(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, this week comes courtesy of The Vine at Home and Twelve Baskets
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Opening Prayers
Today our opening prayers come at an invitation from our friends at All We Can, as part of
joining with them in a commitment to pray, act and respond to the conflict in Palestine/
Israel, and include an invitation to support their Middle East Justice Appeal.
You might like to hold a moment of quiet, and light a candle if you have one available.
In your humanity, incarnate God, you walked this earth.
You were promised through the prophets as the wonderful counsellor, the prince of peace.
The footprint of your reign is embedded in the land of Palestine.
Those same lands you walked are now devastated by war, invasion, and death. Today, I
pray that your wisdom and your peace might be at work in that part of the world, and
around the globe. Today, I pray that this world may not be ruled by war, injustice and
hatred but by peace-loving wisdom that offers everyone life in all its fullness.
Today, I pray a prayer of thanks for the work of All We Can’s humanitarian partner in the
region, Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre, working to provide access to healthcare for
Palestinian children affected by disabilities. Thanks to support for All We Can and the
Methodist Church’s Middle East appeal, 563 items of play equipment have already been
provided and they are supporting an average of 90 children every week.
Even as I turn to worship you, I give thanks for the valiant efforts of those living in much
more challenging circumstances, who seek to do the work of justice and peace.
Help me to be inspired to make a change in our own communities, and in all places of
conflict and division, this and every day,
O God.
Amen.
To find out more and make a donation, you could visit allwecan.org.uk/appeals/middleeast
You may now wish to say the Lord’s Prayer in a version or translation with which
you are familiar.
Reading
Matthew 14:13-21
Responding to the reading
The feeding of the five thousand is one of the few stories told in all four Gospels. That
alone suggests it has something important to teach us.
This story begins with grief. Just before this passage, Jesus has heard of the death of
John the Baptist. He tries to withdraw to a quiet place. He seeks solitude, perhaps to pray,
perhaps simply to mourn.
But the crowds follow him. At that moment, Jesus has every reason to turn them away.
Instead, Matthew tells us about Jesus’ opposite reaction to them: “He had compassion for
them.”
Compassion wins out in Jesus, not because Jesus ignores his own grief, but because love
continues to shape his response, even in the midst of it.
The disciples, however, see only scarcity: “This is a deserted place… Send the crowds
away.” It’s a practical suggestion: there isn’t enough food, there aren’t enough resources,
there isn’t enough time.
But Jesus replies with one simple sentence: “You give them something to eat.”
The disciples immediately begin counting what they lack: “We have nothing here but five
loaves and two fish.
How often do we do the same?
We look at the world’s problems and think, ‘I don’t have enough.’ Not enough money. Not
enough influence. Not enough wisdom. Not enough time. Surely someone else is better
equipped.
Yet Jesus doesn’t ask for what they don’t have, he is only interested in what they do have.
The miracle begins not with abundance, but with willingness. Five loaves and two fish
placed into the hands of Christ become enough.
Whether we understand this miracle as supernatural multiplication, radical sharing inspired
by generosity, or perhaps a mystery that is somehow both, its message remains
profoundly relevant: God works with what we are willing to offer.
For those of us seeking to follow Jesus today, this is deeply encouraging. We may not
solve every injustice. We may not heal every wound. We may not change the whole world.
But we can offer what we have.
What does that look like for you this week?
- Time given freely, for a friend or a neighbour or a stranger in need.
- A listening ear.
- A generous gift.
- A meal shared.
- A word of encouragement.
- A donation to a cause you care about.
- A commitment to justice.
It is with these simple, everyday acts of peace, love, justice and joy that we can answer
the call of Jesus’ mission and ministry. The kingdom of God begins when we offer what we
have.
When we do, well…just notice how the story ends: everyone eats, everyone is included.
No one is turned away because they arrived late, or because they hadn’t earned their
place, or because they couldn’t repay the generosity.
This is the table of God’s kingdom: a place where there is enough because grace is never
measured by scarcity.
So today, you might like to reflect on these questions:
- Where are you focusing more on what you lack than on what you can offer?
- What “five loaves and two fish” do you already have that God might use?
- How can you help create tables where everyone is welcomed, nourished, and
treated with dignity?
The world will often tell us there is never enough, but the Gospel tells a different story.
When compassion meets generosity, and ordinary people place what they have into God’s
hands, abundance begins to appear.
May you trust that what you have is enough to begin. May your hands remain open in
generosity, your heart open in compassion, and your life become part of God’s work of
feeding a hungry world—with bread, with justice, and with hope.
Song – 706 STF – Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Blessing
Loving God,
This day, help me to know that I am surrounded by your love,
Help me to notice, help me to see you at work,
And help me to follow in your way,
This and every day, I pray.
Amen.
