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This scene takes place right after the Gospel we just read.
“USE YOUR IMAGINATION!”
Peter stayed behind to help with the cleanup. Somehow, he always
seemed to be one of the last ones. Those who folded the chairs and
swept the floors after the gatherings were over.
But today he did not mind it. He wanted some of the leftovers and
this is one way of taking some without being noticed. So, he put a small
piece of the bread into his brown paper bag and headed home. And he
could not wait to get home!
As soon as he did, he ran to the bread box, took a small piece of
bread out of the bag and placed it next to the half loaf in the box. He
was tired from the long day, so he went to bed.
Early next morning, he awoke before the alarm. He was excited;
he went to the kitchen to check the bread box to see if it had worked. He
opened the lid. There it was, the same half loaf and his leftover piece,
just as he had left them the night before. Maybe it was too early to expect anything, so he thought he would wait another day and another
night.
The same wake-up time the next morning he again hurried to the
bread box. He felt an even deeper feeling of disappointment when once
more he saw only the half-loaf and the now-getting-dried-out-leftover-
piece. Maybe this bread wasn’t as magic as he thought. Maybe it didn’t
multiply other loaves of bread. Or, maybe only Jesus could make the
whole thing work!
So as not to suffer any further disappointment, he was going to get
rid of the leftover piece. He went outside to give it to the birds, but
before he could break it and scatter it, an old man in shabby clothes
came up to him and asked for a bite to eat. He gave him the dried-up
bread.
The next day Peter heard a knock on the door. It was the same old
gent. Was he looking for another handout, Peter wondered? No, the
man smiled and thanked Peter for his kindness. The man said that
Peter’s generous gift from the day before would keep his family fed for
the winter! Finally, Peter had discovered the bread’s magic in giving it away!
A small piece of dried up bread:
“The Magic – Giving It Away!”

A few months ago I watched the movie Forrest Gump for about the
10th time. I was really touched by the character played by Tom Hanks. I
believe Forrest Gump could teach us a lot about relating to each other.
This unique person was able to see past all stereotypes and labels
we lay on people. He was able to bypass all the games people play. In
his own goofy way – he saw goodness, beauty, potential in each person
he met. He had a special gift.
I believe Jesus saw people in a special way – I wonder, I just
wonder – – if we looked at people today with eyes of Jesus, what would
we see?
I. For one thing, I am sure we would see some invisible burdens.
Most people do not carry their heartaches in plain view.
They bear them quietly, but they are there nonetheless. The
couple in the car just ahead, maybe a father and mother, who are
worried about their son. The woman in the super market may be
concerned about her health, anxiously awaiting the doctor’s report That elderly man may have recently lost his wife, a constant
companion for more than fifty years. I do not recall who said it,
but it is a wise word of instruction; “Be kind to each person you
meet, because everyone is having a hard time.” Listen to this
little poem:
“Pray don’t find fault with the man who limps and stumbles along
the road, unless you have worn the shoes he wears or struggled beneath
his load. There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt, though hidden away
from view, and the load he bears placed on your back might cause you to
stumble, too.”
II. He would also see some extenuating circumstances.
The critics of Jesus often thought he was too lenient in his attitude toward sinners. He came to the defense of a woman caught in adultery.
How could he do that, when the Law of Moses clearly states that she
should be stoned. He showed compassion toward a prostitute, who
bathed his feet with tears and dried them with her hair. They wondered
why he would allow a woman like that to touch him. He said to a dying
thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” How could he say such a thing?” What right did a crucified felon have to a place in paradise?
The difference between Jesus and his critics was a matter of insight.
They saw nothing but the failure. He saw the pain and the problems that
played a part in that failure.
When a marriage ends in divorce, it would be easy for you and me
to be harshly critical. But before doing that, we would be wise to pause
and consider. How much do we know about what has taken place in that
home across the years? Could there be a long established pattern of
abuse, totally unknown to the outside world? When we witness a
breakdown of character that leads to public shame, it is easy for you and
me to sit in judgment. But once again, we would be wise to pause and
consider. No event in life is complete within itself. There is a story
behind it. Knowing that story would not excuse the offense, but it well
might cause us to judge less severely.
III. One final thought – looking at people through the eyes of Christ, we would see unrealized possibilities. That is our characteristic attitude toward children. We look at little
ones and think of all the things they might become. Jesus had that
attitude toward people of all ages. He looked at a rugged fisherman,
and saw in him the making of a spiritual rock.
Someone has said; “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a
future.” Our Lord would heartily agree with that. “He saw a vast
crowd, and he pitied them.” If we would look at people through his
eyes, beyond all of their burdens and failures, we would see
unrealized possibilities.
Let me leave you with this prayer:
Almighty God,
We, who have never known what it means not to have things we
desire, need to feel the poverty and hunger and despair among
our fellow men and women.
We, who have felt nothing but the surge of youthful vitality in our
body, need to understand what it means to be ill and unable to care
for our self.We, who have never stood alone in the crowd as odd or
unacceptable need to sense what it means to be judged and rejected
by the color of our skin or sexual orientation.
