Welcome to this worship service on Sunday 25th July 2021 and thank you for joining me today. We are going to consider how three men, Philip, Andrew, and Paul react differently when faced with difficult challenges.
Call to Worship
Psalm 105:4-5
Seek the Lord and His strength; seek his presence continually
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles and the judgements he has uttered.
Hymn CH4 485 – “Dear Lord and Father of mankind”
Prayer of Approach
Faithful God,
We give all praise and thanks to You today,
for Your gracious love and mercies new with each morning,
for Your steadfast hand which has always guided us,
for Your promise which has never faltered.
We pray as those of us who come to You often and those who have not prayed for a long time.
We come as those who are full of faith and those who feel challenged and full of doubt.
We come as those who can hardly keep from singing, and those who can barely face the day.
We are here because You have called us,
because You love us,
because You are our God.
We are here not because we are good or pure or holy, but because of our need.
We know we have failed to live as You would have us live,
We know that we sometimes stray from the path,
that we have not loved one another,
that we have not loved You,
that we have not loved ourselves,
that we have not loved Your creation.
Forgive us, God, and renew us to be Your people.
Light our way that we may follow you more closely,
Help us to learn from our mistakes, and to show love and compassion to each other.
Remind us of our utter dependence on You for all things,
for You are at work, reproaching, redeeming, nurturing, filling, and blessing our lives.
You are our faithful and forgiving friend, and hear us as we pray together,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Scriptures
Ephesians 3:14-21
Prayer for the Readers
For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
John 6:1-21
Feeding the Five Thousand
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so, they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also, the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So, they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Jesus Walks on the Water
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
Hymn 153 CH4 “Great is thy Faithfulness”.
Reflection
How often have you been faced with a task that seemed insurmountable? Maybe you can sympathise with Philip and Andrew when Jesus asks them with finding a way to feed the 5000 people on the hillside. Philip and Andrew’s approach to the challenge is quite different. I will come back to that later. Or are we like Paul in the first reading, turning to God in prayer?
Earlier in Ephesians chapter 3, Paul tells us that it was God’s plan all along to reconcile and bring together Jews and Gentiles into one body in Christ. The controlling Jewish men had a lot of trouble accepting Paul’s mission to the Gentiles. Paul prays to God on behalf of the Christian Gentiles, asking for a few things to help them. He prays for inner strength, for faith that is rooted in love by the Holy Spirit, a love that surpasses understanding. Finally, Paul prays that, through the knowledge they gain and the power to comprehend that knowledge, that they will be filled with the fullness and love of God. Paul’s prayer ends with the words “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine”. Paul’s reaction to God’s plan is to pray and ask for the necessary resources for the Gentiles.
So, what of the reactions of Philip and Andrew to the task that Jesus has presented them with? Jesus had been teaching the crowd all day, and it was almost time for the evening meal. The disciples wanted Jesus to dismiss the people so they could go and buy food in the neighbouring towns and villages. Jesus had other ideas. He told the disciples to feed the people.
Philip saw the need for a miracle and calculated the odds. He tried to prove that it could not be done. How many times have we reacted like Philip? How often does our focus waiver and we are overcome by our selfishness? We might distance ourselves from the problem. Perhaps we would create a committee to make the decisions when what we really need is to make disciples. We should not be paralyzed by the size and scope of the tasks before us.
Andrew, on the other hand, set out to try to solve the problem. He searched for food among the people, but he found only one small boy with a small lunch that seemed inadequate for the task at hand. We have to give credit to Andrew for at least trying to find a solution to the problem. Can we be more like Andrew? As Christians we believe that God is in all that we do, God will provide everything that we will need. We can break the task down into manageable parts. We should not try to do everything all at once because we know we cannot be everything to everyone all of the time. Jesus accepts our limitations and only expects us to work with what we have.
In Paul’s mission, he prays that the Gentiles be granted the resources required to fulfil God’s plan, and in faith, he knows that these will be given “abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine”
Jesus accepted the boy’s gift, he blessed it, and in the blessing the small became great. There was an abundance of food because Jesus wanted the people to be fed. Jesus can take anything we give him, no matter how big or how small, and multiply it to be used to do his work in the world. All life and all good gifts come from God. Jesus wants us to open our hearts and our hands to those around us.
