Yoost da dinks!
The 9th Sunday after Pentecost
Year B - Proper 12
John 6:1-21
John 6:1-21
My
parents knew an old Dutch carpenter who, when you asked him if he could
provide you with a particular wood screw, clamp or word-working tool,
would generally say that he had "Yoost da dinks" (Just the Thing).
There
are things which we all need: food, drink, safety and security or a
roof over our heads. We hunger without them. Our lives become
complicated because we don't have them. All things being equal we may
eventually get them. We then promptly forget about these good things
until the next time we find ourselves in need.
The
fact that we often take the things we have for granted, or that we are
largely unmoved by the fact that other people in the world don't have
them, might indicate that we understand "things" but not what these
things "mean".
Jesus feeds a hungry crowd with bread and fish that are fantastically multiplied in his hands.
The
technical problem which the disciples encounter in having allowed such a
large crowd to follow them into the wilderness without any logistical
support is solved but this is not the issue. Crowds begin to
grow in the future because of the possibility that they will a) see a
miracle and b) be on the receiving end of a magical picnic lunch. Jesus
later chides the crowds because this is not the point.
Food
in the wilderness "means" that the ordinary things of life in God's
hands become nourishment for the world. A small basket of bread and fish
providing a banquet for so many "means" that our ordinary talents (such
as they are today) and our life situation (such as it is in 2012) is
sufficient raw material for a rich spiritual engagement as a member of
God's Kingdom.
We
don't need to be different people than we are. It's not necessary
that we live in a different place with a different family or with a
different set of gifts and attributes.
Where we are, and what we have in our baskets right now, is sufficient. It is, in fact, "Yoost da dinks".
