[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Being Bread

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Fisher <f.fisher.obl.osb at comcast.net>
To: SBA <SBA at SBAbbey.com>; sermonshop.sermons.topic <sermonshop.sermons.topic at ecunet.org>; PRCL-L <PRCL-L at LISTSERV.LOUISVILLE.EDU>; propertalk.topic <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>; midrash <midrash at joinhands.com>
Sent: Fri, Jul 29, 2011 9:59 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Being Bread


I've been up to my neck in VBS this week, but here's my draft for Sunday
using the Matthew pericope.


__

Frank R. Fisher, Obl OSB
www.ffisher.net
Interim Pastor
First Presbyterian Church of Kewanee, IL
www.fpckewanee.org
Elmira United Presbyterian Church
www.elmiraunited.org

aka

Brother Oscar Romero
Oblate of St. Benedict's Abbey
Bartonville, IL
www.SBAbbey.com


"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so
that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."-Cherokee proverb


_____________________________


Once
 there was a small field of grain;
a field owned,
sown,
and carefully tended
by the a loving Creator.
The field was blessed by the sun
and gently watered
by the gentle rains.
It had rich black soil
in which to grow its crops.
But the field
thought itself to be
much too small
and unimportant.

"I'm so small!
Nothing
 worthwhile can grow here,"
the field declared 
in despair.

"Nonsense,"
replied the field's Creator.
"Stop despairing
and concentrate
 on what you are!
Rejoice
that you are a field!
I've placed wonderful seed
 in your soil.
You can bring in
a bountiful yield!"

The field  didn't listen.
When it came time 
for the harvest,
it offered up
a fine sack
 of rich grain
to the Creator.
Repeatedly it apologized 
to the Creator in despair.
"I've produced so little
for all the work you put into me,"
sobbed the field.

"That's not true,"
 the Creator reassured it.
You have produced
 a fine yield;
a yield 
which will bring
 many blessings
in the work 
of my Kingdom.

Once
 there was a small sack of grain.
It was a fine sack of wheat
which had been grown 
in a fertile field.
It had been kept carefully dry
and free 
from any mold or blight.
And it was ready
to be milled into flour
and baked 
into loaves of bread.

But the sack of wheat 
thought itself
too small
 and unimportant
for the task at hand.
"Why don't you just use me
to feed the birds,"
said the small sack of grain?
"I'm so small 
that nothing good
can come out of me.
I'm not worth the effort
of milling
and baking.
I won't produce 
any yield at all!"

"That's not true,"
the sack's Creator replied.
"Stop despairing
and concentrate
 on what you are.
You're a fine 
sack of wheat
who will produce 
fine bread.
Rejoice
 in what you are,
and in the people 
you will feed."

The small sack of wheat
didn't listen.
When it had been milled 
into flour
it was baked
 into five small loaves
of fine bread.
That,
thought the sack of wheat,
was not enough.
Repeatedly
it apologized 
to the Creator in despair.
"I've produced so little
for all the work
 you put into me,"
sobbed the wheat.

"That's not true,"
 the Creator reassured it.
You have produced a fine yield;
a yield 
which will bring 
many blessings
in the work
 of my Kingdom.

Once
 there were five small loaves
 of bread.
They were rich loaves
 of bread.
They had only been baked 
the day before
so they were 
nice and fresh.
And the smell 
rising from them
was enough 
to drive a hungry person
to distraction.

But the five small loaves 
of bread
thought themselves
 to be too few
to be any good
to anyone at all.
"There are so many
 hungry people 
in the world,"
the loaves 
called out in despair.
"We are so few.
and so small
that we will do 
no good at all.
You might as well 
break us up 
for crumbs
and throw us 
onto the ground!"

"Now that's silly,"
the loaves' Creator replied.
"You are fine loaves
who will feed 
many people;
people who would 
starve without you."

But the loaves didn't listen
and continued to despair.

"Watch what I do,"
the loaves' Creator told them.
"Watch and see
how your yield
will do the work 
of my Kingdom."

Then the loaves' Creator
lifted them 
toward heaven,
blessed them,
and broke them.
Then they were given
to the Creator's children.
And those children 
turned away 
from the Creator
and walked into a crowd
 of thousands upon thousands 
of people.
Each of those people
 took large parts
 of the loaves 
to eat.

At first 
the loaves thought 
this was silly.
"There aren't enough of us,"
they cried out!
"We can never feed 
everyone here!"

But as each person was fed
there was enough 
left for the next.
Then there was enough 
left for the next
and for the next 
after that,
and for the next person 
too.
And as the Creator's children
gathered up the leftovers
in twelve baskets,
the loaves realized 
they'd fed
all those thousands upon thousands 
of people.

The loaves rejoiced then
and knew their Creator 
had been right.
Although they'd been small 
and few
they had given 
an important yield
toward the work 
of the Creator's Kingdom.

They knew too
their story would be told
in many places;
places that were 
from small places;
places that were 
very small
in numbers;
places who would be tempted 
to try 
only to survive
instead of to thrive
because they believed 
they were too small
to take any risk.

"Remember us,"
the five small loaves declared.
"We were few
and small.
Yet we 
who were small
produced a great yield
in the work 
of the Creator's Kingdom.

You are now the bread
to feed the Creator's people.
Rejoice
for you have gifts;
gifts that are needed
to feed many who are hungry.

Rejoice
for you have time.
It may not be much
but how much time
 does it take
to feed someone
 a piece of bread.

Rejoice,
for you have resources;
resources
that may seem too few
if you keep them to yourselves;
resources
that will blossom
to do more and more and more
if used
toward the work
of the Creator's kingdom.

Be bread.
Offer yourselves,
all you have,
and all you are
to the Creator's people.
Then stand back
and watch the miracle 
occur.

For you will bring 
in an important yield
in the work of the Creator's Kingdom."

To God alone be glory.
Amen.



 
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