Holy Angels Anglican Church
The Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday
(August 3, 2025)
St. Mark 8:1-9
“Providence”
Given by: The Rev. Fr. Vincent J. Varnas
There is a humorous story that was a favorite of Canon Bob Hawkins’, former Rector at St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Wilsonville, and it goes this way:
A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.
Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you."
The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me."
So the rowboat went on.
Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you."
To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."
So the motorboat went on.
Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety."
To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."
So, the helicopter pilot reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!"
To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"
Perhaps this fellow was waiting for Moses to part the waters!
Our trust is in the help of the Lord, but most of the time, that help comes indirectly through others. And not all of God’s help is of Biblical proportions, either!
The moral of this story is closely associated with today’s Gospel about feeding the 4000 and it is this: providence; the Lord will provide! He provides for both body and soul, but our souls take priority.
Do you recall from today’s Gospel reading what was happening with the 4000 who were gathered to listen to Jesus speak? They were hungry! Hungry not only for physical sustenance, because they were in a desert wilderness, but also for spiritual sustenance, because they were also in a wilderness of sin. And Jesus provided refreshment for both. He fed them by the multiplication of the seven loaves of bread and fishes and also by His words of inspiration and truth that strengthened them. He provided for both the body and the soul.
The Biblical stories of feeding the 4000 and of feeding the 5000 are remarkably similar. In both cases, we find a prefigurement of the Lord’s Supper and the establishment of the Eucharist, which is the Bread of Life. Thusly, He took bread, blessed it, broke it and distributed it to His disciples (Mt. 15:36, Mk. 8:6 and Mt. 14:19, Mk.6:41, Lk. 9:16, Jn. 6:11). This is the formula for the consecration of bread and wine at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And we believe that Jesus, Himself is the “Bread of Life” (Jn. 6:35)! He is nourishment for the soul.
Yes, the Lord shall provide. And that blessing of God’s providence carries-on to this very day in many and varied ways, as I mentioned earlier; often through others.
Here’s one example. One of my brothers-in-law, Brother Thomas, travels to an Indian reservation near Pendleton almost every weekend with a transit van-load of food. This came about by my suggestion to him that the native Americans on the Umatilla Reservation in eastern Oregon might need help. So, you see, any one of us might become an instrument of the Lord in providing for those in need. In this case, I was that instrument of God’s providence. The religious message here is that God will provide in many and varied ways, often through others.
My friends in Christ, this is not unique. God will always provide for those in need of His help in accomplishing His plans for us as His servants here on earth. It’s just that we must be open to His providential intervention in whatever form it takes. It might be a rowboat, a motorboat or a helicopter or even a transit van loaded with food. With God, it doesn’t matter. The Lord will provide.
Seldom if ever does God directly intervene for those in need, taking them by the hand and leading them to their necessary objectives. Most of the time, He sends others as His instruments of help or aide and assistance. We must always be open to that prospect, never expecting or demanding His miraculous, physical appearance in our time of need, even though we might be sitting on a roof top in a flood. After all, “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform; ...” .
The key to understanding the mystery of how and why God’s providence seems at times to be forthcoming or not is to be found in these words from the Gospel of St. Luke: “... seek ye not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. ... your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Lk. 12:29-31). In other words: keep your eyes on the true prize!
Yes, seek first God’s Kingdom. Do not always put material things first in your life, no matter how badly needed those might be. Always keep God’s perspective before you. And if your prayers are not answered in the manner expected or within the time frames expected, there’s a reason for it. God sees the “big picture” of our lives. He knows better than do we what is best for both our bodies and our souls. Always trust in Him and His love for you. At times it may seem that God does not hear our prayers or answer our needs. Be patient and trust in His providence. God knows best and He will always provide for our needs in one way or another and at one time or another. But always remember that His first priority is our souls. Our bodily needs are secondary, as Jesus said to His disciples: “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; ... [for] life is more than meat, ...” (Lk. 12:22-23). St. Peter said it well: “According to his divine power [God] hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, ...” (2 Pt. 1:3). The Lord will provide. Trust in Him to do so.
We are no longer in that Garden of Eden of Adam and Eve, wherein there was an abundance of all material things necessary for life as well as our spiritual needs. Humanity was cast out. Yet man was not abandoned by God. He continues to provide for our needs, but always with the objective in mind of eternal life in His heavenly kingdom. We must “keep our eyes on the prize” always remembering that He is our “Bread of Life” (Jn. 6:35). Just as He provided bread for the 4000 from only seven loaves, so too does He provide the Eucharistic Bread of Life for us at every Holy Communion service.
We are on a journey: a journey to our true heavenly home. And like all journeys, we need directions for getting there. Those directions are for putting us onto the path of holiness and the map is to be found in Sacred Scripture.
It has been said: “God helps those who help themselves”. But what about those who cannot help themselves? The Prophet Isaiah said: “For thou [God] hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in ... distress, a refuge from the storm, ...” (Is. 25:4). God knows our abilities to help ourselves and our limitations in doing so, as well. He does not expect us to go beyond our abilities to help ourselves in providing for our needs; either material or spiritual. Yet, when possible, we must utilize our God-given abilities in self-help. In-between, our abilities to help ourselves and God’s providence is to be found a virtuous middle-ground. This is where God and humankind meet in harmony with one another. This is where God takes us by the hand and leads us forward, carrying us, if necessary.
So. the Lord will provide, but also “God helps those who help themselves”. There is no contradiction here. God expects us to do what we can for ourselves, given our limited abilities and our strengths and weaknesses. God is not a “helicopter parent”, hovering closely over us, guarding us from every possible adversity. Yet sometimes we doubt His presence. But as in the well-known poem, Footprints in the Sand, sometimes God carries us on His shoulders even though we see only one set of footprints in the sand. Have faith! For it is then that we truly feel and know His loving presence. Those footprints in the sand are His!