In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This past week, my family and I travelled to Washington D.C. because Yeretzgin was asked by the Diocese to represent the Armenian Church at a Symposium of the National Council of Churches and to serve as their moderator for the gathering. It was an amazing gathering.
As she was tied up with those responsibilities, our daughter and I took advantage of visiting the many historic sites within that most famous city. Upon our arrival, we immediately noticed the famous buildings and monuments all around us. It seems that, everywhere you turned, there was another commemorative rock drawing your attention:
- The first rock placed in the ground when the U.S. Capitol was built;
- The rock that marked the spot where Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech;
- Or the many rocks placed throughout the Arlington National Cemetery marking the graves of people like JFK, from which my daughter had to pull me away from;
- Or General Omar Bradley, the last five-star general of our country;
- Or Audie Murphy, the most decorated person ever to serve in the United States Army;
- Or perhaps the most famous of all, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is most impressive and honored twenty-four hours a day every day of the year.
These were all famous places marked in the ground by a rock.
On our flight home, I began thinking about today’s Bible story, which is also marked in the ground by a rock. There is a church complex located along a dusty road near the shores of Lake Galilee that I have been to a number of times over the years. Inside this church near the back wall is a large rock sticking up out of the ground. On this rock is the main altar of that church. Every day faithful people from around the world come to that church to read the passage that Sona read to us a few moments ago and attend the local services of that church.
It is the church of the “loaves and fishes.” It was at that location on that rock that Jesus fed 5,000 people with a meager amount of food. It was there on that rock that He performed one of His greatest miracles.
This morning’s Bible reading comes from the Gospel of St. Mark. Miracles like this well-known one are recorded in the Bible on purpose. In biblical days, the people were fascinated and attracted by what Jesus said and taught, but people being people wanted proof. So, they asked Him time after time for signs to prove He was truly the Son of God. On occasion, He gave them the proof they wanted.
This miracle is more than just a sign of proof. Miracles show us the heart and the compassion of God. Let’s take a minute to look at this story. Jesus had spent the day with the largest crowd ever to gather around Him. They came to hear Him and see Him and hopefully, even come close enough to touch Him. He had compassion on them and healed their sick, the Bible tells us. When evening came, the crowd became hungry. So, the disciples suggested that Jesus send them away so they can fend for themselves, but Jesus had another idea. He responded back “No one should leave here hungry. The crowds that follow Me will never need to go somewhere else to find the “food” they need. You feed them. You nourish their needs,” He said.
The disciples were confused. They reminded Him that they “have only a small amount of food with them” and so Jesus said to them, “Bring to me what you have.” So, the disciples went off and collected whatever food they could find. They brought it to Him and said, “Here is all we have. It is 5 small loaves of bread and 2 small fish, but it isn’t possible to feed this entire crowd with only a handful of food,” they told Him.
At that moment, Jesus shared an important lesson with His disciples. He taught them that with God’s blessing, everything is possible and that 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish were enough to feed the needs of this crowd and twelve crowds more. There were even many baskets full of leftovers. That is the miracle written about in today’s Bible lesson, but it wasn’t about the loaves of bread and two fish. It was about the blessings of God in our lives and the power of God’s blessings to make the impossible possible. That’s the miracle.
So, in hearing this event of the Bible, ask yourself: Where in my life do I need God’s blessing and spend a moment asking Him for it. This is the message of today’s miracle. May we all find a way to bring our gifts and talents to God so He may bless them and increase them as He did in today’s Bible story. May we all use those blessings to make a difference in the life of other people today and every day because we all need each other.
Where in your life do you need God’s Blessings?
Amen.