Sunday 17, time after Pentecost

Every now and then Webster helps me with a sermon. Today is one of those times. I would suspect that even a little child could give us a fairly traditional definition of a miracle. I learned from my daughter that my darling granddaughter just happened to think, while she was in the shower, how nice it would be to go to Friendly’s on her actual birthday which is today. Yesterday she had quite a party with her young friends and their parents. Mary told her that maybe they would talk to Pop Pop. That’s me. Of course I didn’t take much convincing especially when it involved Sami and ice cream. So, I called Sami and told her that I had been thinking how nice it would be for me to take her to Friendly’s for her actual birthday. You should have heard the tone of her voice. It was nothing short of miraculous! “Pop Pop, how could we both think about that at the same time?” I like what the dictionary says about the word “miracle.” The Latin and then the old French root give us more the idea of “wondering at” or my favorite, “smiling at.” I can just see all those people on that late summer Sabbath afternoon sitting around on the grass with self-satisfied smiles on their faces. They had eaten their fill and, gosh darn, there were twelve baskets left over. With five thousand having eaten, it’s a wonder that they even knew the source of the meal, but the Gospel wants us to know that it is one of the wonderful “signs” that are so much a part of John’s work. I have always loved Sunday night supper: not a large fancy meal, mind you, but supper. Maybe some apple sauce, a ham and cheese sandwich, a pickled egg, and at our house when I lived at home, always cake and ice cream. Sometimes we skipped everything else and just went for the cake and ice cream. And we knew the source of the bounty, because never did we break bread or cake or whatever in our home without thanking God through Jesus for His bounty.

I always make it a point to give some money to the Children’s Miracle Network. If I thought about it, I could wonder if the word “miracle” referred to the “miracles of science” that are funded by our donations or, is the miracle the fact that so great a number of people of all ages are willing to share and contribute. If you really want to smile, think about the kid who had the three barley loaves and the two fish. Imagine his reaction to what his “sharing” wrought! Today everyone wants to attribute the great feeding to a chain reaction of “sharing.” Now, sharing is good. Nobody likes a miser. The Bible asks how we could ever be satisfied with our wealth and our many blessings and see our neighbor in need. But, frankly, I don’t look at this great feeding in this way. For me, it is a true miracle. I would be so disappointed to learn that what I’ve always believed about it was not really the way it came off. I’m not sure that’s one of the questions I want answered on the other side of the veil.

St. Gregory the Great wrote many years ago that there is a difference between miracles and natural wonders. Natural wonders are all over the place, but miracles are few and far between. What we have in both the First Testament Reading and the Gospel today are full fledged miracles. And, I’ll tell you why I believe that. Both Jesus and Elisha were confident of a miraculous solution to their dilemmas. Both trusted the word of God that all should eat their fill and that there would be leftovers. The sign of abundance is an important aspect of these stories or it would not necessarily be mentioned. When we celebrate the Eucharist, I want to see abundance both before and after the meal. I want the cruets well filled and always enough bread so that after the meal there will still be some left for anyone who is sick or is terrified of soul. When we say “Our Father” I suspect that Jesus wants us to think not only of ourselves, but perhaps even globally where indeed a miracle is needed for those who go hungry each and every night.

It’s a bit of a natural wonder that raw grain and many grapes go through baking and the process of fermentation to become the elements we offer this day. But think of the miracle of Jesus our blessed Lord being present among us because of his own promise. Think of your sins, each and every one forgiven and forgotten. Think of spiritual hunger and thirst assuaged. And then consider the natural wonder that we, in response, might be changed into generous, forgiving, and wonder-filled human beings. Why, it’s enough to make you smile! Amen

--KTS,  III
July 30, 2006

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-19
Second Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21
Gospel: John 6:1-2

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