“IT IS TIME FOR THE FEAST”
Sermon by Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly
New Church of Montgomery
Sunday, July 29, 2018
In the reading from 2 Kings [4:42-44] we are told that the Lord gave the people food to eat, and there will be some left over.
In the reading from Psalm 145 [10-18] thanks and blessings are offered to our Lord. The people will receive food in every season. The desires of every living thing will be satisfied. And the Lord is kind in all things. The Lord is kind in all things.
Ephesians 3 [14-21] exhorts that our inner being will be strengthened through the power of the Lord’s Spirit, rooted and grounded in love. Christ in us enables vastly more than we alone are able to do.
The Gospel of John 6 [1-21] tells how, nearing Passover, Jesus took 5 loaves and two fish to feed the 5000, gathered at the Sea of Tiberius. Then, miraculously, He was seen walking on water.
From Emanuel Swedenborg, in Arcana Coelestia, n. 9294, we worship the Lord with thanksgiving, since truth has been planted in good. This is what sharing in the harvest feast is all about, planting good in the fields of our lives.
And so we come together on Sunday mornings, as a community, to worship the Lord, and to celebrate the riches of abundance we have been given. And at first to recognize this.
It is very good indeed, a blessing and a miracle.
The Feast, in scripture, multiplied abundantly so that a mere 5 loaves and two fish could feed 5000 people. A miracle indeed.
What are we to learn from this?
(1) We are always given more than enough, even though we may not recognize it at first.
(2) When we give generously to others, it grows to even more, through a multiplier effect, miracle upon miracle.
(3) Giving more than we think we can afford stretches us and gives us more back in doing so.
(4) Generosity multiplies the generosity of others.
(5) Feasting reminds us of the words festive, festival, and festivity.
All in all, there is plenty to celebrate. So let us rejoice.
(6) Our lives have feasts in communities, in congregations, in groups, in families, and as individuals. A set of nested celebrations.
May we reach out and touch each other.
(7) It is time for the Feast.
May each day bring love and joy into our hearts and into our lives.
May we recognize these Holy gifts and feel gratitude in abundance.
AMEN.
New Church of Montgomery, in Glendale 