Making the impossible possible...

From Helen

There is a story of a young man called Tom who was in love with a woman called Jane. Now Jane wasn’t sure about Tom, she didn’t think he was up to much and so she finished with him. Tom knew that it would be impossible for them to ever get back together. He coped with what she had said and with a very sad heart carried on his life. Six months later the impossible happened. A letter arrived for him from Jane, is said, ‘ Tom, I have been so wrong. You truly are amazing, my times with you were the best in my life. I love you so very much. I am really sorry for hurting you. Please Tom could we try again. Your ever loving and adoring Jane. P.S. well done on winning the lottery.’

That relationship I expect remained an impossibility. I wonder though more seriously if you have ever had a moment when the seemingly impossible became not just a possibility but reality. This is what we have heard about in our readings today. In the reading from Isaiah we heard of God calling people to a better life with an amazing level of generosity when those who were thirsty who had nothing to eat did not need to worry. God is generous and He can turn an impossibility into a possibility. He looks at us and sees people that He can use to further the good news that He brings.

In our gospel reading this morning we heard of the disciplesseeing the impossible turned to the possible. I would like you to imagine for a moment what it would have been like to be one of the disciples.

The disciples had chosen to follow Jesus. Yes, He called them but they said yes. I wonder what it may have been like to walk with Jesus. Can you imagine the excitement of being with Jesus as He healed the sick, as He had lots of people following Him? As He spoke such amazing words and looked at you with love and compassion – wow, it must have been incredible.

Then imagine being with Jesus and knowing that He needed to be alone. After hearing of the death of His cousin, His forerunner, Jesus needed to be alone, because as ever in times of need He wanted more time alone with His Father as He sought solace and strength. The disciples would have known this. Jesus deliberately went on His own to a deserted place. However, people followed Him they wanted to hear more.

Jesus needed time, the disciples knew that and they must have watched in awe and amazement as Jesus reached out to people and met their need as He offered healing. The disciples watching Jesus felt some of His compassion as they realised that the people would be hungry and there was nowhere to buy food.

The disciples went to Jesus and probably felt pretty good about themselves for noticing that there was a problem. Jesus accepted their point and compassion but He wanted more. They were to hunt out food themselves. They did this butcame back with a ridiculously small amount of food.

They had gone to help but had come back with very little. Jesus however took the little that they had, He broke it, He blessed it and suddenly there was food for everyone. It was amazing it was a true miracle.

The disciples offered all they had as they looked at an impossible situation but Jesus made it a possibility.

We all have gifts, we all have our own talents which we can offer to Jesus. They may not seem that amazing to us, but God can really turn the impossible into the possible. We may look at ourselves and see people who are pretty good, able to help others, but by offering all we have to Jesus He blesses us, He offers up our gifts and suddenly the impossible is more than possible. God can do anything and He does.

It is so easy at times to worship the God of miracles the awesome God, to praise Him and to see Him as our bestfriend but getting involved in His mission is something rather frightening. Rowan Williams described mission as seeing what God is doing in the world and getting involved. Turning the impossible into the possible.

So, what are our gifts as people of God wanting to get involved in what God is doing in the world, in our country, in our village, on our street…. Firstly, the main gift we have is knowing that God takes whatever we have and does something amazing so far past our understanding, the impossible becomes possible. Secondly, the gifts we have practically may really make a difference to someone’s life just by us doing something to help, baking a cake, putting up shelving, being a shoulder to cry on, being a friend, offering a smile.

The greatest gift each of us has is free. That gift is the gift of prayer… prayer really can and does make a difference. When we are humble and we offer the best we can to God, even if it doesn’t seem that much in the overall scheme of things we can remember that God hears our cries and takes our gifts to turn the impossible into the possible.

This week was the anniversary of the death of William Wilberforce, a great man who fought against slavery, who used his gifts to make a difference. God turned the impossible into the possible for Wilberforce as he used him to bring about the abolition of slavery. The impossible became possible and then it became reality.

We are called on to ask God to turn the impossible to the possible as we seek to make a better world based on God and His generosity, the likes of which we saw in the reading from Isaiah when God offered people all sorts of wonderful things. When we pray your kingdom come, your will be done, we are offering ourselves to God asking Him to use us and all we have, even though it may not seem that great to us, in order to turn the impossible into the possible.

May we offer all we have, all we are to God and may we be ready for the amazing things that can happen. AMEN