The Good News Is... Together the Impossible Is Possible

Young at Heart Message

We are going to start our sermon off today with a video clip.

Some of you may recognize this clip. It’s a scene from the movie “The Great Outdoors.”

For those of you who might not be familiar with the actors, you’ll see Dan Aykroyd on the left, and you’ll see John Candy on the right.

Let’s see what these two gentlemen have to say:

​As you can see, these two characters see something very different when they look out at the lake and the trees.

Dan Aykroyd sees underdeveloped land ripe for development. He sees an opportunity to make money, and he doesn’t seem to care one bit that it might also destroy the environment.

What does John Candy see?

Trees. That’s all. Just trees.

John Candy’s character sees what is right in front of him, and he believes it is enough.

Dan Aykroyd’s character cannot see the beauty or the joy right in front of his eyes because he is striving for more – wealth, power, money, control.

He has a scarcity mindset when he looks out across the water – what he sees before him is not enough. It’s not “producing” enough, in his mind.

John Candy has an abundance mindset. He sees what is right in front of him and rests in knowing that it is enough.
So, when we look at the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, what do the disciples see?

They see 5 loaves of bread and two small fish, and they panic. They are thinking with a scarcity mindset. There is no way this will be enough to feed all these people.

But Jesus sees with an abundance mindset. He says “yes, this is enough. This will do perfectly.”

And then he brings a community together, they feed everyone, and he offers perhaps the most important lesson of the day.
 
The Message

When I first bought my business back in Wisconsin, I had a week to get it ready to re-open. I couldn’t wait any longer than that because I needed clients to start coming back so I could start earning revenue.

But there was a LOT that needed to be done in that week. I walked in and I looked around and I was overwhelmed and, if I’m being honest, I didn’t think it was possible. I was doomed before I even started.

And then, some of the staff who were going to be working for me called and said, “what do you need.”

And a few of the clients who were ready for the business to reopen stopped by and said “we are here. How can we help?”

And together, with no expectations from anyone about getting paid, we got everything done and ready.

I walked in with a scarcity mindset. I don’t have enough. I am not enough. There’s not enough time, I don’t have enough money, etc etc.

But the community looked at it and said “yup, we’re enough. You are enough. We have hands to help, and we have some money to spare and we’ll make this happen. Let’s get to it.”

And together we built something new.

I thought it was impossible. I was ready to give up before I even got started. I was in over my head and I thought maybe I was crazy for even thinking it was possible in the first place.

I wonder if that’s how the disciples felt?

I can understand their stress when Jesus says, “let’s feed them” and the disciples go right into scarcity mode, wondering how on earth they’re going to afford food for all those people.

But the thing is, God doesn’t start with the problem: How do we feed all these people?

God starts with what God has – which is everything held in God’s hands.

And God also starts with what God has given us.

In my case, God gave me a community of people ready and willing to help.

In the case of Jesus and the disciples, God gave them five loaves of bread and two fish.

With God, all things are possible because God knows that God is always... God!

It’s us who break faith. It’s us who listen to scarcity. It’s us who fear our own hunger.

Our God is a God of abundance.

However loud the scarcity of the world yells, God delights in feeding the hungry. God delights in providing what we need when we need it. And God delights in accomplishing what we dare not imagine.

God doesn’t start with the problem. That’s how we work, but God starts with what we have.

God meets us where we are in the moment. And God provides, but perhaps not always in the way we think God will provide.

None of the disciples thought that five loaves and two fish could feed 5000+ people.

But Jesus said “I got this.”

We often don’t think that what we have or who we are is enough.

But God says, “I got this, and so do you. Together, we got this.”

When I bought my business, I did not have any idea that anyone would be able to help. All I saw was me, and the time and money I had available. And it wasn’t enough.

But God said, “we got this,” and showed me that it wasn’t impossible because I was surrounded by a community of people who loved and cared deeply about the business re-opening.

They didn’t know me yet, but they came to offer their help anyway. And the community just grew from those brave souls who were willing to take a chance and step forward.

So, what about us? What about this community?

It has become easier and easier for churches to look at the world and say “it’s impossible. There is nothing we can do. We don’t have enough people. We don’t have enough money. We don’t have enough energy or time.”

But what happens – what shifts in our mindset – if we look around at one another and instead we say, “we are enough. Collectively – together, we do have enough time, energy, resources, love, compassion, daring, and whatever else we need”?

What could we accomplish together? Who could we help? Who could we serve?

What issue could we support? How could we provide for and serve the community around us?

What is God calling us to do?

God doesn’t start with the problem.

God starts with what we all have.

Nothing is impossible with or for God.

May we leave here with this in mind.

May we begin to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset.

We have enough. We are enough. God is enough.

Together, we can do wonderful and amazing things.

Amen.

Let us pray: Holy God, we could press our ear to the page, hoping to hear you more clearly.

We could silence all the alarms and notifications, hoping to catch a murmur of your voice. We could still our beating hearts, and still we might miss your voice.

So today we pray, open up space in our hearts, in our spirits, in our minds, to feel your presence among us.
With you, anything is possible. We believe. Help our unbelief. Amen.

* Prayer by Rev. Sarah A. Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org.
* Some portions of this sermon were adapted from A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org.