3/27/17
Tom Smith

John 6:1-15

When my mother died, she had spelled out in rather explicit detail just exactly how her funeral/memorial service was to be planned. One thing that she was rather adamant about was that after the service, everyone would be invited to the church fellowship hall to enjoy a meal and a time of fellowship. When my sister and I approached the bereavement committee and shared Mother’s request, there was a long pause before we were asked how many people they should prepare to serve. Having no realistic idea of how many people would attend her service on a weekday morning, we decided on a conservative number. Mother had three sisters and a brother, lots of nieces and nephews, and a large circle of friends so we knew that there could be a crowd in attendance. But it was a weekday morning. Please understand that Mother was a saint and she spent her entire life doing things for other people. She was a lady of faith and she had a deep trust in God and His goodness. On the day of the service, the church was packed. As I looked out on the congregation and invited everyone for lunch, my heart was pounding – there was no way we had enough food. After greeting the congregants as they exited, I purposely waited until everyone else had gone through the serving line before I served my own plate. To my amazement, not only had everyone been served but there was enough for the bereavement team to be fed, and there STILL would be food left!
Our anxiety and concern for adequacy stood in the way of a deep-seated faith in the power of God, not unlike the disciples’ angst in the above passage from John. As we go forth this week, let us not yield to anxiety about what we cannot do but rather seek to have faith that we can accomplish much to broaden the Kingdom of God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the examples of trust and faith that you set for us. We ask that you continue to bless us with opportunities to serve You. Give us strength and reinforce our faith so that your will might be done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thought for the Day: Have faith that much can be done, then go out to serve.