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For our offering prayer I want to share a little story. You all know it, the Gospel writers all made a point of sharing it with us. This is from John chapter 6 starting at verse 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?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.Now the bible doesn't tell us what happened to that little boy, but I always think it's funny to imagine that after everyone had eaten their fill, they didn't know what to do with the leftovers so they gave them back to the boy. And here's the little boy struggling to carry home 12 big baskets full of food! I think that's a great reminder of how, even when you are small and you have little to give, the Lord can do very much with it.
Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
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). 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.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. (NIV)
Some of you have been coming here for quite a long time, you remember a time when Sunrise church was very small. My wife and I were saying this morning that there was a time when we'd pull in the parking lot and we'd be happy to see 5 cars in the parking lot because that meant we had a lot of people that morning. Then we pulled in this morning and almost couldn't find a place to park! Through the faithfulness of those few that were here and the little they had to give it's brought forth this, all these people in our church this morning.
I look out here, seeing all of you and it reminds me that even when we are small and we only have a little to give, the Lord can take that and do great things with it.
It's through your giving, through your witness, and through your sharing that this church continues to grow and the Lord has continued to spread here in the Farmington area and the Four Corners.
I'm glad we serve a Lord that can do great things with very little.
