Last week, I ended my sermon by talking about God’s great abundance. I told all listeners that there was a missing piece in the scripture. That missing piece was the story of the feeding of the five thousand, and that story was about God’s great abundance, not only in God’s giving to us but in God’s very nature. And guess what! That is the scripture for this morning. So now I have to do it again, and I am not feeling God’s great abundance, and this week, and right now I am certainly not sure that there is more than enough to go around. (Toss last week’s sermon.)

First, financially, I am not feeling God’s great abundance. Like all of us, I have found the economic situation of our country, and the stock market instability over the last 2 years to be quite frightening. Those of us who are retired or about to retire, or are sending students off to college have concerns that we do not have time for the losses to be made up.

Second, as I read the newspaper and watch the T. V. news, I find that the stories of starvation, disease and the devastation of war take me right up to the edge of despair. At first my response is to declare that my financial situation is minimal in importance to other’s situations. That is of course true. But then I quickly find my compassion for the people takes over and I feel their pain personally. And what makes it worse is that as I look at the responses to those needs, they seem so inadequate or they get caught up in political strife, turmoil, or approaches that seem to have little concern for those who are feeling the brunt of the situation. It is so disheartening.

Third, this was the week of more sad news for the community of Christ Congregational Church. I arose on Monday morning feeling pretty good. It was a beautiful morning; the sermon I was scared to death to preach had received good comment, my family was all doing well and the cat had not peed on the carpet. All signs were that it was going to be a good day. Then the telephone rang and I received the news that Marcia had died, and I was to go immediately to the nursing home and meet Jim and Gale (Marcia’s husband) there. When I had last seen her, there had been some signs of hope. We had prayed for strength and courage. She had said that the physical therapy was making her stronger. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had not heard that there had been a turn for the worse. So I was in shock. And I did not want to say goodbye or let this dear person go.

As I stood there that Monday morning crying and unable to move toward getting dressed I remembered all the conversations and the affection for Marcia that I had savored over the last 2 months. Then I remembered that it had only been two days before that we had celebrated the life of Lu Gundersen. Both of these women were just my age and like me, had daughters. Both had been fantastic models for other women and had been literally filled with faith. What a loss! I could not even comprehend it all. My boat was rocking wildly in a storm of grief, anger and pain. I was enveloped in scarcity and at that moment the only abundance or grace I could find was that both women were out of pain. The rest of the day was spent in telling other’s the news and hugging and crying with them. In the midst of that came the news that Mary Stone had fallen and broken her leg in 5 places. Now my little boat was in serious danger of capsizing. I saw little hope that this storm could or would be calmed. Yet as I looked around, I was amazed. Life seemed to be going on all about me.

Jesus’ disciples must have felt the same way. A great deal was missing in the lives of the people who had felt almost driven to follow Jesus. They were hungry in many ways. Would there be enough of whatever they needed? A humble child, a basket, five loaves and two fishes seems like an unlikely source for a miracle, and it seems also a graphic description of scarcity in the face of the crowd that was gathering. And then we discover there were leftovers, in fact the left over amount exceeded the beginning amount. Amazing!

Like us, the disciples had plenty of stormy times in their lives. It seems they were waiting for Jesus, but I wonder if they really expected him to come to them in the middle of the storm. But he came, and they reached shore quickly and safely.

I thought and prayed over this during this week. And I have come to see, that while we are caught up in our fears, anxiety, struggles with the ways of this world, Jesus comes to us right in the middle of these times and comes to us in the midst of our community life as he did then. And he comes to us in great abundance, showing that there is more than enough and that we are called to carry on once we are safely ashore.

Here is how I have seen the abundant, more than enough, grace of Jesus coming to us this week, feeding those hungry for the presence of those who have gone on and calming the storms of grief. First, at Lu’s celebration of life, one of Lu’s daughters was having some trouble walking. She noted to John and I that she had on her mother’s shoes and they were just a bit too big. "Well, there is a metaphor for you!" she said. Lu did leave big shoes for not only her children but for us to fill. She worked unceasingly for justice and peace in this country and around the world. She was a lay minister and led worship that nurtured both laity and clergy. As we try to carry on those ministries in this community of faith, and walk in those shoes, we will walk with Lu and surely we will come to know Jesus anew.

Marcia, left a basket filled with nourishment for us. She had recently written a letter for News Notes. It says: "Gale and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your constant prayers, beautiful cards, caring words and so much love showered on us. I’m sure you were as deeply shocked as we were at the sudden onset of my very serious illness. Your prayers and cards are heartwarming and adequate. My thanks and love, Marcia." In whatever state Marcia was in, and she had been in horrible pain for years, Marcia always prayed for and wrote to others who were struggling. Marcia’s ministry of companionship in the struggle and her prayers were miracle gift baskets that fed many here. As we try to pick up that ministry and fill her shoes, grace and abundance will come.

Both Lu and Marcia left us baskets ready to overflow with love, care, grace and hope. I know that, because as I was feeling storm tossed and empty, I went with 8 youth and one adult to BWI to send them off to visit a Lakota tribe in North Dakota. One of the boys was carrying an empty basket. It was a beautiful little basket. Before long, every kid had had a turn with that basket. The boy was watching it carefully so that nothing would befall his basket. It seems that in my effort to encourage them to bring gifts to those they would be visiting, I had said: "Fill a basket with certain kinds of gifts." Everyone else knew I meant a gift bag, but this boy is very literal. So here he was, gingerly carrying his basket to the plane. And I thought, here is this boy, who has been taught by Marcia in Covenant Class, who was inspired to witness and service by the likes of people in our church like Lu, taking his small basket out to a beaten up and hungry people. While there, I hope he sees the face of Jesus in those he meets and serves. For surely as he did with his disciples, Jesus comes to those who try to follow in his footsteps, to those who gather in community wanting to learn, grow and be fed by him. And some how, what at first seems like emptiness and scarcity and perhaps even stormy, becomes a gift that is indeed more than enough, and carries on into the future.