In the story, Jesus tested the disciples. Did he want them to fail so that he might strengthen them? Jesus also tests us for the same reason. Will we react in fear, in confusion, or in faith? Failure can give us strength and perseverance. We must never gauge the size of a challenge in terms of what we consider our capability to be. God calls us to commit whatever we have, and we become instruments in his service.
Jesus intended for his miracles to point people to God. That included his disciples and everyone he met. The crowds were following Jesus for the spectacle, possibly to see what his next miracle would be. They were enamoured with his words and what he might do for them.
Because he could work miracles, many people wanted to make Jesus a king. They thought that if he could feed them, he could free them from Roman rule. They wanted an earthly king who would protect them and provide for them. Instead, Jesus was a humble, servant king who would create in them a relationship with God. They wanted a Messiah who would provide for their physical needs, but Jesus was the Messiah that would provide for their spiritual needs. He wanted their undivided attention. Jesus got the disciples’ attention thanks to the storm. He wanted them to make him their chief focus even when the storms of life take over. He also wants us to pay attention to him, especially when we face the storms of life.
One of the focuses of the story is on how the disciples respond to the tests Jesus gives them. The test for us is how we will do the work Jesus wants us to do, especially when the task seems impossible. We must not concentrate on what we lack. We must concentrate on what we have. Jesus gives us the resources we need.
The two parts of this story are linked by Jesus doing something totally unexpected, and it changed the lives of those around him. There are things in life that challenge us. God sends the storms of life that we face. These storms have been engineered to strengthen us, teach us, and cause us to grow deeper in our faith.
Do we react like Philip and accept that the task is insurmountable, or do we follow the example of Andrew and respond positively using the resources available to us? Paul turns to God in prayer, asking for help in what was a task of great magnitude. Our job is to involve God, through Jesus in any problems we are facing and to count on his presence and power. Jesus is present and ready to help in any situation of need. All we have to do is come to him in faith. Amen
Prayer of Intercession
Lord, your love surpasses all understanding.
We rejoice and praise you.
Give us grace to display generosity and thanksgiving in how we share the fruits of your blessings. Help us to be like Andrew, that we will meet any challenges that we face, remembering that Your provision exceeds our need, and we share in your rich bounty.
Lord, we pray for your justice when we are confronted with the scheming and plotting of corruption and violence. We pray for compassion for all those who think that spreading racial hatred is acceptable, that they may realise the hurt that is causes,
And for those who have been subjected to insults for the colour of their skin, their sexual orientation, or their race.
We pray for those working within the Church of Scotland in places of power and influence who are making difficult decisions about the future of our churches that will affect many people. We thank you and pray for the special people in our lives, especially those who have made a difference to our knowledge and outlook.
We pray for those who have lost their relatives, friends, and homes, due to extreme weather condition. We especially remember those in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Hear our prayers for those whose lives are so unbearable in their own countries, that they would risk their lives on the dangerous seas to reach what for them is a land of hope and promise.
Stretch out your hands to bless all who long for healing and release from their suffering
We pray especially for those we know personally who are facing difficulties at this time
Fill them, Lord, with Your healing presence and remind them of Your promises.
We pray for those who are sorrowing and those who care for and console them.
Lord hold us through the darkness of death and grief.
We pray for ourselves that we might be filled with energy to serve You better in our daily living.
And that we might, even in our doubt, be reminded that You will never turn away.
Unite us as members of your family
Grant that we may find a voice to praise you for your mercy and goodness.
And we pray this in your son’s name, Amen
Hymn 510 CH4 “Jesus calls us here to meet him”.
Closing Prayer
May the God of hope go with us every day, filling our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way, bringing light and hope to all those that we meet,
May the God of Love bless us as we share our joy of knowing Him, with others
and may we remain faithful when we hear Christ’s call. Amen.
This service was prepared by Linda Farrer, Reid Memorial Church
Acknowledgements:
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.