For all of us God calls us to be a part of his mission of compassion, to bring something of the Kingdom of God to wherever we are, whoever we’re engaging with and whatever we’re doing.  What does it look like for you to live this out, with the presence of Jesus in that being what counts?

I wonder whether you have ever been faced with an impossible task? Have you ever been in that situation where you look at a job that is set before you and think, “this is just not going to happen, this is not possible.” This is what confronted the disciples as they were faced with a hungry crowd in the presence of Jesus.

Over the past weeks we’ve been in a series called “Encounters by the Sea”. As Tony has shared with us, much of Jesus’ ministry in the book of Mark is centred around the Sea of Galilee, and as you read through the narrative, often Mark will begin stories with a reference to the sea of Galilee or stories centred around a boat.

This morning’s passage is one in which Jesus gives his disciples an impossible task, and it begins with a short trip by boat.

If you have your Bibles with you, turn to Mark 6:30-44.

Now if you’ve been around churches for any length of time, it’s likely that you would have heard this story before. This miracle of Jesus is recorded in all 4 gospels, and in fact it is the only miracle (apart from Jesus’ resurrection) that appears in all 4 gospels.