Meals as a Sign "Of Hope"- Sun, July 17, 2022

Meals as a Sign "Of Hope"- Sun, July 17, 2022

Jul 17, 2022

Preacher: Pastor Mike Sager

Series: Meals as a Sign

Category: Worship Services

Notes:

In the gospel of Luke (Luke 9:10-17) the feeding of the five thousand is framed by the question: Who is Jesus? King Herod asks the question when he hears all that is being done by Jesus, and Jesus asks his disciples, who do people say that I am? What about you? This feeding of the five thousand is more than a miracle of feeding, it is a mysterious sign of the breaking in of the kingdom of God. Jesus' feeding harkens back to Moses when manna was provided to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert; to Elijah telling his servant to feed the 100 prophets of God with twenty loaves of bread; and to the promises of God found in the book of Isaiah when Isaiah describes the kingdom of God like a bountiful feast that has no end and all are invited. In this act of feeding, it is an act of hope. Jesus reveals that he is the new Moses, the new Elijah, and is ushering in the kingdom as described by Isaiah. 

Read how the Christian Community continues to demonstrate the kingdom of God in our meals together.

 "When your church family gathers together as a group of needy people and shares food with Jesus at the center and with Jesus as the provider, you glimpse God’s coming world right here, right now. The Christian community is the beginning and sign of God’s coming world—and no more so than when we eat together. Our meals are a foretaste of the future messianic banquet. Our meals reveal the identity of Jesus. Our meals are a proclamation and demonstration of God’s good news."

Chester, Tim. A Meal with Jesus (p. 61). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Dig Deeper

How might you re-envision your mealtime to be a sign of hope, where Jesus is the center of the gathering as one who welcomes the stranger and also provides enough of all to eat?


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