Sermon: The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

August 2, 2026

Barbara Marshall

Gospel Lesson from Matthew 14:13-21

Focus – Jesus will provide. We need to learn, trust and share with others.

There are only four Gospels in the Bible. However, the feeding of the multitudes was important enough to make it into the Gospels six times. Both Matthew and Mark tell the story twice. Luke and John each tell the story once. Why did the Gospel writers think this story we heard this morning was so important?

According to my research, the writers saw it more as a miracle story that became a parable. The feeding of the multitude varies a bit in number. One version mentions feeding 5000 while another mentions feeding 4000 people. No matter the number suggested, it was huge. More important is the message about what we are called to do and who we are called to be. If we are going to follow Jesus, at some point he’s going to expect us to give others something to eat. And it matters how we respond to his examples.

Have you ever noticed that wherever food is present Jesus is there?

• As often as he was praying, Jesus was sharing food.

• In his ministry, he even identified himself with bread and wine.

• Bread and wine were staples in the Mediterranean then as well as now.

• Food nourishes, brings pleasure and comfort, fills us up and sometimes makes us very full.

• Without food, we are often cranky. We might become disoriented and lose our balance.

• Food is a basic necessity and essential.

• The story of the Israelites in the wilderness, reminds us that they were given manna for food. They became tired of eating it daily. Yet they were filled.

• Then there was a banquet at the wedding feast in Cana. Jesus turned water into wine when they ran out of processed wine.

In today’s Gospel Lesson from Matthew, there were five loaves of bread and two fish that fed everyone present with twelve baskets of leftovers. Was that magic? Was it something more than that? Or was it that those present shared what they already had and had been given by God?

God had already created a world out of nothing. He provided sun and earth and water and seeds. Not much was needed including magic. God provided something beneficial from nothing.

The biblical story of how God provided manna for his people in the wilderness is different than this morning’s story. Jesus wanted to get away to a deserted place by himself. But the crowds followed him. Jesus had compassion for them and healed many. By evening, hunger was obvious but here was little food to eat. Jesus’ followers would have to walk to town to buy food. The disciples told Jesus there were only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus asked them to bring the items to him. Taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the bread. The food was then given to the disciples who distributed to the crowd of people. After all were filled, twelve baskets of food were left over. According to Matthew’s Gospel 5000 men were fed plus women and children.

Jesus demonstrated that whatever we have, God has already given us and there is always enough. If we think about it and look at it the right way, we hopefully decide to share. We need to let go of our fears and stop holding onto what’s “ours” so tightly. If we can do these things, we absolutely have enough bread to feed the whole world. There is no excuse for our fellow human beings to be hungry. Today’s Gospel parable illustrates a pretty compelling picture of what the Kingdom of God is like.

A sermon published by the Office of Communication of the Episcopal Church had another way of looking at the story about feeding the five thousand. “The writer referred it to it as the first supper. It is important to remember that the last supper at night in that upper room was not the only Eucharistic feast in the Gospels. Every time Jesus broke bread with friends it was a thanksgiving meal. That is what Eucharist means, “thanksgiving.”

“Jesus followed the same pattern at the first supper as he did at the last supper. Take, bless, break, give! Those are the actions of the Eucharistic feast. Jesus wants us to take what we have, whatever it is, whatever’s already here, and bless it. In other words, give it to God. And then break it open, divide it up, and give it away. Joyfully! All will then have enough. I have a few examples to share.

Every morning before the sun rises, a devoted mother of six in a busy urban neighborhood quietly begins her day by preparing 100 lunches to ensure no child in her community goes hungry. Her decade-long, silent dedication turns simple groceries into a vital lifeline for dozens of neighborhood kids.

Her story beautifully illustrates a modern, grassroots approach to food insecurity—moving past traditional soup kitchens to focus on neighborhood-level support. Today, millions of Americans face hidden hunger, meaning the issue is no longer just limited to those who are unhoused, but often impacts working families and children who rely on consistent school or community meals to be nourished and to stay focused.

Across the country, this reality has sparked a powerful wave of community-driven solutions. People aren't just donating spare change; they are transforming how help is delivered.

• The Lunchbox Heroes: Everyday individuals—much like the mother in the previous story—selflessly cook and distribute meals in their own neighborhoods, providing nourishment without judgment or red tape.

• Innovative Food Rescue: Organizations are intercepting surplus, perfectly good food from restaurants and farms, connecting it to local pantries before it ends up in landfills.

• Corporate and Celebrity Activism: Top charities like Feeding America utilize massive corporate partnerships and high-profile advocates to scale localized resources, fund emergency SNAP programs, and provide millions of meals.

• Global Relief: International programs (like Feed My Starving Children) send targeted, highly nutritional packets designed to reverse malnutrition in areas heavily impacted by war or drought.

The collective message of these stories is clear: One doesn't need to be a government official to make a tangible impact. Whether it's an individual donating their lunch to someone on a street corner or a dedicated volunteer running a neighborhood food pantry, these efforts provide vital nourishment to vulnerable populations while restoring dignity.

Here at St. Patrick’s, we participate in several ways to help feed the hungry.

• We support the Madison Hts. Food Pantry. The bins in our vestibule are used by the community to donate non-perishable food. Any time you see food in the bins, bring them inside and place them in the nearby grocery cart. The items are picked up every Thursday and are taken directly to the Food Pantry to be distributed to those in need. We can bring items in anytime we attend church.

• We financially support Crossroads in Detroit. They use donations to serve soup and sandwiches on Sundays and to hand out non-perishable food during the week.

• I know of several parishioners who carry small bags of easy to open food items to give out to those on street corners who are looking to be fed.

• We financially support MCREST in Macomb County that shelters those in need as well as feeds them.

• We also financially support the Lighthouse in Pontiac who functions much like MCREST.

Miracles can happen in many ways. Not just by scraps of bread. Today’s Gospel challenges us to realize the many things we waste in our lives can make the difference between life and death for our brothers and sisters. What do we have in our stored “wicker baskets” of clothing, food, and household goods that can become signs of the presence of God in our midst? What we casually throw away can be the means of something good. It can fill the hungry, the broken and the discouraged. God calls us to the work of repairing, restoring, and for making whole with the “pieces” and “fragments” that bless our lives.

It’s not enough to simply pray that God will change things, will feed the hungry and clothe the naked. God needs us to participate in this Eucharistic action. God is calling us to take our lives and bless them, to be broken open, and then given away in service towards others.

Take, bless, break and give! No matter how hard or impossible this seems, the end result is worth it. Remember, everyone ate until they were satisfied and when they gathered up what was leftover, they filled twelve wicker baskets. This vision is possible for us also. We already have what we need right here in our midst. The Kingdom of God is waiting for action. How willing are we to join in the Eucharist?

Amen!

Resources for this Sermon

• A sermon published by the Office of Communication of The Episcopal Church, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017, Sermons that Work, Proper 12 Year B

• Sermons that Work by Machrina Bladell, August 3, 2024

• The Bible

• My own thoughts and experiences relating to hunger.