A Little into a Lot

Well, good morning everybody and welcome to church. My name is Renee. I'm another one of the pastors here at Twin Lakes. I am super glad that you all have joined us today as we continue our series on generosity called A Richer Life. And I want to start with a story this morning. It is a true story of something amazing that happened here at Twin Lakes Church. We've had a lot of amazing things happen here at Twin Lakes Church, but I don't think I will ever forget this. And it all was started by a little six-year-old boy named Travis Busey. How many of you remember Travis Busey? This is from about six years ago. Travis heard me here on this pulpit talking about the Second Harvest Holiday Food Drive.

Now, our church had done some great things, but we'd never raised spectacular amounts of food. And I set a challenge before the church. I said, "This year, let's try to be the largest donor of the year to Second Harvest. This is what churches should be doing. We should be feeding the poor. Let's go for it." And somehow this fires up Travis's imagination. He's only six years old. He is in kindergarten. He has zero resources. But he goes home that afternoon, spends a lot of time doing something busily in his room, and he comes out with a pile of paper kites. And he tells his mom, "I want to go door to door and sell these paper kites for a dollar each, and raise funds for the food bank."

Now, I'll be very frank with you. These were not even very good kites. They really weren't. They couldn't fly. I bought one of them for a dollar. There it is. This is one of the kites that Travis made. And so his mom's thinking, "No one's going to buy paper kites that don't even fly for a dollar from my little son." Katrina, his mother, was a single mom, and they were having a tough time making ends meet themselves. And so she thought, "I mean, I don't want to go around and ask for money from people who are probably all better off than me." And Travis says, "Mom, don't you care about the poor people?" So she says, "Okay." And they go out door to door for about an hour. He sells out of all his kites. And Katrina thinks, "Well, thank God that's over."

The next day, he makes more kites. They go out again. By about the fourth straight day of this, she emails me a picture of Travis selling his kites to one of their neighbors. And in her email, she says, "Thanks a lot, Pastor Rene. You don't know what you started in my family." So I showed this the next weekend, you might recall, in church. I look up. People are moved. They're crying about it. And then a few days later, I introduced Travis to the 2011 Holiday Food Drive kickoff luncheon down at the Coconut Grove. There's a bunch of civic leaders there. Our mayor at the time, Ryan Coonerty, was there. And Travis, in front of all these kind of like VIPs, as you can see, grabs a microphone.

And this six-year-old boy says, after I've told the story, he says, "And I just want to add, I have brought some of my kites to sell to all of you today." At six years old. After the meeting, he is deluged by sales orders. He starts taking people's names. "I deliver." And this six-year-old, on his own, raises nearly $700 for Second Harvest. That's hundreds and hundreds of paper kites. It was amazing. But it gets better. Because history was actually made. You all were so inspired that in only three weeks, people brought in food, they brought in money. We raised enough for over 1,200,000 meals. This is the first year we had ever gone over a million meals for Second Harvest.

This was the article on the Sentinel's website. But you know what? I think they buried the lead. As sometimes happens when journalists write stories. I actually don't think that was the headline. The headline was really buried in this photo caption because it all started with Travis Busey. The snowflake that started the avalanche was one six-year-old boy with a vision. And I call that, in the history of our church, the feeding of the one million. Because it reminds me of a story in the Bible, a little bit like that, about a little kid who I picture looking a lot like Travis Busey. Who gives what he can and then watches, amazed, as Jesus Christ feeds a multitude.

I want to encourage you to grab your message notes that look like this in your bulletins as we continue this Rich Your Life series. And I am very excited this morning because we are going to look at a principle taught by Jesus that can empower you to do far beyond what you imagine you can do. And if you feel overwhelmed by something in your life right now, if you really get what we are saying this morning, this will boost your faith. It will boost your confidence. I call today's message a little into a lot. We're in the Gospel of Luke 9:12–17. Turn there if you've got your Bibles or your Bible app with you. It's a story of a miracle that people call the feeding of the 5,000.

