Editor’s note: This is the seventh of many scheduled Lectionary Living columns to be written by clergy in the Diocese of Central Florida.

Reflection for Sunday, July 29, 2018

John 6:1-21

In April of this year, I was blessed to travel to Israel with a group from Holy Trinity and Educational Opportunities Tours. It was an amazing experience. Now, every time I read the Bible, I not only see the words on the page, but a whole movie.

One of my favorite days of the trip was the second full day of touring. We spent the day visiting the major sites associated with Jesus’ ministry around the Sea of Galilee. The weather was warm and sunny with only a light breeze. We began the day early in the morning at the Mount of the Beatitudes, then on to Capernaum. Next, we boarded a small boat for a ride out on the Sea of Galilee, followed by a stop at the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha.

The hillsides on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee were a mix of golden and green. Nearly every holy site has a church built on it now and every church has a garden filled with beautiful flowers. The sounds of birds filled the air.

It was so easy to imagine the crowds coming out to hear Jesus. I could almost see them gathering around to listen, sitting in groups on the hillside. No one knows the exact location of the feeding of the multitude, but we do know it was somewhere in this region along the shore. So, when we stood on the hillside at Tabgha, we couldn’t have been far from the spot where today’s Gospel story took place.

The church located there is simple, but beautiful. The whole floor is a mosaic. Right in front of the plain altar is a mosaic of four loaves of bread and two fish. Why are there only four loaves in the basket? Because, our guide explained to us, Jesus Himself is the fifth loaf.

Our lunch that day included both bread and fish – St. Peter’s fish (tilapia) that came from the Sea of Galilee. As our bodies were nourished by the food, our souls were nourished by the fellowship among our group. In some mysterious way, the real presence of Jesus seemed to be among us there, feeding us spiritually. We came away encouraged in our faith, having met Jesus in a new way.

That evening, we went for a walk along the shore near the hotel where we were staying.  As I felt the breeze on my face, I looked across the Sea and thought about Jesus walking on that water. I thought about the love of God that sent Jesus to live among us, to know firsthand what it means to be human, to be hungry. The message I sensed Jesus giving me that evening was a fresh invitation to follow Him as one of the multitude of disciples and a new assurance that He is ready to provide what I need in life as long as I am ready to receive.

– The Rev. Pamela Easterday is co-rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Melbourne. www.holytrinitymelbourne.org