Groups of Fifty Each

With attendance for church worship limited to 50 people at a time, our leadership decided we would have to make reservations. I have to tell you; I have reservations about reservations. If you don’t have a reservation you are sent away. Better accommodations for members would be to have the church open all day on Sunday with various worship times listed, i.e. services at 9:30, 11:00 a.m. and 1:00, 2:30 p.m. I understand the pastor’s reluctance to have four worship services and preach four times, but we have an associate pastor, elders and teachers who are qualified to preach. The needs of congregational worship should come before the desires of leadership to have only one service. I see something similar with the feeding of the Five Thousand. The Twelve wanted to send the crowd away so they could buy their own food, but Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples focused on the available food, five loaves of bread and two fish, rather than the needs of the crowd. Jesus said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over” (Luke 9:14b-17 NIV).