The 5th Grade Social Universe

Proper 13B

John 6:24-35

St. Matthias

August 5, 2018

           Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

          

At St. George’s School, I had the unfortunate task of teaching 5^th graders American History during the 3^rd period.  Now don’t get me wrong – I loved teaching 5^th Graders.  I like teaching History.  The problem was that the 4^th period was lunch.  I do not care who you are – there is no possible way you can make the War of 1812 as exciting as lunch period for 5^th graders.  The liturgy would begin about 10 minutes before class was scheduled to end.  Abby Elzmeyer, Laura Colgate, and Anna Rosengarten would together begin the daily Litany almost in unison, Father Hall, we’re hungry!  Can we go to lunch early?  My response was always – Not for another 10 minutes.  Laura Colgate would then roll her eyes and look upset.  Abby and Anna would stand on either side looking like the orphans from Oliver Twist.  Laura was not going to give up that easily and I knew it and she would come back with an even more desperate look – But Father Hall we are really starving!  Anna and Abby would again give me a look of utter hopelessness – and now it was my turn to say, You are not starving, you are just hungry.  All of this was designed to take up just enough of the rest of the class so we would leave early.  It usually worked, but not for the reasons Laura, Abby, and Anna thought.

           I have often found that there is a difference between what I WANT and what I NEED.  My 5^th graders NEEDED to learn history – they WANTED to go to lunch.  The people following Jesus wanted more bread and fish.  We pick up the Gospel of John this morning with the rest of the story after Jesus feeds a whole bunch of people following him.  5 loaves and 2 fish offered by a small boy feed 5000 men - plus women and children - until they are full because we know that there were 12 baskets left over.  And we all know that you can get more people to come to Church if there is a potluck lunch afterward.  Sometimes they will just come for the food.  The next day, the people following Jesus wanted more bread and fish and so they come looking for him.  I would bet that more than 1 of them came with a really pathetic look and said, Lord, we are starving.  Give us some more bread and fish! 

           Now the thing I noticed about Abby, Anna, and Laura at lunch was that they did relatively little eating.  Most of their time and energy went to talking.  It was the social hour and they were the Queens of the 5th-grade lunchroom.  The biggest reason they wanted to go to lunch early was, so they could claim their table before the other 5^th grade classes got there.  It was the table right up front that faced the rest of the lunchroom and had been originally designated for students who were in trouble and weren’t supposed to talk during lunch.   But the girls changed it.  Now it was the social center of the 5^th grade Universe and they wanted to be there first so they would be the center of attention.  It even got to the point where the girls designated who could sit at the table and who had to sit elsewhere.  They picked the boys they liked of course.  Others would sit at the tables around them.  It was all going pretty well for them until the day that Mr. Ferguson ate lunch during 4^th period.  He usually ate in the faculty lounge, but he’d heard what was going on and decided to come.  Rick was the Headmaster of St. George’s School.  Everyone loved Mr. Ferguson.  He came into the lunch room with his brown paper bag – looked around at everyone – and sat at a table in the back with Warren and Chad and Daniel.  He sat on the side facing Abby and Anna and Laura and waved hello.  Now Warren and Chad and Daniel were anything but cool.  They didn’t play soccer.  They talked about things I didn’t even understand.  Chad was ADHD.  Daniel had moved that year from somewhere up North and Warren was just unique in his own way.  Now Rick started eating his sandwich and talking with the guys.  A couple of others came and sat at the table with them.  The next day, Rick was back.  This time he brought a big bag of Doritos for the table.  More 5^th graders came and sat with them.  A few days later, Rick pulled 2 tables together.  Abby, Laura, and Anna were still in the front of the lunch room and still talking and directing the social scene.  A couple of more days and Rick had 4 tables pulled together.  Others joined them in the back of the lunch room.  Then more.  One day Rick invited the entire 5^th grade to come and join him.  He had a bunch of big bags of Doritos.  We all pulled the tables together into one table that was big enough for everyone. 

           Why are we here?  We may WANT God to answer our prayers, forgive us, and make us holy.  We NEED the bread of life and the cup of salvation.   God is here.  This table is big enough.  AMEN.