This weekend Faith is not just going to church—we are BEING the church, engaging in a number of service projects throughout the day as we participate in something called “God’s Work, Our Hands” Sunday. “God’s work, our hands” happens to be a tag line of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, of which this congregation is a member. We, the church, are called to participate in God’s mission, to join in on what God is doing in our neighborhoods and across the world. God’s work, our hands. Please open your Bible to John 6:1-13. We will read a story about God’s work and our hands: when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish, feeding the 5000. 

John 6:1-13

A reading from the gospel of John, the 6th chapter, beginning with the first verse:

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.