Sermon
Jesus Feeds the Multitude
Theme
When we give Jesus all that we have, it will always be enough.
Object
Anything with the McDonald's logo on it.
Scripture
Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. Matthew 14:19-21 [NIV]
Activities + Resources
Do you like to go out to eat? If I were to ask you to name your favorite place to go out to eat, I might get a lot of different answers. If I were to ask you where you think the most popular restaurant in the entire world is, what would your answer be? (Allow the children to tell you where they think it is.) Well, my guess would be that the most popular restaurant in the entire world is McDonald's. (Hold up your McDonald's item.)
I have some very interesting facts about McDonald's to share with you this morning. Did you know that there are over 30,000 McDonald's restaurants in over 120 countries? Did you know that McDonald's uses over three million pounds of potatoes a day? That's a lot of fries! Did you know that McDonald's serves over 45 million people each day!
What is it that makes McDonald's so popular? Is it that they serve the best food in the world? I don't think so. I think that much of McDonald's popularity can be summed up in these two little words -- "supersize it." You can go into McDonald's and order a cheeseburger, regular fries, and a medium drink for a very reasonable price. Or, you can "supersize it" and you get TWO cheeseburgers, large fries, and a large drink for only a few cents more! What a deal! No wonder so many people eat at McDonald's.
Now, you might think that McDonald's was the first to super size a meal, but not so! Let me tell you about a time when Jesus "supersized" a meal.
One day Jesus was teaching a group of over five thousand people. When it came time to eat, Jesus' disciples wanted him to send the people away, because there was not enough food for them. Jesus asked them how much food there was and they told him there were only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus took the bread and fish, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples to pass out to the people. The Bible says that all of the people ate and were satisfied. When they were through, they gathered up twelve baskets full of "leftovers." Now, that's what I call supersizing it!
We have been taught that "bigger is better," but that isn't always true. In fact, "little is much when God is in it."
Dear Jesus, help us to remember that when we give you all that we have, it will always be enough. Amen.
