Healing and Feeding

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 -- Week of Proper 27, Year One
Martin, Bishop of Tours, 397

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 992)
Psalms 119:97-120 (morning) 81, 82 (evening)
Nehemiah 7:73b - 8:3, 5-18
Revelation 18:21-24
Matthew 15:29-39

I ran out of time before leaving for Clergy Conference Sunday and didn't post the readings Monday and Tuesday. Sorry.

I hope many of St. Paul's parishioners will offer a fast either today or Friday (or both) to pray for our stewardship journey this fall, asking God to give us all that we need to do God's work through this congregation.

The miracle of the feeding of multitudes is the only miracle of Jesus that is found in all four of our gospels. Today we have Matthew's version.

Matthew begins with Jesus' healing ministry. "The lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others" come to Jesus and are made whole. Then Jesus takes their offering, seven loaves and a few small fish, and there is food in the desert. They eat and are filled.

The number seven has a symbolic meaning signifying perfection. Seven is the sum of three (the spiritual order) and four (the created order). The seven loaves are a perfect offering. They nurture and satisfy the multitude, referenced by another symbolic number, 4,000. Four (the created order) intensified by the multiples of ten.

The story is a metaphor of the salvation that Jesus brings. Jesus brings healing to the broken and food to the hungry. Such stories can be interpreted on both the physical and the spiritual plane. Elsewhere in Matthew, Jesus proclaims, "Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you." (11:28)

When we are lame -- stuck, and unable to move freely; when we are maimed -- experiencing injury of soul or spirit, hurt, angry, depressed; when we are blind -- unable to see our way, without vision or insight; when we are mute -- unheard, inarticulate, without inspiration: Jesus offers the gift of healing that makes us whole. Forgiveness, love, compassion, peace, empowerment.

Jesus feeds and energizes us though his compassion, so that we may be filled, satisfied, and strengthened for service.

The practice of daily prayer is a recapitulation of the miracle of the feeding of the multitude. We bring our weariness and brokenness to Jesus, we sit at his feet, and we are made whole again. We feed on his life, and we are renewed. It is a new day. A day to be whole and filled.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Lowell

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Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts

About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas