More Than Enough
John 21:1-19
Brittany Stillwell
When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
-John 21:9-10
On Sunday, I confessed that I don’t know exactly what it means to follow Jesus, and that I don’t know exactly what feeding lambs and tending sheep looks like, especially in this season, but that I think maybe it starts with breakfast and unfolds one morning at a time. I’ve been thinking about this more over my morning cup of coffee these last several days. What does it look like to follow Jesus during a pandemic? How do I feed lambs without sharing potential germs? How do I tend sheep from six feet away?
I have to admit, it feels like all efforts to help, to be active in caring for God’s people, have been put on hold as I shelter in place. My resources feel limited and I’m wondering if you feel the same. Many of us don’t have time to add another thing to the demands of home and work and family during this season. Many of us don’t have energy or creativity to spare during this ever-changing season that calls for constant reimagining at every turn. Many of us don’t have financial resources to share during this time as the economy collapses around us and we wonder how to make ends meet now, much less in the future. For some of us, it takes all we have to keep ourselves and those in our household alive and sane during this season, and there just isn’t much left for lambs and sheep. It feels like we are out at sea, fishing, but no matter where we cast our nets, we keep coming up empty.
But what if our story doesn’t end there? What if we have more to offer than we realize and what if Jesus has been showing us this all along? He seems to have a habit of turning scarcity into abundance throughout the Gospels and I’m willing to bet he can do the same with us. When the disciples arrive on the shore in John 21, they find that Jesus has already started cooking a delicious breakfast of fish and bread. I’m sure Jesus could have provided plenty of food for breakfast, but he asks the disciples to bring some of what they just caught (a catch he enabled them to make) to add to his already cooking breakfast spread. Reminds me of another feast of bread and fish, when a little boy gave his meager meal and watched it turn into abundance (John 6:1-14).
Jesus isn’t asking us to give what we don’t have. Not now and not ever. But maybe we have more to offer than we realize. What feels like scarcity to us is transformed into abundance when surrendered to Jesus. Maybe it’s enough to spend a few minutes each day in prayer for God’s people who are suffering. Maybe it’s enough to trade a few minutes of Facebook for an article about ALICE in Arkansas (https://www.aliceinar.org) so that you can begin to become better acquainted with 41% of households in Arkansas struggling to make ends meet. Maybe it’s enough to keep giving your tithe even in the midst of uncertainty, trusting that there will be enough for you, for the church, and for those most directly impacted by this pandemic (https://www.2bclr.com/hereforhope). Maybe it’s enough to call your sewing group and Sunday School class with a mask making idea or to take a minute to clean out a drawer in an effort to find old t-shirts for the “Mask Warriors’” project. Maybe it’s enough to give yourself some grace during this season because you really are doing your best, and maybe you can extend that grace to others too. Maybe it is enough to send a card or text, to make a phone call, share a smile with someone you pass on the street.
And maybe, just maybe… if we all risk adding what little we have to offer (gifts Jesus has enabled in the first place) to what Jesus already has cooking, there will be more than enough for everyone.
May it be so. Amen.
*photo: Tabgha mosaic of fish and bread