A Sermon
Presented by Rev. Merlin T. Batt
Intentional Interim Pastor
St. Matthew’s United Church of Christ
Maiden, North Carolina
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 3, 2008

Scripture Lesson: Matthew 14:13-21
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Early last week - it was Wednesday, I think - I was reading a reflection on today’s Gospel lesson by a fellow named Tom Ehrich. I’ve mentioned him before in a sermon, so you may know that Tom is an Episcopal priest and church development consultant who used to live in one of Charlotte’s suburbs, but a year or so ago moved into cramped quarters in a New York City high-rise apartment building.

His daily reflections to which I subscribe (they used to be free!) come to me by e-mail every morning. Though half the time I disagree with him, I always look forward to reading what he has to say right after breakfast. In Wednesday’s edition, Tom quoted a friend who, referring to Jesus’ instruction to his disciples to feed the crowd of some 5,000 people, said, “This instruction is where the rubber of faith meets the runway of life.”

I liked that image so much that, right then and there, I decided to use it as the title of my last sermon to you as your Interim Pastor, “Where the Rubber of Faith Meets the Runway of Life.” You might say that this phrase has been the lens through which I have looked at this familiar story about “the feeding of the 5,000” in Matthew’s Gospel.

The story begins with the statement that Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place. Now, it’s not immediately obvious where he withdrew from, but if you look back to the previous chapter, you discover he withdrew from his hometown, Nazareth, where he was disappointed with the un-believing response to his message about the in-breaking Kingdom of God, and by the people he most wanted to embrace him and his message, his family and friends.

Jesus was deeply disappointed and discouraged by their response (or lack of it, I should say). But there was even more reason for him to withdraw to a deserted place to be alone – Jesus had just received news that John the Baptist had been executed by order of King Herod. After John’s followers had buried their leader’s decapitated body, they sought out Jesus in Nazareth to tell him the sad news.

They sought out Jesus, not only because Jesus and John were cousins, and not only to warn him about the king’s deadly opposition, but also because (as the Fourth Gospel suggests) Jesus was one of John’s early followers. So the two of them were not only bonded by blood, but also by the belief that God was now doing a new thing in Israel, and the two of them were caught up in it, though in different ways – John, the one who prepared the way, and Jesus, the one who was the Way.

Now you understand why Jesus, along with his small group of disciples, withdrew to a deserted place. It was the natural human need to be alone to grieve – surely, in his case, to grieve the death of his kinsman and co-worker John, and also to grieve the dying of the dream that his family and hometown friends would respond positively to his message and see in him the embodiment of Israel’s God. The experience of loss and grief - that is, I think, what caused Jesus to withdraw to a deserted place by himself.

I can relate to that. Can’t you? In fact, I am experiencing some of that right now – the loss of my pastoral relationship with you, a relationship which has developed over the last two years. And I know Adele also is feeling the pain of having to say goodbye. We have come to love this church, and we are grieving as we prepare to bid you farewell. And some of you, as this day of ending has approached, have told us that you also have similar feelings of sadness at the change which is underway.

Now I know from long years of experience that it is natural, whenever a pastor leaves a congregation, whether an interim or a settled pastor, that among the congregation some are distraught, and some are rejoicing, and some are unaware of what’s going on, and some realize that life-cycles constantly bring new beginnings and endings.

But for those who, along with Adele and me, are feeling sad at the ending of these years together, the next part of our Gospel story is very important. Listen as Matthew describes what happened:

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed  him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

I want you to notice how Jesus is pulled out of himself by the work God has for him to do. While still grieving, Jesus is confronted by the needs of the people and by the opportunities their needs present for him to proclaim the Kingdom of God. So he does not remain in his grief; rather he immerses himself in what God is doing. He turns his attention from his own feelings to the work his Father has set before him, to what God is doing.

And God is doing something here at St. Matthews. Last week the Search Committee, after much deliberation and prayer, presented to you the Rev. Ray Jachowski as a candidate for the position of St. Matthew’s Pastor. Led by the Holy Spirit, you voted overwhelmingly in favor of calling him to serve in this capacity.

He accepted the call, and three weeks from this moment will be standing here preaching his first sermon as your Pastor. A new chapter is opening at St. Matthews. Exciting possibilities are before you. God is calling you to step out in new ways, with the guidance of your new Pastor, to proclaim by word and deed that Jesus Christ is Lord. Therefore, you must set aside any feelings of loss, move into the future God has for this church, and immerse yourself in what God is doing in your midst.

And God is doing something in our lives, too, and in the life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Epiphany in Winston-Salem. Their Pastor of many years had to resign because of poor health. They have entered into the “wilderness” of the interim time, and the Holy Spirit has led me there to minister among them in their time of loss and grief, to help them move forward into a new chapter of doing the Lord’s work. And so, now, Adele and I must set aside our feelings of loss, move into the future God has for us, and immerse ourselves in what God is doing in that congregation.

What I am saying is this: both you and we are being pulled out of ourselves by the work God has for us to do, you here with newly called Pastor Ray, and we in Winston-Salem with a new congregation. It’s one of those situations where “the rubber of faith meets the runway of life.”

Now, one more thing…Notice how the Gospel story develops: “When it was evening, the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.”

I could spend a long time talking about this amazing story, but now I simply want to point out one thing in conclusion, one critically important thing: Whenever people of faith begin doing what God wants to have done, the resources are more than adequate to meet the need. Let me repeat it; it’s that important: Whenever people of faith begin doing what God wants to have done, the resources are more than adequate to meet the need.

Remember the story? Jesus looked out at the 5,000+ crowd and said to the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples said, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” But, eventually, they brought what they had to Jesus and then  went about doing what God wanted to have done. And the result…more than 5,000 people were fed, and 12 baskets of food were left over! Can I explain it? No. Do I believe it? Yes. Have I seen instances where God has provided resources where it appeared human resources were inadequate to the need? You bet I have!

So, please don’t forget this story, friends, when in the months and years to come God calls St. Matthew’s Church to undertake new ministries and new forms of mission outreach that seem to exceed your abilities and resources. When you and Pastor Ray together dream dreams that are inspired by the Spirit of Christ, don’t be constrained by the fear of scarcity. Rather, be emboldened by the promise of God’s abundance. For, just as in today’s Gospel story, Jesus Christ will give you what you need to do what God wants to get done in his world.

So, friends in Christ, let us now go forward, thankful for God’s blessings in the past, responsive to God’s call in the present, and trusting that he will do what he has promised when we do what he wants, where the rubber of faith meets the runway of life.