"Miracle on North 10th Street"

Sermon by Pastor David Layman

February 6, 2005

Exodus 35:4-5, 10-12; 36:3-7 Mark 6:34-44

The dictionary defines miracle as "A wonderful happening that is ... independent of the known laws of nature, something marvelous."

Moses asked that the people wandering in the wilderness provide an offering to help construct a tabernacle, a tent of worship. Everyone pitched in, and one could say the response was a miracle. People generously gave gold and silver, beautiful yam, fine linen, wood, incense, and precious stones. Then skilled craftspersons pitched in to construct the tabernacle. In fact, everyone was so generous with sharing their gifts and talents, that those in charge told Moses "The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do." So the people had to be restrained from giving more. Ah, those were the good old days!

A passage our "40 Days" Grace Groups will be considering this week is the feeding ofthe 5,000. Jesus had taught the multitudes until the hour grew late. The disciples came to him, saying "Send these people away, so they can get something to eat!" Jesus responded "You give them something to eat!" Jesus insisted the disciples canvass the multitudes for food, and then had the disciples organize the 5,000 by 50's and hundreds. Jesus prayed and blessed the pittance that was given, and miraculously, there was more than enough left to feed everyone. I don't discount God's ability to work all kinds of miracles, but I also wonder if part of the miracle was Jesus' ability to get people to give that which they had brought with them and were hesitant to share. It takes a greater miracle to make people generous than for God to multiply loaves and fish. The God who can create the universe out of nothing can surely do that! The greatest miracles of all are when God moves and transfonns human nature, not "mother nature"!

When God speaks to hearts and blesses a cause, like creating the first tabernacle in the wilderness, and multiplying the loaves and fish, marvelous things, miracles, can take place. I see God's hand at work in the founding and continuing existence of Hope House.

Before Hope House opened, we were cautioned that we might be able to find start up funds for such a cause, but the real challenge would be to raise the support to keep such a ministry going. We were told that the very people we were trying to help: homeless and addicted men, are at the bottom of the public's sympathy list. People will give to support children, single mothers, the arts, wildlife preservation people will give to almost any cause before they'll give to drug addicted and homeless men. After all, these are people whose own flesh and blood have often given up on them, for understandable reasons! Little wonder that on more than one occasion, Hope House has been on the verge of closing. I've felt like the disciples coming to Jesus in despair, saying "Send these people away, Lord. There's no way we can handle such great need."

But God can touch hearts and call people to work together in ways contrary to human nature, and miracles can happen. And we on North 10th Street have been a part of that miracle. God has used us more than any congregation to bless Hope House. It was one of First Presbyterian's members, Dennis Andrews, who ran for mayor on the platform of community partnerships. Under Dennis' leadership, others were called into a partnership that began Hope House, and continues to keep it going.

People from our church have organized golf outings, led fund raising efforts, donated clothing, led classes, and financially assisted its mission. Some congregations focus all their efforts on their own building, or only participate in outreaches which they control. A church should be a blessing to its own members. But some churches do little other than maintain their own buildings and programs. Jesus sent the apostles out into the world, to be a blessing, and to call others to faith. Sometimes, it seems to take a miracle to get people to see beyond themselves and work together. It may take another miracle to get churches to see beyond themselves and work with others. But when such miracles happen, many can be blessed.

When the news of Hope House's pending closing hit the newspaper on Thanksgiving Day, people began to respond. Two business men, Jeff Jeffers and Jack Edelman, made challenge grants of$lO,OOO each. Our congregation challenged other churches with an additional $5,000 gift. Some people gave $15, others $20. Some volunteered to help in other ways. Just recently, an anonymous donor has made a matching challenge gift of $50,000. Our desire is to establish a foundation for Hope House, so we can develop a more steady source of funding in the years to come. None ofthis would have happened, if we'd listened to the skeptics several years back who said if we got Hope House started, we couldn't keep it open. None of this would have happened, if! and others had listened to the discouraging voices in our own ears, "We'll never make it. Give up." But God tells us that miracles can take place on North 10th Street, and elsewhere, when people join together to reach out and help others. The people of Earlham Heights made a wonderful decision over a year ago when they decided not just to fold as a congregation and give any proceeds from the sale of their building back to Presbytery. Instead of giving up hope, they decided to merge with First, and designated the proceeds from the sale of their building to go to various outreaches. One of those outreaches was Hope House, and this giving helped keep Hope House going.

Hope House isn't the only way our congregation is reaching out to those beyond us. We continue to support Bill Yoder in Thailand and the Farrells in Peru. We're giving through the Presbyterian Outreach Fdn. We're helping Young Life, Habitat, the Community Food Pantry and the Soup Kitchen, Lindsay Carr's ministry on the campus of Michigan State, and Andrea and Joshua Griswold's in Germany. Some people write off college campuses, because that's an age when so many drop out of religious life. But can miracles take place on college campuses? They can when believers work together, and make outreach, not self preservation, a priority!

Jesus faced the temptation on the night he was betrayed to give up and find a way out of going to the cross. The logical thing to do was to think of himself, since that's what each and every one of his disciples was doing. But Jesus, with no one but God the Father and the Holy Spirit beside him, decided to move forward and give it all: not 10%,

but 100%,--body and blood. And so we gather here today. The bread we see is very small, and the wine just a sip, but we know when God's Spirit infuses them, we can become warmed and filled, and work together to accomplish much.

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