Matthew 14: 13-21                                                                                                     Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

Isaiah 55: 1-5                                                                                                                                      August 2, 2026

[preface to Isaiah’s reading: Isaiah wrote and spoke words that had to be like good news to the Judeans exiled and incarcerated in Babylon. They were under house arrest, under the Empire’s control. And they were all second-class citizens, under-privileged in Babylonian society. And everything cost them an arm and a leg. Gouging prices. High taxes. It was all about the empire.

In Isaiah 52 Isaiah says God has not forgotten them. In 53 he says that a “Suffering Servant” will bear the sins of many and make intercession for them. And in Isaiah 54, God will bring the eternal covenant of peace. And Isaiah 55 says that with that eternal covenant comes an invitation to participate in God’s abundant life with these words:]

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good and delight yourselves in rich food.”

Prayer: Holy God, please give us something to eat, so that we may live. In the name of Christ, Amen.

Recently, I’ve done two “renewal of wedding vows” ceremonies. One was for our friends Bob and Terry Sorozan who celebrated fifty years of marriage at the Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey. And the other was a week ago Saturday for the parents of our son’s daughter, who celebrated forty years.  Their renewal of wedding vows ceremony was on the beach, in Dewey Beach, Delaware.

In my message to both couples, I said they learned love, practiced love, loved each other through all their years. So, I told them (and everyone listening), to keep working on love. (From Jonathan Livingston Seagull) Love is strong medicine for anything in life. To love and be loved is one of life’s essentials. Isn’t it?

Of course, it’s strong medicine for me to be at the beach with our grandsons, too. I had a very rewarding time helping them learn about the power of the ocean and waves which they learned experientially. And sand crabs that want to live after being dug up out of their soggy sand homes, instead of being squished by little fingers!

So, I began thinking more deeply about the words ‘strong medicine’ and about what things are, especially in connection to today’s scripture. Essential in life, I think a lot of people get some things mixed up. We often want items that are not essentials of life, but we think they are.

Like feeling good about oneself. That’s important. That’s an essential thing in life, I think. But half the time we want to feel good through something quick, some easy fix. Like buying yet another outfit thinking that will improve our self-esteem maybe, for a day or two. Or like taking a daily shot of Wegovy to improve how you feel about your body.

Some think they’ll find their strong medicine through consumption and materialism. Some seek adulation and adoration. Others power and control. We witness a thirst for popularity and senseless bloviation among our top politicians. All. The. Time. It’s exasperating!

I’m not disparaging buying a new outfit or being on the shot. Nor am I saying that we can’t consume materials or enjoy some adoration and popularity from time to time. I’m just suggesting that these are not in and of themselves the most solid places to find God’s banquet of life’s essentials.

And I mean the banquet of life’s essentials in the sense of what satisfies us spiritually. What is good to take into our hearts. What delights us deep within our souls. What Jesus means when he speaks of the abundance of God’s resources found in the simplest of items.

What God teaches us through Isaiah’s words: If you’re thirsty, come to the waters! If you are hungry, come, buy and eat! Without cost to you! God is where life’s essentials can be found! In God you find you are loved, your body is beautiful, you are a holy child of God. So, I find myself at times asking what Isaiah asks: Why?

Why do we seek life’s essentials in non-spiritual places? Why spend money on stuff for meaning that is not bread for the soul? Why work and put heart and soul into that which does not satisfy? Why do we easily forget what God calls good and resort to what we call good? Because sad to say, those often are not the same things.

I think what we call good is that we will be successful in life. That we will have enough privilege and comfort, that we will reach our goals. That we will enjoy this life. That we will get to heaven. We call those our good, end goals.

What God calls good, however, what God calls the end goal, I believe, is that we have life’s essentials now—that is, that we have God. Now. That we have love, now.  That we have grace. That we depend on God. In this moment. Presently.

That we have faith that God is with us in what we are dealing with and what we are doing. If I can stay in the middle of my circumstances with calm and confidence, remaining unperplexed, keeping God close to heart, God calls that good. That I think is very possibly God’s end goal for us in life. That I see God in my storms, walking on the water. That I trust God to use abundant, creative, energy when there’s a lot of obstacles in front of me (like 5000 hungry people, and I have no idea how to feed them with scarce amounts bread and fish).

I know we sometimes think that the obstacles we face are meant to teach us something. I wonder if these are meant to help us unlearn something. The disciples of Jesus instantly resorted to ‘go and fend for yourselves’ as the only option. When faced with 5000 hungry people perhaps Jesus wanted them to unlearn that sense of individualism and find a creative power of God’s presence within the community. And everyone ate!

To have faith in God in the face of uncertainty and obstacles, that’s what God calls good. To unlearn trusting only what we see, that’s a step towards eating good food. That is delighting in the rich covenant that God makes with us. That is sharing in God’s abundant banquet God of life’s essentials. That’s what makes us live. That is what is so rewarding.

A couple of Sundays ago I encouraged us to react to our circumstances with a certainty that God knows all about them. And I told you about an MRI for my shoulder. Just so that you hear it from me, I tore two of my four rotator cuff tendons and will need surgical repair. So, I’m visiting the surgeon this week to find out when and where. I am also having a cracked tooth extracted this week, so don’t be surprised if I’m extra holy this week!

But here’s a perfect example of participating in the banquet of life’s essentials. Because I believe that one of life’s essentials is to have a fear of God. And by fear of God, I don’t mean being terrified. I mean having awe, reverence, humble obedience and worship of God that can produce deep wisdom and trust in any challenging circumstance or situation.

Having this kind of fear in all moments of our lives beautifully helps us not to be terrified of anything else. Conversely, a person without this kind of holy often is terrified of other things. A person with reverence and trust in God sees blessings in small things. A person without these needs big things to prove God’s presence and love.

So, listen carefully to me, choose to be in God’s presence. Share in God who gives us life’s essentials. Love. Grace. Community. Wisdom. For this is strong medicine, this is the banquet prepared for us. This is abundant life. Amen.