Now this is so famous that it's the only miracle Jesus ever did that is recorded in all four Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And people have long been fascinated by this. In fact, check this out. Archaeologists digging near the Sea of Galilee in an area called Tabgah have unearthed one of the earliest pieces of Christian art yet found. It is this mosaic of loaves and fishes. This is at least, at least 1700 years old and probably even a lot older than that. Very, very early on, this is the earliest yet discovered Christian pilgrimage site. It was built here by some of the early Christians while still the Roman Empire was against Christians and it was put here to commemorate this miracle.

What I'm saying is people have long been fascinated by this. But the question is really why did Jesus do this? Why is this in the Bible four times? Why have people been drawn to this for so long? You know, Jesus didn't do this miracle just to feed people. He didn't do this miracle just to teach his disciples how to take directions. He did this miracle to teach his disciples something that will change their lives and empower their ministry long after his resurrection and ascension. So what is it he is teaching them? What is it he is teaching you and me?

To understand the purpose of the miracle, I think you get some little hints when you look at the context of Luke 9. This is the place in the Bible where this miracle happens. Luke nine starts as the disciples are sent out to proclaim the gospel. They're sent on a mission. Now listen to this. This is very important. With zero resources, Jesus specifically tells them this time, "You know what I want you to do?" It's almost like it's some kind of an experiment he's proposing. "I want you to go out literally with no resources and just kind of see what that's like, see what God does." And then they come back in from their report and Jesus decides to take them away for a debrief. And he takes them, it says, to a remote location.

But pretty soon the people all around here, Jesus is here and the word travels fast and you could say what started as a private staff retreat of just a few people having a little intimate meeting turns into the Coachella Music Festival only with no food vendors. And you can tell the disciples are a little bit resentful. They thought they were going to get some one-on-one time with Jesus and now all these people there and this is the context as the story begins in verse 12. "As of late in the afternoon, the twelve came to him and they said to him, 'Send the crowd away so that they can go into the surrounding villages and the countryside and find food and lodging because we're in a remote place here.'" Kind of implied, "A remote place where we thought we were going to get some private time with you, Jesus. They don't have any right to be here. They don't belong here. Send them away."

And he replied, "You give them something to eat." What? Now I told you this story is retold in all four Gospels and they each had their own details. The Gospel of John says, "He asked this only to test them, for he already had in mind what he was going to do." So this is a team building exercise. He wants to teach them something, but what is it? Let's see. He says, "You give them something to eat." The disciples look at each other and go, "He's crazy." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish unless we go buy food for all this crowd." And that's a joke because about 5,000 men were there and where you have 5,000 men, there's lots of women and children. This crowd was maybe 20, 25,000 people.

And you know what they said? "Here are five loaves, two fish." In the Gospel of John, it adds the detail that these five loaves and two fish weren't even their food. It's because Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here's a boy." Picture Travis with five small barley loaves and two small fish like sardines. These weren't like, you know, game fish. And he has two tuna. This is two little anchovies. How far will they go among so many? And isn't this the same exact tension we have all felt? You see a need. Your heart goes out. You think somebody ought to do something about that. Whether it's a neighbor you know that's going through some tough times, or whether it's somebody you know in the hospital, or whether it's a missions need that you see, or whether it's somebody in church ministry saying, "We really need some help. Teachers over here and the kids ministry." Whatever need you see.

And that particular need, you feel a nudge from God. It's as if God is saying, "That's right. There's a need now. You go help meet that need." And then suddenly you feel uncomfortable and awkward and you feel like, "Yeah, but I don't know if I have enough time. I don't know if I know the Bible well enough. I don't know if I have the resources to help." And the disciples were no different. They say, "We can't meet this need." What happens next? He said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each." And the disciples did so and everyone sat down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks. Don't miss that. He gives thanks for what little they have.

This must have looked ridiculous to the disciples. "Lord, we thank you for the meal you have provided for us." And he starts to break this little kid's lunch into pieces. And he broke them and then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied. But it gets better. And the disciples picked up how many basketfuls? Twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over after feeding thousands of people. God does not just adequately provide. He abundantly provides.

