Every Person's Rights

Matthew 14:13–21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

__________

Introduction

On a typical walk along the Hudson River, I expect to run into people on bikes or other walkers/runners, and poo bags left by an unscrupulous dog walker. In Scotland, I expected something similar, yet I found myself running into herds of cows or flocks of sheep instead. It feels bizarre to come across such animals on a hiking path. It feels like you're trespassing on someone's property when in reality, you're not. That's because in Scotland, the Land Reform Act of 2003 guarantees the Freedom to Roam or Everyman's Right, which means people can access rural government land (and some private land) for recreational purposes. Who owns the land we worship on, work on, play on, sleep on? When you think about it, doesn't "everyman" have a right to access creation for such things and sustain themselves with the food this land provides? For who created all that we have? It belongs to God, the sustainer of all life.

The Land & What We Eat

There's always been a deep connection between land and food (or should I say land ownership and food security?). At the time, the Empire (the Roman Empire) controlled the flow of food and resources; those in the upper echelon received plenty, while those on the margins received the bare minimum to sustain them (only making the line in the Lord's Prayer "give us this day our daily bread" even more visceral). The lack of food and resources demonstrated the growing gap between the elite and the sick, hungry, homeless, and neglected populations (sound similar?). If we pay attention to our surroundings, we might find not much has changed, except now the plague of ownership and influence has made its way into the church. 

Not only do we face the continuing challenges brought on by class disparities, but we also must grapple with the question of how we loosen the bonds that are keeping us (the church) from living out the spirit of generosity and overflowing love that Jesus shows in Matthew 18. The church ought to live contrary to the ways of the Roman Empire. Yet, there are ways in which the church has moved away from Jesus' giving hands and embraced the Empire's territorial manifesto. [Examples: Housing Immigrant Churches / Turning Away "Undesired Visitors'' / Failure to Pray/Act]. Again, we, the church, are called to follow the role of Jesus, who took a few loaves of bread and some fish and fed all who were hungry.

The Kin-dom of God

That is our goal; that is what it means for us to live in the kin-dom (sacred fellowship) of God vs. the kingdom (empire) of God, taking what we have and living an abundant life of faith (casting off false narratives of scarcity). Jesus usurps the expectations of the Empire and greed by ensuring that people are given good food to eat and that they are cured of their illnesses. And in doing so, Jesus sets an example for us; we may not yet live in a time where the needs of all are met, but the church can be a foretaste of the kin-dom of heaven.

The foretaste of the kin-dom of God is made manifest whenever we break bread with one another. The foretaste of the kin-dom is made real whenever we set aside our ambitions for the sake of another. The foretaste of the kin-dom of God is made apparent when we cultivate communities of faith that prioritize connection over numbers. We talk so much about the decline in church attendance and American religiosity. But what if instead of focusing on loss, we concentrate on the core of what made the church a center of the community in the first place, ensuring that every person's right to be welcomed, fed, and cherished was met? 

“Everyman’s” Right

Let us remember the transformative power of a community rooted in love and solidarity. Let us follow the example of Jesus, who fed the hungry multitude with a few loaves and fish, defying the limitations imposed by the Empire. We may find that the church is not perfect; we haven't always abided in the heart of God, but that doesn't mean we stop in our attempts to make real the core of our purpose and mission. There's a poem by Langston Hughes that resonates with our reading for today titled, "Let America Be America Again," that touches on this enduring pursuit:

O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, [Black]’s, ME—
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
("Let America Be American Again," by Langston Hughes)
[Black] is a substitute for Langston Hughes original use of “Negro.”

Let the church be the church again, that imperfect body yet ever-striving body that seeks to embody the heart of Christ, the heart that feeds bodies and souls, the heart that prays, the heart that worships, the heart that gives thanks for every breath because we do not know what tomorrow may bring. Let the church be the church that casts off the yoke of the Empire and ensures that every person's right to live with dignity and care is preserved. Let the church be the church that does all these things because it acknowledges that everything that has life and breath owes its existence to the Creator. 

Conclusion

Let the church rise up as a place of radical love, where we break bread with one another and share our abundance freely. Let us be a foretaste of the kin-dom of heaven, where all are welcomed, fed, and cherished. Just as Jesus took a few loaves and fish and fed thousands, let us be inspired to provide for every person in need, recognizing that the land and its gifts come from God, who only asks that we share with generous hearts. For such a time as this where so many are tired and in need, may we be guided by the spirit of generosity, overflowing love, and the vision of an inclusive and just world. Let us be the church that embodies Christ's compassion and healing, making humankind's sacred fellowship tangible.