To think about... during Lent

One such story, "The Five Loaves", is based on the biblical story of Jesus feeding the crowd by miraculously multiplying a few loaves and fishes. It is told from the point of view of the local baker who begins by telling how he once heard Jesus preach, and what beautiful and true things he had said. So impressive were Jesus' words, confesses the baker, that he nearly gave up his business to follow him.

He then says what a good thing it is that Jesus has healed so many people of diseases and that such good works should be encouraged, even if the doctors were not too keen on what Jesus was doing. But after praising Jesus, the baker suddenly takes a different tack. He says, "... but that business with the five loaves was a thing he shouldn't have done. Speaking as a baker I can tell you that it was a great injustice to bakers". And for the rest of the story, the baker complains bitterly that it is difficult enough for a baker to make an honest living without some miracle worker coming along with no overheads whatsoever and undercutting him and ruining his business.

The baker in the story is not alone. Many of us are rather like him. On the one hand he can see that the claims of Jesus do make sense, and there is part of him that would really like to become a follower. But he is ruled by self-interest. His business, and a false impression of its importance, gets in the way and prevents him from becoming a disciple. And some of us are a bit like that too. Part of us would like to be more involved in the Church, and more serious and regular in religious devotion; but there is a little bit of selfishness that gets in the way, and prevents us from serving God and his church as we ought.

We are presently in the midst of Lent and our Easter celebrations will soon be upon us. Let us seek to remember with all our hearts how Easter is above all else a celebration of God’s generosity; that he sent his only Son into the world to demonstrate his great and costly love for us, and to win us back to himself. Let all of us seek in our turn to offer back to God our own most generous response to his love. Throughout all that is left of Lent we have the opportunity to prepare ourselves for such a celebration and such an offering. Then in Easter and throughout the rest of the year we have the opportunity to respond to the love and mercy of God in an appropriate offering of worship, fellowship, service and mission and so build up our common life as a church.