8 Questions for Children of the Promise on the Fourth Sunday in Lent—a Sermon (With reference to Deuteronomy 15:1–11, Galatians 4:26–5:1 and John 6:5–14)

By on March 16, 2026.

Source: GENEralities
8 Questions for Children of the Promise on the Fourth Sunday in Lent—a Sermon (With reference to Deuteronomy 15:1–11, Galatians 4:26–5:1 and John 6:5–14)
Jesus and his words in the Gospel is where we’ll start this morning. Gospel verse 5—Jesus
looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him…
Not really our experience these days. The nearest things for us might be our Cathedral Arts Festival and St Nicholas events. Or, might there be another example of our equivalent of that large crowd? Are there people we might be being called to feed and are we being called to feed them physically or spiritually, or both? Then, verse 5 again:
Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”
What is it we think we don’t have enough of? What might we need to buy, borrow, create, give to feed the people around us?

Verse 6: Jesus
said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
Is Jesus asking us a question to test us today and does Jesus intend to do something surprising, even miraculous, through us?

Verse 9. Andrew said to Jesus:
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?”
Is there anybody here who happens to be like that boy who has something which doesn’t seem to be enough but which Jesus is planning to transform and expand to feed our crowd?

Verse 10. Words of Jesus again:
Make the people sit down. Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.
We might not have a great deal of grass here. We have a nice lawn under the snow out there. And a beautiful grassy park at the end of our street. And we have this church and our community events—what more? What else?

Then verse 11.
Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.
What am I—are you—are we—being called to take, give thanks for and distribute to our “crowd?”—as much as they want?

Words of Jesus v12.
When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”
What are the fragments, if any, we are to gather up?

Finally. In this Gospel passage, verse 14.
When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
Do we have any signs to show? Are there new ways for us to say, “Jesus is indeed the Saviour and Lord who has come into the world?” out loud?

As we ponder, pray and discern how we are to follow the example and instructions of Jesus—our other readings give some guidance.

For example, look at verse 28 in the Epistle
Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac.
What are children like that like? I find an evocative description in 2 Corinthians. :
every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Jesus. Therefore, through Jesus we also say “Amen” to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who strengthens us…in Christ, and who has anointed us. He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. (2 Corinthians 1:20–22, CSB)
Children of the promise are called to demonstrate and live out that “Yes” in Jesus.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14–16, CSB)
As children of the promise, with God’s seal on us and the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are more than adequate.
For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6, CSB)
So, in order to feed our crowd, we spread the fragrance of Jesus wherever we go and we shine with the the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

As Henry, Roman Catholic Bishop of Calgary, once told us at an Anglican clergy gathering, “If you’re saved, inform your face!”

AND. Something else from our Deuteronomy lesson that children of the promise do. Look at verse 4:
There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, 5 if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today.
11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”
Obey God’s commandments and be generous with God has given us.

So, we behave and smell Iike Children of the Promise in Galatians and 2 Corinthians, and we obey the commandments of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship, pray and search the Scriptures for God’s guidance in answering these 8 questions arising out of this morning’s Gospel:

Who, or what, is our crowd?
What is it we think we don’t have enough of?
How might Jesus be testing us today and does Jesus intend to do something special, maybe even miraculous, through us?
Is there anybody here who happens to be like that boy who has something which Jesus might transform and expand to feed our crowd?
What and where is our grassy place?
What am I—are you—are we being called to take, give thanks for and distribute to our “crowd?”—as much as they want?
Do we have any fragments to gather up?
Do we have any signs to tell people about?
Finally, and back to the Gospel v11. To summarize: we take all that with which God has provided us, we give heart-felt thanks for it and we share it with those in need.