Now again, Jesus had a very, very specific agenda for this miracle. So what was it? Page 2, the top says the key principle that he's teaching them and us, it starts with this. Jesus is bigger. So far in the Gospels, they've seen him do one miracle after another. Jesus has been showing them, "I am bigger than even natural forces like storms and waves and wind. I am bigger than any deficiency like there was no wine at the wedding. I am bigger than nature. I'm going to turn the water into wine. I'm bigger than disease. I'm going to heal all these people. I'm bigger than the evil forces. I'm going to cast out demons." I mean, one challenge after another, Jesus is bigger than.

And if that is true, then when I am in league with him, when I am in ministry with him, he is going to take my little and make it into much. And so the question is, the lesson he is teaching them, he wants them to ask, "Then how am I going to live my life differently in light of Christ's power?" And do you understand why he wants them to learn this? He knows that in just a short time, he is going to be crucified, resurrected, and ascended, and that the disciples need to learn this lesson so that they can better respond to all of the immense challenges ahead of them as they launch the church, as they launch Jesus' movement in the world.

And now just think of what these statements mean to you today. First, just meditate on Jesus is bigger. Jesus is bigger than all your worries. He's bigger than all your addictions and compulsions. He's bigger than your anxieties. He's bigger than any challenge you face. He's bigger than any influences you feel. He's bigger than any danger you fear. Jesus is bigger. Say that with me. Jesus is bigger. And if I really internalize this and I realize that then when I am doing his will, he is going to take my little and make it more than enough for anything I face, then I'm going to face any problem. I'm going to rise to any challenge. I can go on any mission. I can move with total confidence into my future, even when I feel I have really very little to offer, even when I'm very trepidatious.

If I believe that, I can move forward with confidence into my challenges. But if I do not believe this, I will always feel like I have no hope that I can never really change. I have such little resources. I have no hope that I can never really change the world. And you know what's going to happen? I'm going to bench myself. And I'm going to let opportunity after opportunity just march right past me as I think that's a good opportunity, that's an exciting opportunity, wow, that's a real need, but not for me. Because I'm not qualified, because I don't have enough, because I don't have enough time, because I don't have enough energy, because I don't know the Bible enough, so God's got to find somebody else to take care of that need.

And this is so important, and this is why Jesus wants his disciples and wants you and me to really, really learn this lesson. This is crucial. So for me, jumping, leaping out of the story, there's three key questions in light of Jesus' power. Number one, jot these down. How do I perceive my needs? How do I perceive my needs in life? Check this out. John fills in another detail. It says Jesus specifically said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" And Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite." Now I want you to notice Jesus asks one question, and Philip really answers another, doesn't he? Jesus asked, "Where?" But Philip really answered, "How?" Do you see that?

Jesus is going, "Where? Where are we going to find the resources for this?" And Philip could have said, "Where? Well, I mean, I was at your side when they ran out of wine at the wedding at Cana, and I saw you turn all the water into wine." "Where? Well, this is like just like that. So right by your side, Jesus, that's where?" But he answers the "how" question. "How are we going to get enough?" They got the guy who turned water into wine standing right next to them, and they're looking for a jack-in-the-box. "Well, I don't see any restaurants, so I don't know how we're going to solve this." And so often when you and I have a problem, we despair at the "how," and we forget to think of the "where" we are. We are in the presence of God, who is bigger than these problems.

Someone said, "Many Christians live as practical atheists." "Hey, I believe. I'm a believer. I'm not an atheist." But you're acting like he's not right there with you. We need to remember, with Jesus, an impossible situation is an opportunity. The impossible is an opportunity. Jesus loves the impossible. He was born of a virgin. That's pretty impossible. He would rise from the dead. Completely impossible. And so I don't know what you're facing that you feel like this is absolutely impossible. Maybe it's a change of habit. Maybe it's the start of a new career. Maybe it's your kids ever changing. Maybe it's somebody coming to faith. Maybe it's a strained relationship in your life.

