Serving at the Lord’s Table
Matthew 14:13-21
First of all this passage teaches us who Jesus is. He is the fulfillment of the Word of the Lord. And secondly it teaches us that we are to serve at the Table of our Lord.
You may remember the mine rescue in Pennsylvania a short time ago. Some of you may have watched and thought it would end in tragedy. Little did we know that the rescuers were participating in a miracle. Chills may have run down your back each time a miner was pulled from the earth. That round cage they used to extract them gave me a claustrophobic feeling just looking at it. I am sure you have tried to imagine what three days down that hole felt like. Their story will no doubt become a made for TV movie. One of the humorous images told about in their days together is the story about the lunch box. Apparently, just as they found the hole that would become their 77 hour life support was a lunch box with a corned-beef sandwich and a mountain dew suddenly appeared floating in the water--now we know how coal miners eat. That was all they had to eat for three days. I don't know about you but if I had my choice of drinks in a collapsed four-foot high coal mine shaft with nine terrified guys it wouldn't be Mountain Dew. Too much caffeine for the moment.
These past 12 months we have seen many people serve this country from New York to Colorado to California and some of them have sacrificed their lives. We can name some of the heroes. Not the least of these are the rescue workers in Pennsylvania.
We never know as we serve that down in the shaft a miracle is happening. That God is at work beneath our feet. That he is multiplying our efforts because he cares. It is the nature of his Kingdom to care and do miracles. That's what the Disciples are learning. They are content to send these people home but God is at work. He is not done. As they are handed the bread they participate in something larger than they are capable of understanding. Thousands are suddenly fed with food that did not exist in the instant before God's unfolding blessing by a Messiah who calls them to serve.
Questions to Ponder
Is He calling you to serve?
Have you ever participated in something larger than you are capable of understanding?
Are you willing to do so?
In His Service,
Terry Phillips
