Laetare (Lent 4) – March 30, 2025Psalm 122; Exodus 16:2-21; Galatians 4:22-5:1aSt. John 6:1-15
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The doctrine of Providence refers to
the fact that God not only created everything in the universe but continues to provide
for it and sustain it. If God ceased providing for even a small corner of
creation, it would cease to exist. St. Paul writes to the Colossians, “For by
Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible
and invisible…and in Him all things consist.”[1]
This sustaining action of God, and this alone, insures the continued existence
of the world. When Scripture says that God rested on the seventh day, it means
that He rested from creating new things.[2]
He did not rest the way that you and I typically think of resting. He did not
take a day long nap and avoid all activity. He continued to support and provide
for creation even on His day of rest.
God provides for creation through means
which He has established since the foundation of the world. Through the seed
that falls to the earth, God provides nutrition for man and beast. In turn, the
cow who is nourished by the plant provides meat for man. Through mothers, God
provides milk for children. Through parents, God provides His word and
instruction for children. We give thanks to God for the specific means through
which He provides but we must always remember that it is God who is behind
these provisions. It is God who give nutrients to the seed, the cow, and man.
It is God who His Word to mothers and fathers. It is even God who gives
authority to governments and rulers for the punishment of the wicked and
promotion of the good.
God’s Providence is an extremely
comforting doctrine. It means that you do not need to worry yourself over how
you will dress, or what you will eat, or what you will drink. Consider the
lilies of the field and the birds of the air. They do not have retirement
accounts or work 9 to 5 yet the Lord provides for them. So much more will He
care for His beloved children.[3]
After the children of Israel had been delivered from slavery in Egypt and after they had been delivered from the smiting hand of Pharaoh at the Red Sea, they found themselves hungry and in the desert. Rather than turning to the One who provides in repentant prayer, they began to complain against Moses and Aaron. The people went so far as to complain against these ministers given to them by God that they wished they had never left Egypt. They longed for the meat pots and bread of slavery under the tyrannical Pharaoh.
These same people had seen the miracles
of God against Pharaoh and how the Lord had preserved them from the same
destruction, and yet for the sake of their bellies, they desired to return to
their bondage. They preferred the convenience of life under the yoke of sin. It
is easier to be a slave to sin than to be free under the Lord God. It is also
easier to blame Moses and Aaron for having delivered them than to seek the Word
of God, repent, and endure the oppression of the world for the sake of
salvation.
And the Lord still provides. He gave
word to Moses concerning the manna and the quail, the means by which the Lord
would sustain His people until they came into the Land of Promise. The
provision of the Lord should not be seen as excusing the sinful actions of the
children of Israel. It is not as though He said, “Well, the people were just
‘hangry,’ so its not their fault if they complained against Moses and Aaron.”
No. He provided the manna and quail that the people would know that He is their
God, that they might look to Him to provide all good things for this body and
life as well as their spiritual needs.
Even then, the people did not listen.
Some became greedy, gathering more than they needed. They did not trust that
what the Lord said He would provide would come to them. What was the result?
The extra they had gathered rotted overnight, bred worms, and gave a horrible
stench. This was a rebuke against their failure to trust that God would do just
as He said He would.
Think now on the multitude that sought
after Christ. This was almost certainly a mixed bag. Our text says the great
multitude followed Christ because they saw the signs which He performed on
those who were diseased.[4]
Many of these were probably looking for a miracle of their own, or even just
wanting to be entertained by this miracle-man from Nazareth. Some saw His
miracles and sought His teaching that went along with the miraculous signs. It
is not recorded that the multitude cried out for a miracle or that they
complained against the disciples for food. You almost get the sense that the
multitude was waiting patiently to see what the Christ would do.
It is He who first raises the question
of feeding the multitude, already knowing what He would do about it. His
disciples immediately begin planning, raising more obstacles than solutions.
They, like their forefathers, did not think to petition the One through whom
all things were made. They thought only of the cost, the supplies, and the
difficulty of feeding so many.
Yet even for these, the Lord still
provides. He provided fish and bread for 5,000 men, plus women and children,
and for the disciples who did not trust the Lord to provide for the multitude.
He gave in over-abundance such that twelve baskets were filled with the
leftovers. From five loaves and two fish, Christ satisfied all those who had
come to Him.
This morning, we take a momentary
reprieve from the austerity of Lent. Today is called “Laetare” from “Laetare
Jerusalem,” “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, All you who love
her,” the antiphon to our Introit. We take a moment to rejoice in all that the
Lord has provided for us. With the children of Israel and the multitude by the
mountain, we rejoice and give thanks for our clothing and shoes, food and
drink, house and home, land, animals, and all we have to support this body and
life. We pause from the Lenten character of spiritual warfare to give thanks
for the multiple blessings the Lord has given to us.
The rose color of the paraments is
festive, removing the darker hues that form violet to give the joyous color of
the Rose who bloomed in the womb of the Virgin. This Rose is the chief thing we
give thanks for today. We remember and are satisfied that the Peace of
Jerusalem was won for us in the death and resurrection of Christ. We remember
the One who died that we might live. Liturgically, that is the point of having
a day of rejoicing in the middle of Lent. We pause to rejoice in all the Lord
provides us, chiefly that He provides us the forgiveness of sins, life and
salvation, that we might be prepared for what comes next. Beginning next
Sunday, we dive into the deepest portion of Lent, Passiontide, when our focus
narrows to the events of that Holy Week when Christ conquered sin and death.
But for this day, for now, let us
rejoice that we may nurse and be satisfied from the consoling breast of
Jerusalem. How are we fed? What manna do we receive? Where are the bread and
fish to be found? They come from the very breast of Christ. They come in His
Holy Body and Precious Blood. The feast of the Holy Communion this day is
provided for you from the breast of Christ, who nourishes His saints with His
own body. He prepares us today to face death, with the knowledge that He has
already conquered death. Although for our evil deeds we worthily deserve to be
punished, we rejoice and are comforted that we have been mercifully relieved by
Christ, our King.
