“One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’”
-John 6:8-9
Big news in the Church of England today: five bishops have announced that they will be moving into the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate, which was proposed by the Pope just over a year ago. On Saturday, the big news in the Episcopal Church was that Gene Robinson, who sparked a storm of controversy when he was elected as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop in 2003, has announced his retirement.
The giant cogs in the Episcopal Church seem to be turning, while we members of the laity are left to watch. Of course we think that we are contributing, but how does my prayer group or your bible study compare to the influence and the power that these bishops have?
At times it feels as though the bishops are doing the real work of the church, and the priests and the deacons are helping them out, while we lay members of the church are of little importance. We can almost end up feeling like spectators or outsiders. We each do a tiny bit of work for the church, but of what significance is our work among so many people?
In the Episcopal Church, we have beautiful services, with wonderful music, powerful symbolism, and ornate decorations. All of these factors are magnificent reminds that we are in a holy place – that we are in God’s house. However, in this environment it’s so easy to get caught up with the pomp and the circumstance. It’s so easy to focus on the miter and the robes. It’s so easy to be awed by the bishop’s crosier and ring. And we can so easily come to the mistaken conclusion that these things are symbols of importance, and since you and I don’t have a miter or a crosier or a ring, we are unimportant to the body of the church. We look at the grand church compared to our own tiny offerings, and wonder what are they among so many people?
We look at the power that the bishops and the priests and the deacons have in the church and compare it to the abilities that we have to shape the church. And we wonder, “What are my abilities among such powerful people?”
What are they among such people?
“One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’”
As members of the laity, we are the people with the loaves and the fish. In the church, we do work of true substance and significance. If you walk down a street and look at the many acts of Christian love and charity that are constantly erupting, it is impossible but to notice that the vast majority of them are preformed without miters, collars, or seminary degrees. Even during a Sunday morning Eucharist, the overwhelming majority of smiling faces and warm embraces are from lay people.
The purpose of the clergy is not to do all the work of Christ in the world, but to help equip the lay people to do the work of Christ. The clergy provide us with the spiritual food to support us through the week and then the laity is meant to joyously go forth into the world and follow Christ, improving the world around us. Our role is to actually perform the mission of the church.
The boy with the loaves and the fish could have wondered how his few loaves and fish were of any significance, especially since he was standing in the presence of this great rabbi and his followers. Only five loaves and two fish. What are they among so many people?
Only a lay person. What is the significance of that among such powerful people?
We may feel as unimportant as a small child, but even standing next to one of Jesus’ apostles, the few talents and gifts that we have are of incredible consequence.
What are your gifts among so many people? They are the sustenance of the church. They are the food for the brothers and sisters of Christ.
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