But ask yourself this question, "What have I decided is just too big for God to handle?" "This problem's just too big!" And ask yourself that question honestly. What have I decided in my life is just too big? Remember, you've got Jesus there. I love this quote. Corrie Tenboom, I don't know if you've heard about this lady. You owe it to yourself to read the book about her life called The Hiding Place. But she was a Dutch woman who survived a couple of different Nazi concentration camps. She and her family were thrown there for hiding and protecting Jewish people during the Nazi Holocaust. But I got to hear her speak in San Jose many years ago as a very elderly woman. And she said something that night that always stuck with me.

She said, "When I worry, I go to the mirror and say to myself, 'This tremendous thing which is worrying me is beyond the solution.' "It is especially too hard for Jesus Christ to handle. And after I have said that, I smile." Of course, it's not too hard for Jesus. Focus on His greatness and not the size of your need, whatever it is. And then number two, in light of Christ's power, how do I measure my resources? How do I perceive the need and then how do I measure my resources? Did you notice the disciples say, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish." Really? Is that really true? We have only, is that really all the resources they had? We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.

Oh, they forgot they had one more thing. What was it? Yeah, they have five loaves, two fish, and one Jesus, right? They forgot all about that. You know, somebody once said, "Sometimes they really are the duh-cciples." You know, they come by that name honestly. Do you remember we saw Andrew's statement to Jesus? Somebody said, "Andrew goes on one sentence too long." He says, "Here's a boy with five small barley loaves and two fish." Stop right there, Andrew. That would have been awesome, right? But instead he has to go on and give Jesus an excuse. "But how far will they go among so many?" Never mind, stupid idea. Go away, kid, right?

Philip, in point one, looks at the need, the crowd, and says it's too big. Andrew, here in point two, looks at the lunch and he says the resources are too small. And in your life and mine, when we face problems, we're often either Andrew or Philip, or both. The resources are too small, the need is too big, but we have Jesus. I don't know what you've got. Maybe you feel like you're not qualified to do ministry because you don't know the Bible very well, or maybe you feel like you don't have enough resources to help out in ministry because you can hardly pay the bills, or maybe you feel like you don't have the time because you're very busy. I don't know what resources you've got that you feel are limiting you, but you have that and one Jesus.

And so the question is, what have I decided is too little for God to work with? And be very honest. What have I decided in my life is just too little for God to work with? I just don't have enough. Check this out. Jesus, this was a theme of Jesus' teaching. Many, many times he talks about how God makes much out of little. One of the other times Jesus asked, "What's the kingdom of God like? What can I compare it to?" And he said, "Well, it's kind of like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden, and it grew and became a tree and birds perched in its branches." What he's saying here is this.

He's speaking to disciples who mostly came from very humble origins. No power, no connections, no influence, very little money, and they had to be hearing Jesus talking about the kingdom of God is coming. And they look around in the first century, they look at the splendor of the Roman Empire, which was just at its height, and the power politically of King Herod, and the opulence of the pagan temples that surrounded them. And then they look around and they realize they're following a leader born to refugee parents in a barn. And he's painting these pictures of the kingdom of God. They must have been thinking, "What are we doing here?" And Jesus says, "Listen, what God is doing is like a mustard seed, one of the smallest seeds that there is. And it grows into a tree."

Here we associate mustard seeds with just kind of like weeds or grass, but in Africa and in the Mediterranean, there's a species that is known for growing up into these big, wide trees that shelter whole flocks of birds. But do you see what he's getting at? He's saying, "Even in your human experience, you know that big things start small." So don't be discouraged when you look around and it's small right now. We don't know a lot about mustard. I think if Jesus perhaps had his earthly ministry in the 21st century here, he might have said something like, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? The kingdom of God is like a Silicon Valley garage." You know?

