6-Aug-23 (Matthew 14:13-21)

Have you ever been at a party for a whole lot of people? [Wait for answers] Maybe it was a wedding reception for someone in your family or maybe it was a family reunion. How many people were there? [Wait for answers]
It takes a lot of food to feed that many people, doesn't it? Can you imagine how much work it took to get all that food there? Can you imagine how much it all cost?
The story from the gospel for today is about one of the times that Jesus fed a whole bunch of people, over 5000 of them. He fed them with fish and bread. Everyone ate and was satisfied... and there were twelve baskets of food let over for folks to snack on on the way home.
That's one thing about God: God never does things half-way. When we ask God for help, we can expect that God will give us more than we expect. Often enough it may come in ways we never thought of and it will be what we need, and not just what we ask for.
Let's talk to God about that.

God, we thank you that you care about us enough to help us when we ask. We thank you that you know us well enough to give us what we really need, not just what we think to ask for. We thank you for Jesus who shows us the way to love you back. Help us to find ways to help others just as you help us.
We pray in Jesus' name.
AMEN.