Bringing What We Have

First Thursday of Advent 12.7 – Mark 6:41-44

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.”

All ate and were filled. 

In the Award winning Broadway play, Hamilton, the audience sings along in agreement as the star of the show sings, “I could never be satisfied.”  We agree with the Rolling Stones’ hit song, “I can’t get no satisfaction,” and longingly agree with Bono of U2 when he songfully reflects, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

When was the last time you felt like you were truly satisfied? Many of us have never gone without a meal because we couldn’t afford to buy one, but how many times have we eaten our fill, only to walk away feeling empty? 

Jesus doesn’t just give his listeners a free meal. He takes what appears insufficient, and shows them a picture of his good news: there is more than enough to go around. 

The good news for us today is that we don’t need to have enough to feed five thousand people. We don’t need to have everything under control to be satisfied. All we need is to recognize that we are hungry for something… and go to the one who can truly nourish us.

God invites us to bring whatever we have: our emotional baggage, our cynicism, our loneliness. The good news is that nothing is wasted, and each one of us will eat and be filled. 

• When was the last time you felt like you were truly satisfied?

• What are you truly hungry for? 

• What are you afraid to ask God for?