By the way, this is a garage in the Silicon Valley. This is a specific garage there. I made a pilgrimage there once with one of my sons. This is 2066 Christ Drive on the corner of Cupertino and Los Altos. Anybody know what this garage is? Yeah, that's right. This is where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer, in this garage. And now they're building one of the biggest buildings on the planet over there. But it started with a small seed. What about this one over in Menlo Park? One day, two Stanford students in the late 90s said, "Hey, let's start a business together." They didn't have any money, so they established their headquarters in their friend Susan's garage. And they called their company Google. And it all started in that garage.

And probably most iconically, this garage, where another two Stanford students, William Hewlett and David Packard, started their company. You see, I think this is what Jesus is getting at. We all see these giant companies around us. We forget that they started small. And Jesus is using what was to the disciples, an everyday example, to say, "It's not even supernatural to say, 'Don't be discouraged when something starts small.' Lots of great things start small, but now you add to that truth the power of God, and nothing's impossible." You say, "Well, I wish I would have been in on one of those examples." Right? You are in on one.

One of my favorite examples of this principle is this building you're sitting in right now. This community that you're a part of right here, Twin Lakes Church. I make sure I tell this story at least once a year to this church. Because I want it to be part of your DNA so that you always believe this. You might know that Twin Lakes was started way back in 1890 over in the Twin Lakes area of Santa Cruz between the harbor and Schwann Lagoon. In fact, before it was a harbor, it was a lake. Those were the Twin Lakes. But by the 1920s, the church was shuttered, windows were broken, the roof was leaking, nobody held services in this old building for nine years. It was dead. Dead.

And then in early 1930, these eleven people said, "You know what? We think that God can breathe some life into that old building again." And they restarted the church, but I want you to look closer at the date on this little document that they wrote. March 30th, 1930. Not very many people were doing startups in 1930. Because something had happened just a few months before that sent shockwaves throughout the whole world and caused businesses to contract like never before. What was it? It was a stock market crash in October of '29. In March 1930, nobody was trying anything new. Everybody was circling their wagons. But these eleven people risked something, and they said, "We do not have much." They didn't have any money.

In fact, one of our earliest board minutes that we have from them, it says, "All bills paid, balance on hand, nineteen cents." It was eleven people with nineteen cents left over. But now think of what has come out of that tiny mustard seed. All of the ministries started with eleven people meeting during the Great Depression with a pocketful of change. Who said, "We don't have enough. We don't have a lot. The need is great. The resources are small." But they knew the lesson, which is you start with what you have, and then you watch what God does. You start with what little you have and watch what God does. And we are the flock that gets to shelter in the shade of the branches of the mustard tree that grew out of that little seed that they planted.

And that brings us right to the third question that just pops out of this story. How will I respond to my opportunities? How will I respond to my opportunities with all of this in mind? Watch this. I love this. Love this. The Gospel of Matthew, when the disciples say, "Well, all we've got are five loaves and two fish." Jesus replies, "Bring them here to me." And you know, that's what Jesus says whenever we say, "But I don't have a lot of time. Just bring what you've got to me." "But I don't have a lot of education. Why don't you bring what you've got to me?" "But I feel like we don't have a lot of resources left over after we pay all the bills." Just bring him what you can, even if it's paper kites that can't even fly. And you just watch him do something amazing.

I've seen this so many times in so many ways. I told you last weekend how much I just love our involvement as a church and personally, my wife Lori and I, with Little Flock Children's Home in India. This was part of phase one of our 2020 building. We built a school and a clinic there, and the ribbon cutting of that building was one of the high points of my life. Love those kids. But you know how—this is amazing what's happening over there, but you know what all started only about 12 years ago? That's all. Dr. V.G. Kamoff, who started the place, she was raised in India, not even as a believer in Jesus. And she came to faith in Jesus. She became a follower of Jesus when she was over in Berkeley studying at UC Berkeley for her master's degree. Proof miracles still happen. That's for sure.

