Don't Let Small Minds Spoil the Banquet

God, 

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your faithful shall bless you.
 We will speak of the glory of your kingdom,
    and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kindom.  Amen.

 

The words I needed to hear this week came in the final moments of a continuing ed. course I’ve been taking on Social Media Marketing. The instructor encouraged students to embrace the following lifestyle hack:  don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big!

DON’T LET SMALL MINDS CONVINCE YOU THAT YOUR DREAMS ARE TOO BIG!

 

 Think about those words in relation to Psalm 145.

Don’t let small minds convince you that your understanding of God, or God’s vision, or God’s abundance, or  God’s grace, or  GOD’S DREAMS ARE TOO BIG!

If you take the time to pray the selected verses (10-18) of Psalm 145, and you pray slowly, letting the words reach the inner workings of your brain and heart; and then once at the end, begin again; and then pray them once more... one will have a sense of God on a grand scale, a God full of abundance; a God who is far larger than we can contain and comprehend. The Psalmist -the writer of this prayer was convinced and proclaimed boldly the vastness of God and God’s dreams.

 

I needed to hear these words this week because I felt many moments of being overwhelmed. A lot of that came from various news sources and platforms. Whether COVID variants, spread, rise of cases, --- bringing border, travel, and economic tensions;  extreme weather, heat, flooding, fires, mudslides, typhons; unrest in Tigray, Afghanistan, South Africa; and unbecoming actions like political slander, protests, shootings, fines for not wearing bikini bottoms, forceful removal of homeless camps and huts, racially fueled unsportsmanship, jokes about the holocaust.. what is going on in our world?!

 

If I was to describe my younger inner-self, it would be like Suzy; full of spunk and an abundance of hope, with the belief that dreams and prayers come true; and that the world --- if we just all got over ourselves--- could live in harmony, where everyone’s needs are met, where war is a distant memory, and everyone cared for creation and each other. Suzy would say that this dream is not too big.

Somewhere along the way, my younger inner-self, was slowly convinced by small minds that dreams can be too big; that big dreams should be tempered, modified, brought into reality... at least this week that is how I felt.

 

That day Jesus was on the hillside teaching and healing, people were flocking from all over.  Jesus was teaching God’s dream,  encouraging the coming of God’s kingdom: people received their sight, demons were cast out, sins were forgiven, water was turned to wine; outsiders like women, Samaritans, and Gentiles were welcomed; those who thought themselves high and mighty were put in their place; harsh criticism was given to those who used the Law for their own gain, rather, than, for the love of God and people; and with 5 barely loaves and 2 dried fish Jesus fed a crowd of 5000.  Jesus was not listening to the small minds trying to convince the world that God’s dreams are too big.

 

Mom and I go for a daily walk and this spring and summer have noticed an abundance, particularly of flowering things.  The past few weeks one need only go for a walk on the peninsula of Halifax – look up- or use your nose- and you will note that the Linden trees are, heavy with flowers; so much so that the trees look almost yellowy as you see the flowers rather, than, the leaves.  I have to admit, I’m not so keen on the abundance being given by Linden trees.  I really don’t like the smell and in fact continue to wear my mask when walking – it helps me breathe. Yes, I am allergic to the Linden’s abundance.

Perhaps people are generally allergic to abundance or not so excited about it because it would mean living with a different frame of mind, with an attitude of there being more than enough, something for everyone, no need to hoard or use items to hold power over others, no need for taking, no fuel for consumerism, no need to get ahead, or put away for a rainy day. 

When it comes to Linden trees, I could hold a grudge, be annoyed, hold uncharitable thoughts, hate the tree, curse abundance, wish for scarcity, and take my right to protest until they are all chopped down...however; I can choose to embrace abundance in a different way.  Life ---  is not all about me and my needs.

The Linden tree’s abundance also brings an abundance of food, look into one of these trees – or use your ears- and you will note thousands of insects particularly a diversity of bees and moths; and on the ground eating up the wilted tree detritus, snails and all sizes of flies.  The abundance of the Linden tree is a whole ecosystem in and of itself.  With that knowledge I can have a love-hate relationship with the Linden’s and their abundance – I can make some sacrifices -itchy watery eyes, wearing a mask, taking anti-histamines- to preserve and take pleasure in the abundance the Linden’s give to other creatures; and the shade and oxygen provided to green the urban ecosystem.

 

Jesus, in feeding 5000 people with 5 barley loaves and 2 dried fish, followed by walking on water – is putting people in the middle of God’s dream, a new reality that embraces abundance in a life that is not all about me and my needs, but, rather, in a place beyond the impossible.  Jesus is teaching the disciples to not be afraid and to boldly embrace unfamiliarity – a world where 7 items can feed 5000 and a person can walk on water.

Too often ‘familiarity’ breeds the idea of ‘right,’ and the ‘unknown’ ‘unusual’ is understood as a threat and labeled as ‘wrong;’ the small minded convincing dreamers that their dreams are too big.

And get this, Jesus doesn’t use the resources of the rich.  John is specific about identifying the loaves as barley loaves – the bread of the poor. If you have been to the Fortress of Louisburg in Cape Breton you will know what I am talking about.  When going for food at the recreated settlement, the main fair is a vegetable root stew with round, hard-crusted, dense, wholegrain loaves of bread --- good for soaking in the stew juice –this is  common fair.  Rich bread was more fragile and spoilable, white and fluffy, soft crusted. Here Jesus uses the familiar food of the poor, barley loaves and dried fish, to perform a miracle.  Although white bread may be called ‘Wonder Bread,’ it is not the bread of miracles. Jesus shows that abundance is in the hands, the bread baskets, the fish racks, and the packed lunches of the ordinary and the poor.  This is the last place the world would think to source a miracle; to find abundance and food for all.

And yet, there it is...

The truth of God’s dream is in 5 simple nutritious hard crusted loaves of bread and the calloused-from-work hands of 5000.

 

2000 some odd years ago, something extraordinary happened. In the breaking of bread and fish, using the resources of the poor, Jesus lived God’s dream of abundance and in doing so fed the multitude, who then fed more, and more... and today we still tell and are fed by the story.

The story is to empower us to not be afraid, to boldly embrace living the miracle of God’s dream.  Psalm 145 reminds us of the abundance that is God and God’s dream.

To not fear, do not lose hope, dream big!

Proclaim God’s abundance. Live the miracle of life and do not let others convince you that your dreams are too big .. for they are not, they are but a reflection of God’s abundant dream!

 

God,

Your kindom is an everlasting kindom, and your dominion edures through all generations.

You are faithful in all your words, and gracious in all your deeds.

Praise be to you. Amen.