The Word of God
(BCP p. 355)
Celebrant Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever.
Amen.
Celebrant Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hears by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy Name through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn of Praise
(BCP p.356)
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Collect of the Day
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you
Celebrant Let us pray.
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of Genesis 32:22-31
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God
Psalm 17:1-7
1 Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord;
give heed to my cry; *
listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.
2 Let my vindication come forth from your presence; *
let your eyes be fixed on justice.
3 Weigh my heart, summon me by night, *
melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.
4 I give no offense with my mouth as others do; *
I have heeded the words of your lips.
5 My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; *
in your paths my feet shall not stumble.
6 I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; *
incline your ear to me and hear my words.
7 Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, *
O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand
from those who rise up against them.
A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans 9:1-5
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God
Celebrant The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 14:13-21
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
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. When it was evening, the disciples came to him 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. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
Sharing
Today’s sermon is titled “Sharing.” The text is from the Gospel of Matthew 14:13-21.
This Gospel is about how Jesus fed five thousand with a very small amount of food, five loaves of bread and two fish.
The bread and fish in today’s Gospel echo a common theme in Israel. This theme is people eating together and sharing among families.
Jesus used this Bread and fish to feed the crowd who followed Him to a deserted place. Since the time of the Prophets, people who are hungry or thirsty have received food or drink through people sent to them by God. Prophet Isaiah once wrote “Everyone who thirsts should come to the waters and you that have no money come, and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1)
This Gospel also reminds us of how the Zarephath woman fed herself, her son, and provided food for Elijah. (2 Kings 4:42-44)
Every time we hear about Jesus feeding people in the Scripture it is a reflection of the Holy Communion. The Sacramental act of praying before eating which Jesus did before giving the Bread and the fish to His disciples was also common in the Scripture.
The feeding of the five thousand happened after the death of John the Baptist.
When Jesus was informed of John’s death, He withdrew into a lonely place. As lonely as the desert was, God’s presence was still there. The wilderness was a place one could go to allow their heart to be connected to God’s heart. It was a place of prayer and reflection. Many went to a deserted place so that they could avoid the busyness of the City and feel closer to God. Much like how we go camping or hiking today.
Everywhere Jesus went, crowds usually followed Him. The same is true of today’s Gospel. As the crowds gathered Jesus probably was teaching and curing their illnesses. As it got late in the evening, rather than finding food for the crowd, Jesus disciples asked Him to send the crowd away because there was no food.
Hearing that there was no food; Jesus told His disciples to find the crowd something to eat. Jesus was moved with compassion. He asked Philip because of Philip’s name – He seemed to have come from the local area and may have known where to get food.
The disciples brought 5 loaves and two fish to Jesus. Jesus looked up into heaven and blessed the bread and two fish and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the crowd.
The disciples distributed the blessed bread and fish. When everyone had had enough to eat. The disciples gathered up the leftovers which the Scripture says was twelve baskets.
What a miracle that Jesus could feed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish! What a mystery!!
Research shows that the number of the people whom Jesus fed must have been more than five thousand men besides women and children.
This story reminds me of Lazarus’ death. His sisters, Mary and Martha, already lost hope that their brother could no longer be brought back to life. When Jesus got to where the body of Lazarus was laid, He raised Lazarus to life.
Something similar was going on in the story of the feeding of five thousand. The disciples already lost hope that there was no food to feed the crowd. All they could do was ask Jesus to send the people away to their homes.
Thank God Jesus performed a miracle with the five loaves and two fish which He was given.
Jesus brought hope in the face of hopelessness. He demonstrated compassion by attending to the needs of the crowd following Him. This Gospel also confirms that we serve a God of possibilities. The miracle also shows we serve a compassionate and caring Lord.
Anytime we receive the bread and the wine, they are symbols of God’s invisible grace for us.
This Gospel reminds us of the significant inequalities concerning food access at Jesus’ time and I dare not say at our time too.
The truth is many still lack regular nutrition even at our time too.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we may probably say we cannot perform miracles like Jesus; however, we are encouraged to advocate on behalf of the needy and the hungry in a land that has so much food.
This Gospel also encourages us to live with a paradigm of abundance rather than a paradigm of scarcity. This means we are to share what we have, especially food, with those who are in need or hungry. This is how we each in our own way become the hands and feet of Jesus that was nailed on the Cross.
Sharing with those in need is one way we can continue to have more.
God has freely given us what we have we are encouraged to freely give to others in need. Never again should the poor be neglected.
Jesus used this periscope to explain that truly He is the Bread of life who came down from Heaven. (American Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew, Allen Roo)
This Gospel reminds us that we who follow Christ are to feed the hungry and give clothing to those in need.
Thank God Almighty we have the power of the Holy Spirit to do the feed the hungry at our time. Every time we do this, we are showing Christ’s love to others around us.
Each of us is asked to do what we can so that others may have. This is Jesus’ expectation of us today and always.
Amen
The Nicene Creed
(BCP p. 358)
We believe in one God
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate
from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand
of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is
worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of the People
In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for the new Province of Alexandria, Egypt.
In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for St. Paul’s in Chillicothe, Christ Church in Cincinnati, and St. James in Zanesville.
In our Parish cycle of prayer, we pray for Susan Kendall; Jim and Donna Larsen; and Ian, Laura, and Annabelle Leach.
In the course of the silence after each bidding, the People offer their own prayers, either silently or aloud.
I ask your prayers for God’s people throughout the world; for our Bishop, Thomas; for this gathering; and for all ministers and people.
Pray for the Church.
Silence
I ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people.
Pray for justice and peace.
Silence
I ask your prayers for the sick (N); for the poor, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison.
Pray for those in any need or trouble.
Silence
I ask your prayers for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him.
Pray that they may find and be found by him.
Silence
I ask your prayers for the departed [especially __________ ].
Pray for those who have died.
Silence
Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored [especially ____________whom we remember today].
Pray that we may have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
Silence
Celebrant Almighty God, you sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your church. Open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may be ready to receive you wherever you appear, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
(from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 44)
The Lord’s Prayer
Celebrant As our Savior Christ has taught us, we now pray,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Blessing
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
St. Mark’s Vestry
Senior Warden: Gary Welch
Junior Warden: Katherine Wagner
Treasurer: Don Nancarrow
Secretary: Dave Reuter
Vestry Members:
Carol Nancarrow, Tracey Swartz
Jen Bonifas, Susan Kendall
Kendall Rubino, Jenna Walch
St. Mark’s Staff
Transitional Priest in Charge The Rev. Dr. John Agbaje
Parish Administrator Katherine Wagner
Music Director Donna Larsen
Sexton Douglas Plummer
Look for us…
On the web: www.StMarksDayton.org
Facebook: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio
Instagram: stmarksdayton
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