And I asked her one time, I said, "What drew you to Jesus?" I actually wrote down her response. She told me, "Renee, in a word, it was grace." Just listen to this. For me, grace meant Jesus conquers karma. He paid our debt. And the idea that I could reap eternal life, even though it was Jesus who sowed it, rocked my world. You see, that's grace. And so V.G. becomes a follower of Jesus. She finds it sensitizes her to poverty. She wants to make a difference in her homeland. But she has no resources. She just does a lot of student debt. She has no land. She's got no staff. Yet she starts. She flies to India and in an internet cafe, she's typing a bonotis on an internet jobs board. Literally she finds herself typing, "I am looking for a Christian couple to direct a children's home that does not exist yet." And she's going, "I guess I'm going to post this."

Now, in India, you're going to think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. It's so crowded, there's hardly ever privacy. And at these internet cafes, if you're typing to people waiting for their turn, they're just leaning over your shoulder reading what you're typing on the computer. And a man's reading over her shoulder. He says, "Stop! You don't even have to post that. I know just who you need." And he introduces her to this great couple, Gilbert and Nalini. They became her first directors. And the place just mushrooms from there. So many kids' lives transformed there. As a member of TLC, you're a part of this. But 12 years ago, all the dorms and all the dining room and all the staff housing and all the medical clinic and the dental clinic and the classroom building and the school, it was all nonexistent. It was nothing. It wasn't even a dream.

And if Viji hadn't gone over to India and tried something, that place still would not exist today. And perhaps those children still would not have heard about Jesus. And Viji would be in Oakland wondering if she should have done something. You just give Jesus your lunch and you watch him start to cater a banquet. So you ask yourself, you and I have got to ask ourselves, "What will I do because I believe God will provide? What am I going to do because I believe God is going to do something?" Something I don't expect. I'm not saying it was all smooth for Viji or all smooth for those 11 people who restarted Twin Lakes Church. There's always challenges, but you've got to get through the challenges by believing God will provide.

Now, I almost hesitate to bring this up. We can all apply this personally in a variety of different ways. But the way Laurie and I have been talking about this passage and talking about applying it is with our approach to phase two of our 2020 vision. We have felt stretched about this next phase. And if you don't know what that is, just a brief recap. You could say that a few times in the 127-year history of Twin Lakes Church, we have faced a junction, a crossroads, a hinge in our history. I told you about one back in 1930, and I believe in two weeks we will be at another one. Because in two weeks we are looking to receive pledges over the next four years totaling several million dollars so that we can build a college ministry center near Cabrillo College. We're not interested in the building, but we're interested in the building as a launching pad for incredible ministry.

Now, that's the vision. But why do we want to build that kind of a ministry right over there next to Cabrillo College? We want to have a coffee house there, a sandwich shop, and so on. What's that going to do for the church? Just one example. I was talking to the director of the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz, Nina Simon, just about a week ago. And they just opened Abbott Square, is what they call it. It's kind of their front porch, which is in downtown Santa Cruz. Coffee, food. A couple years ago it was just drawings on paper. There was nothing there. Now it's real, and it's packed. And Nina told me as soon as Abbott Square opened, our demographics changed. She said, "We are getting so many more young adults and young families." She said, "Before Abbott Square, it was all senior citizens and school kids on field trips at the museum." And now suddenly there's all these young people drawn to hang out at Abbott Square and then intrigued with checking out the museum.

Can you see that happening here? I think as we move into a future where students and young adults are much less likely to just walk into a church and check it out because they want to go to church, this kind of organic outreach is going to become more and more a feature of what churches are doing. And it's interesting, the students that I talk to totally get this vision. In fact, I was talking this week, last Thursday, with one of the leaders of a Christian Bible study on campus named Tristan. And here's what he says about this. Watch the screen. I see that spiritual need on campus. There's people searching for truth, searching for something bigger than themselves, but they don't really know what that is.

