Ever feel as though all you have to offer something, or somebody, is just the fragments leftover?
Or, every feel as though you, or a community, is only a fragment of what it once was?
It might not be our first inclination to think of ourselves, or a community, as “fragmented.” It would be much easier to think that we’re completely whole all the time. But, honestly, how true is that all the time?
This past Sunday, we started a five week lectionary series on Jesus as the Bread of Life. Through Jesus, we trust that we have been made whole, and through Jesus we trust that God will provide for us and sustain us. But even as we heard in the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, even then, Jesus instructed his disciples to “gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost” (John 6:12).
Perhaps Jesus just wanted to make sure that there was no food waste. Or perhaps Jesus wanted to send home everyone with a to-go bag. But on a deeper level, I think Jesus’ desire for his disciples to “gather up the fragments” goes one step further. Because even when we may feel as though we only have a little bit to give (like the little boy who offered his lunch), and even when we may feel scattered and fragmented, Jesus still makes a commitment to gather us up, so that nothing may be lost. And when we are added into the breadbasket with others in the body of Christ – wouldn’t ya know – all those fragments are actually more than enough.
So this week, consider: what are the fragments in your life right now? What are the fragments within a given community you’re a part of? And, how is God calling you (and maybe even us) to gather up those fragments so that they might not be lost?
What might seem like a little, by the power of the Spirit who can do abundantly far more than we could ever ask or imagine, is – in God’s economy – enough. So gather it up. Present it to Christ. Add it to the breadbasket. And watch. Watch what God – as our provider, our sustainer, and our giver of life – can do.