You know the story.  In John's telling of the Feeding of the 5,000, the miracle begins with a boy and some fish and bread shared.  Faced with his own hunger and a decision, the boy could have said many things ("Nobody told me this was potluck." "They should have brought their own."  "Make me an offer."), but apparently he simply gave.  And because he gave, we have been eating the leftovers from that meal of bread and hope ever since.

So, I guess the condensed message here is, "Go and do likewise."  The story of the boy with his bread and fish is all about the miracles set in motion through an offering given.  It is a story about the beginning place of all Christian stewardship and ministry-the willingness to share.  That moment of sharing is the beginning, but how the sharing happens is just as important and wondrous.

Direct your attention for a moment to the table before which we gather every Sunday.  That table is a silent sermon on the power of grace in the world, a reminder to us of the gift at the heart of all we do and the Lord to whom our gifts are offered.  That table is the ancient symbol of God's presence in our midst, a heavenly earthly place from which and toward which God's gifts and ours flow.  It is the place of consecration and thanksgiving.  We call it the altar.  We call it the Lord's Table.  But I think we could also call it the Multiplication Table.

Through the power of Christ, one boy's gift fed 5,000, and even today wonders are unleashed when you and I offer our gifts to Christ.  At the altar of the Lord, our gifts are multiplied into varied ministries meeting limitless needs.  A child experiences grace and acceptance; a teenager is prepared for the world; an adult finds fellowship, spiritual growth, and community; a family in need is helped; a sermon is preached, a lesson taught, an anthem sung; food is provided; a storm victim on the other side of the world finds hope and safety.  You can choose many places to give, but nowhere is your giving multiplied into immeasurable grace as it is through the church.

So, as we begin a new year, remember that your giving connects you with the Lord who gives.  Your giving connects you with a world of need.  Your giving connects you with that heavenly earthly place where the grace and love of God become real in the world.  Decide to give, and you might just unleash a miracle.  Decide to give through the church, and you can watch the miracles multiply.