This sermon was originally preached by Rev'd Sera Rumble at St Denys Church Harvest celebration in October 2024.

I wonder if you can think of a time when you’ve been on the receiving end of someone’s generosity, in particular the kind of generosity that really met your need. Maybe they were generous with their time, the attention they gave you, or food, or some other item. And the thing they gave you really met your need. What different did it make? How did it make you feel? 

Generosity. It’s a theme woven through our harvest weekend this year. And today’s events in the Bible story ooze generosity.

As we look at the events of today, and listen to what God wants to say to us through them, I offer another question. Are you a person who frames things in terms of ‘what have we NOT got?’ or ‘what have we got?’ Let’s look at the passage now to explore more about what I mean, and help you think through this question

The Situation: Big Need, We Don't Have Enough.

It’s been a long day in the life of Jesus and his friends and followers. His popularity is rising, particularly because he’s been meeting people’s needs and transforming lives – he’s been healing people. And a big, big crowd of men, women and children have gathered, and he’s been teaching them about God’s kingdom. The day is getting on, and people are getting hungry, and there’s no MacDonalds or Tesco Express. They need food.

How do we meet this need? Asks Jesus of his disciples. The need right in front of them. Notice how this is a ‘we’ question, not an ‘me’ or a you, but a ‘we’ question. The question is addressed to Philip, who is the local guy, so it makes sense to ask him.

And his response is a ‘What we have NOT got response!’ 'It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ v7. In other words, 'the need is too big and we don’t have enough.'

What Have We Got? A Boy Willing to Give What He has got

But then Andrew’s response is a ‘’What HAVE we got response.’ ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’ v8. We’ve got something small. We’ve not got enough. This boy when asked by Andrew, was willing to give the thing he did have. And Andrew was willing to bring it to Jesus in answer to the Jesus’ question.

‘This is what we’ve got, and in response to your request. I’m willing to give it generously.’

What Else Have We Got: We’ve also got Jesus

But the thing is that this is not the only thing that they’ve got. They’ve also got Jesus. And what Jesus has got is a lot!

 The four gospel writers all tell of these events around the feeding of this huge crowd, 5000 men plus women and kids (might it have been 7 to 9000). And they all have a different emphasis in the elements they focus on. Luke for example, shows how Jesus asked something big of his disciples but then needed to break it in to small tasks until the big thing was done. But John’s way of telling it is to emphasise what this shows of us of Jesus.

John doesn’t describe the miraculous feeding of  large crowd a 'miracle'. He calls it a ‘sign’. 'After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ vs 14. Through how he writes he wants us to focus more on Jesus in this, and this helps us see that Jesus is giving generously from what he has got

 John is a master a reminding us who Jesus is and what he has got:

• John draws attention to Jesus identifying with being the Prophet; The Lord will raise you up a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.’ Deuteronomy 18:15 – This is Moses speaking. And John is drawing links.
• John places these events straight after talking about Moses, and in Moses’ story we see another great feeding – 40 years of Manna in the wilderness
• After these events – John writes of Jesus describing himself as the bread of life, come to me who are hungry. (John 6:48)
• And, as I spoke on a couple of weeks ago, John places all this writing of about Jesus flowing from the opening line ‘In the beginning was the word and word was with God. And in him was life.’ John 1: 1.

So what have we got?

Here on the mountainside faced with thousands of hungry people, we’ve got a boy who is willing to give what he had, - which felt quite small. But we also have Jesus who was willing to give what he had.  Jesus had his full character of being the life-giving creator, who had already proved himself, who had been promised for a long time, and who was giving life in all its fullness in multiple ways.

‘Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish…’ And the result was abundant provision.

Double-generosity.

I once heard this sermon preached at a different church and a different place, and they told a different ending. They said that after the boy gave his food, others were inspired to do the same, and thus everyone was fed.  A moral story of generosity.

And that broke my heart. There was no indication what so ever other followed the boys example. And it missed out what was really going on. It missed out recognising the way that God works again and again and again: taking what we have to give, and combining it with all that he has to give. And in that double generosity, needs are met and life in all its fullness is expressed.

And what about us?

Are you and I people who focus on what we don't have: Not enough energy, time, money to make a difference. It's understandable to see things from that perspective. There are many reasons to believe we're not enough and we don't have enough.

But God's way of working is to recognise what we DO have, and to offer it to him and all that he has. And then to see what happens.

St Denys Church is testimony to giving what we do have, even though we can easily feel we don't have enough. So we have offered the site, the space, our time, our abilities to situations where we people have approached us with an idea that helps people, where we sense the possibility of God being at work. We've said yes to helping food projects happen. And good things have flourished.

 I wonder if there's one thing at the moment where you God is nudging you to give something you have in response to a need you see? Are you ready to be generous and see what happens?