We, who have never experienced the desperation of a dependence
on drug or drink, need to realize the hell of an addiction.
We, who have never really suffered or sacrificed or died, pray that
we may become painfully aware of our brother’s and sister’s great
need and that we may ache until we have reached out with honest
help and compassion.
AMEN

Have you ever wanted to give God suggestions about how God
ought to do things? Not earth-shattering suggestions, perhaps. Just
simple things…like the foods we eat. Why not put all the vitamins and
minerals in the tasty foods? Save all the fat and cholesterol for spinach
and brussel sprouts.
God could also use some advice about the kind of people God calls
to do his work. God seems to have this thing about calling very
imperfect people. Certainly Abraham was imperfect. Why he once tried
to pass off his wife as his sister. And Moses was imperfect. He once
killed a man in a fit of anger. Then there was Samson. Look how easily
he let a woman lead him. And then David. Adulterer. Murderer. Surely
God could have done better. And Jonah – fleeing from God because he
hated the people of Nineveh.
For that matter, I probably would not have chosen Simon Peter.
Sure he ended up as a rock, but before that he was a wishy washy
coward. And James and John. Always jockeying for a place of
prominence. Can you imagine a church board interviewing the prophet Amos!
“Now, Mr. Amos, let’s have a look at your credentials.”
“Credentials?”
“Yes, your credentials. Where did you go to school? What major
theologian has influenced your thinking? Where were you first
ordained?”
“Theologian?” “Ordained? Well you see, I’m a shepherd by
background. I really haven’t had much formal training. I did work for
awhile dressing sycamore trees, if that counts for anything. As for
theology, I don’t know that any one person has influenced my thinking.
But I’ve seen people cheated in the market place. I’ve seen widows
thrown out of their homes. I’ve seen children sold for a pair of shoes.
And God has told me it’s not right. God has called me to confront the
doers of injustice in society and to proclaim God’s righteousness.”
“Sycamore trees? Righteousness? Well, Mr. Amos, Hmmm…we really
were looking for someone with a doctorate. And we would prefer a
ministry that was not confrontational.” Poor Amos. He wouldn’t have made it past the first interview. God just isn’t very good at choosing the
kind of people who represent God…”Hum” – I wonder? Pastor Jim Moore recalls when he took a course in pastoral care as
a part of his seminary training. One day he was asked to visit a woman
in the hospital who had lost her will to live; she had no cards or flowers,
and she sat all day in a darkened room. But Jim was terrified. He felt
that he was too inexperienced, and that he wouldn’t know what to do.
And his nervousness affected his visit.
First he pushed the door open too hard and it slammed against the
wall. Next he walked over and accidentally kicked the bed. He
stammered, stuttered and said all the wrong things in between long
periods of embarrassed silence. Finally he tried to say a prayer, but even
that didn’t come out right. He left the room that day with tears in his
eyes, ready to quit the ministry. He felt ashamed that this patient had
needed him, and he had failed her.
But a few days later Jim went courageously back. Imagine his
surprise when he found the woman sitting up in bed writing letters.
Flowers and cards were everywhere. She recognized him at once, and
began thanking him over and over for the visit he had paid her.Jim was confused, because he knew he had botched the visit. He had
done everything painfully wrong, and he confessed as much to her.“But that’s just it,” she replied. “I felt so sorry for you! It was the
first time I had felt anything but self-pity for months. And that little
spark of compassion for you gave me the will to live. As followers, as
disciples of Jesus our weaknesses are often blessings in disguise.
Former professional baseball player Roy Campanella, who was
confined to a wheelchair following an accident, found an important
resource in his faith. He had felt only anguish and despair immediately
following the accident, and he spent many nights crying himself to sleep.
He healed poorly in those first few months, and one day his physician
came in and told him frankly that if he didn’t become responsible for his
own healing, he would never recover.
Campanella knew that he would never leave his wheelchair. He
knew that he would never play ball again. But he also knew that the
doctor was right. All his life he had found help in his faith. And now,
from the depths of his despair, he turned once more to the Lord. He had
a nurse read him the Twenty-third Psalm, and from that moment,
Campanella improved. He knew that God was on his side. Sometime later Roy Campanella had an encounter with an elderly
woman in Florida. He was sitting in his wheelchair at a ball park when he noticed a crippled, elderly woman working her way slowly up a steep
ramp. She had braces on both legs and a crutch, but she struggled up the
ramp until she reached him. Then panting from her exertion, she looked
at him, and then took his hand in hers. And she thanked him for her life.
She had been a patient in the same New Your hospital when he was
recovering form his accident. A stroke had left her paralyzed on one
side of her entire body, and she had lost her will to live. But the doctors
told her about Campanella and his courage and faith in the face of
overwhelming adversity. She had been so inspired by the story that she
determined to make the effort to live. And now she had traveled over a
thousand miles to meet him in person and thank him.
Time after time we have seen people who were physically weak
develop such spiritual strength that they have inspired others.
I close:
God seems to have this thing calling imperfect weak people – to be
messengers. I believe God knows what God is doing! I wonder if any
of us are on God’s list.