of solidarity..connecting the cook to the cleanup. Twelve apple crisps…and thousands of workers.
But you see, they had forgotten to take into account the difference love makes in the giving of a gift. The last dessert went to a firefighter…an older man in a young crowd sitting in utter exhaustion. With a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, he said, "Thank you. This is the most lovely thing I've seen in four days..and it's still warm."
You see, it is not only bread that is transformed. Look at our bell tower, which you could not help but notice these past two weeks. It didn't appear because one person gave us $17,000. The bell will ring out the song of our faith because over 100 people gave their gifts and the offerings make it possible for our magnificent bell to ring out with resounding certainty the good news of our faith.
You see what love does? The meager bread and fish become a feast for the multitudes. Gifts given out of love are transformed into something far greater than we could ever imagine. Couples experience that phenomenon.
"I love you," she says.
"I love you too," he replies.
"No, but I really love you," she responds.
"Oh," he says… "well, that changes everything."
Indeed it does. Just ask the people Jesus associated with: the downtrodden, the disenfranchised: all who met him were changed. Just ask the woman at the well. She comes to the well at noon, the hottest time of the day so she won't meet other women. She lives on the fringe of society because of her checkered past. Yet she is the one to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Amazingly, it is the outcast woman at the well who heralds the divine presence of Jesus. How unlikely is that? Even she is changed when see meets Jesus.
That's how it is. In the transforming love of Jesus, all is changed and all are nourished.
"Bring them here to me," and out of love, we offer our gifts and our giving touches lives in ways we could never have ever dreamed.
"Bring them here to me" and something far greater than we could have ever imagined is created .
"Bring them here to me," and in love, Jesus blessed the bread and broke it…and gives it to us. And we meet Jesus at the table and are transformed into wholeness and holiness.
"Bring them here to me," Jesus calls us and we come to the table. Surely you can hear him as you come forward this morning: " I really love you…that changes everything." And so it does. Draw near, then, with faith and take this holy sacrament to your comfort. Amen.