“THE SMALL LITTLE LUNCH became more than enough.” That statement, made during the Rev. Bruce Stam’s sermon at Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault on Sunday morning, really resonates with me in this week of thanksgiving.
Stam was referencing the feeding of the five thousand as recorded in all four gospels and specifically in John 6:1-13. In that story, Jesus and his disciples are faced with a hungry crowd and nothing to feed them. That is until Andrew notices a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish or, as Stam termed it, “a happy meal.” I laughed. I appreciate humor in sermons.
I expect the disciples were not laughing, but rather were highly-skeptical when Jesus suggested that the boy’s meager meal could feed thousands. I would feel that way, too. But Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks and there was enough to feed everyone. With leftovers.
There are several takeaways from this miracle of feeding 5,000 people. First, God provides. That’s clear and Stam emphasized that point. In my own life, I’ve seen God provide again and again to meet my needs whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. I live in a house that is paid for. I have enough to eat. I have loving and supportive family and friends. I’ve had excellent healthcare. The list goes on and on. It’s not that I have the biggest, best or most. But I have enough.
And on that referenced day during biblical times, there was enough bread and fish in a small boy’s lunch to miraculously feed thousands. Jesus, the Rev. Stam said, opened his heart to compassion and fed the hungry.
As I jotted sermon notes, I began to better understand how Jesus taught compassion on that day. He could have ignored the hungry crowd, although that may have been a bit difficult to do given the sheer numbers. Rather, Jesus fed them. His disciples handed out the bread and fish and gathered the leftovers. They were learning an important lesson in compassion as active participants in a compassionate and caring act.
Just like the disciples, we are each capable of compassion, of giving to others. Perhaps we only have a happy meal to share. Or maybe we have an entire Thanksgiving feast to offer. I’m speaking figuratively here. The point is that, as the Rev. Stam said, this world needs compassionate love. And we can give that through monetary and food donations, volunteerism, kindness, anything really that shows care and love for our fellow human beings.
Finally, in the biblical feeding of the five thousand, two other words resonate with me. And those are “gave thanks.” Jesus gave thanks when he took the loaves and fish and then multiplied them. This week “thanks” is the focus, or should be the focus, of our thoughts.
I am thankful for you, dear readers. I am thankful for everyone who tells me how much they appreciate my writing and photography. I am thankful for my family, especially the birth of my second grandson in January. I am thankful for time spent at a family lake cabin. I am thankful for freedom of speech. I am thankful for a locally strong arts scene. I am thankful for friends, those who are long-time and those I’ve only just met. I am thankful for too many reasons to count…
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! May you always be blessed with “enough” and with a heart of compassion.
TELL ME: What are you especially thankful for this Thanksgiving?
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I am thankful for the 35+ years I’ve shared with The LovedOne, for having survived cancer, and for still being able to curious about the world. There’s more, but these are the big ones… Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!
Those are definitely reasons to feel thankful. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
So much to be grateful for Audrey . Thank you for this thoughtful post. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. ❤️
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, Ruth.
Thank you dear Audrey. It was good to be together.
I can only imagine the joy of being with your family. We had our Wisconsin daughter, her husband and our baby grandson here for several days over Thanksgiving.
A house full of love can’t be beat! ❤️
That is absolutely right.
and I am thankful for friends and family, both near and far, even ones I have not yet met in person, like you. thank you for all of your inspirations and friendship from afar. connections to others are what make life so very precious. this is what we carry with us in our heart.
Awwwww, thank you, Beth. I appreciate you also and am grateful for the friendship we’ve formed via blogging. I appreciate your humor, your insights, your kindness, your always positive outlook on life.
Lovely post, Audrey. ❤ Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! ❤
Thank you, Penny. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving.
I’m thankful for Hope. I have hope that things can get better in our country and around the world. I have hope that me and my loved ones can be healed body, mind, spirit, and in our relationships. I have a lot of Hope. 💞💞
Hope is a precious word and one of my favorites. That you chose hope as a reason for thankfulness reveals a lot about you, Rose, and is a reason I cherish you and our friendship.
I am forever grateful for the presence of the Lord in my life.
Me, too. Good to hear from you, Laurine. I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving.
A few days late but thankful for all that I am able to experience in this life here. Thankful for friends, real and imaginary, that support and love me! And for family—- always for family.
Yes, always family.