I think a lot of students that I've encountered at Arcabrio, they have this negative idea of what church is, and they've gone through negative experiences that cause them to not want anything to do with church or even God, really. And I think by having the coffee shop as this front porch to what church is and what Christianity is, it's a great way for people to have a different perspective. They're exposed to just Christians and Christian love and also just pictures of what exactly the church is doing and what the money from the coffee shop is being invested in, or even just concerts that are happening at Twin Lakes or even ministries that are happening or resources. I think that's a great way where students are going to see what exactly is church. Like church isn't just this mean, legalistic thing. It's this inviting, welcoming place.

I love Tristan, and I really do love his vision. But listen, I really believe that God has put us, this church family, right next to this need. And in many ways, we're just like the disciples, because we're right next to thousands of people who are hungry. They are spiritually hungry, and they're looking for anything, anything to fill that need. And we pray for them. I do. I pray for young people. I pray for college-age people. And Jesus looks at us and he says, "You feed them. You feed them." But the need is so big and our recesses aren't big enough. You feed them. And I feel like if each of us brings Jesus our lunch, what we can, then God puts it together and does amazing things.

I'm asking you to, if you haven't gotten it yet, go to the display in the lobby, the 20/20 vision display. Pick up one of these brochures. I would invite you to join us today. After this service for lunch, there's going to be a free lunch. I'm going to do about a 20-minute little presentation, adding just a few more details, and then we're going to have a little Q&A. It'll all be over in one hour. I guarantee it. If you're still asking questions, I'm walking out that door. It's going to be over in an hour. But if you can come after the service if you're interested in finding more answers about this. And then in two weeks, the weekend before Thanksgiving, we'll bring in those pledge cards and then we'll watch what God does.

Now back to the story. And don't miss this. The miracle is not the rest of the story. Look what happens next in the Gospel of Luke. After this, after what happened in all of Luke 9, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. Luke 10:1. And Luke says they all come back with these great reports. So do you get this? Chapter 9 starts with the disciples going off on a ministry with zero resources. They come back. Jesus says, "Time for a debrief. Oh, here's a nice convenient object lesson to show you how even if you feel like you've got nothing to offer, I can multiply it. Now let's go do it again." And they come back with even greater enthusiasm to teach them, "When I put my little loaves and fishes into Jesus' hands, he will multiply."

Now maybe some of you are going, "Okay, your examples were great, René, but I wish I personally had experienced something like this." Well, you have. Because you know the greatest example of God making something great out of nothing? It's you. And me. It's us. Because the Bible says that we were all sinners, dead in our sin. And then God took us and he gave us life. And he made us co-heirs with Christ. And he made us beings through whom even angels marvel as he shows his glory. It's spectacular. He makes beauty for ashes and he's done it in us. And he did it through his death for us on the cross. See, he didn't just feed these people physically. He has fed humanity spiritually through giving his body and his blood on the cross in ways that are difficult perhaps to understand.

But do you remember how Vigie understood it? She said, "It's as if he soaked up all of our karmic debt." And then instead he just lavished blessings on us. And when we let that just capture our imagination, it's going to change the way we respond to the world. And that's the big idea. When my imagination is captured by God's grace, then I'm going to be generous with my little lunch. And so let's just keep beholding the beauty of Jesus as we come to the Lord's table right now. Would you bow your heads with me and let's prepare our hearts for communion.

As we close this morning in just a moment of silence, would you just privately consider the meaning of this message to your life? What are you afraid is too big? Or resources you think are too small? Or opportunities you're feeling anxiety about? Bring them to Jesus. And let me just say with our heads bowed, as we prepare our hearts for communion, maybe you're not sure if you've ever come to the point in your life that the Bible talks about where you've made a personal commitment to Jesus. Why don't you do that right now? Just say, "Jesus, I don't understand it all. I've got a feeling nobody does, but as much as I do, I ask you to come into my life. I want to get to know you better. Forgive my sins and be my Lord and be my Savior." This could be a very special communion for you if you've prayed that prayer for the first time.

Thank you, God, for how you make much out of little and especially how you've made beauty out of us. That's so beautiful and so amazing. In His name we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.