Text: Matthew 14:13-21

Speaker: Joel Miller

Lectio Divina is a fancy name for a simple practice.  It’s Latin, so that automatically makes it sound important.  Lectio translates as “reading.”  And Divina is what it sounds like, “Divine.”  Lectio Divina, Divine Reading.  It may be one of the few cases where the English sounds even more important than the Latin. 

But it’s a simple practice.  We’ve already experienced a form of it today with the children.  It is the first time I’ve seen Lectio Divina Bingo.  We’re going to try the non-Bingo version as a larger group.  First, an introduction.

As a spiritual practice, this is a certain way of relating with a text.  So you need a text.  It works best when the passage is not too short, not too long, maybe 3-10 verses.  Stories from the gospels work especially well, including parables.  But it could also be from Paul’s letters, a Psalm, something from the prophets.  For today, we’ve selected a familiar story: The Feeding of the 5000. 

A challenge of lectio for us intellectually curious folks is that we have to turn off our analytic mind.  Don’t worry, you can turn it back on afterwards.  With this story, we’re not asking how those five loaves and two fish became enough to feed a multitude, with even more left over.  We’re not looking into the Greek.  We’re not comparing how Matthew’s version differs from the other gospels.  We’re not even going to do an in depth cultural critique of the patriarchy that caused only the men to be counted as the 5000.  Although noticing who doesn’t get counted may be a point of reflection.

What lectio divina does, is that it gently flips the script from us reading and analyzing the text, to the text reading us.  What does the text call forth from us, with where we are, right now?  There are slight variations, but generally speaking, this is how it works:

You read through the text, simply listening.  This works best in a small group, read out loud, but it can also be done by oneself.  You give some time for silence.

You read the text again, this time listening for any particular word or phrase that stands out to you.  And this is the heart of the practice.  What phrase or single word catches your attention, shines a little brighter than the other words.  You can think of it as that one stone on the beach you want to pick up and turn over in your hand for a while.

So, for example, the first sentence of today’s reading is “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.”  Someone may be drawn to the word “withdrew.”  Someone else to the phrase “a deserted place,” or “by himself.”

 More silence to give that time.

Then you hear the text a third time, with that phrase in mind, or listening again if nothing presented itself earlier.  You let those very few words read you, unlock some fresh thought or insight that may or may not have anything to do with the story itself.  You may even hear an invitation.   

And that’s it

It’s really just a simple practice of noticing.  It’s about intentional attentiveness, which is at the heart of the spiritual life.  It’s kind of the opposite of speed reading.  Rather than finishing a whole chapter in five minutes, you welcome that short phrase, that one stone to hold and feel for a while.  And it is increasingly counter-cultural to allow one’s attention to fall outside the algorithm.  Outside of the machine that monitors and monetizes where you turn your gaze.  What if there’s a whole realm of unpredictable, unprogrammed depth that welcomes you as a reader of the divine rather than capturing your attention as a resource to be mined to maximize shareholder gain?   

We’re going to try this collectively in a bit with the feeding of the 5000 story.  There will be a chance for anyone to speak out that word or phrase that catches your attention, but don’t worry, you will not be asked to turn to your neighbor and share you deepest thoughts.  You will not be called upon if you don’t raise your hand.        

I will note this also works for non-biblical texts.  We currently have a small group where members take turns choosing a poem, which is read, with time to reflect on what is speaking to each person, then read again.  Although it’s not quite a lectio divina method, next week a small group that gathers around the meditations of Richard Rohr will lead the worship service. 

This can also work with ‘secular’ writings  A decade ago a group of Harvard Divinity School students who were Harry Potter fans combined what they were learning about sacred reading techniques with this fantasy series.  It ended up as a podcast called Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.  They would read short portions of the stories multiple times using the lectio divina method, each sharing the word or phrase that they noticed in a fresh way, each giving some brief reflections on what this evoked for them.  That project wrapped up earlier this year, but all the podcasts are still available online.  Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.  The leaders were clear that unlike the painful public comments from author JK Rowling, they welcomed folks across the spectrum of gender expression. 

And, it doesn’t have to be text.  Visio Divina uses the same process for visual art.  Look, and look again. 

The Divina part is a recognition that the Divine is present in all things, including ourselves.  A slow, sacred reading or gazing gives space for attentiveness to the relationship between the Divine within and the Divine among.

Which sounds pretty important and maybe even a bit out of reach.  But it’s really just as simple as listening, noticing, and seeing if anything emerges.

I’ll set up our reading with just a bit of context.  It’s printed on the bulletin insert, which you’re welcome to look at now or anytime it’s read. 

This passage starts by saying, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.”

The “this” that Jesus heard, was news of John the Baptist’s violent death at the hands of Herod Antipas.  Jesus began his ministry by being baptized by John.  John was an apocalyptic prophet out in the wilderness calling for the renewal of Israel and predicting a baptism not just of water, but of Holy Spirit.  John was likely Jesus’ mentor. From that relationship Jesus charts his own path, develops his own vision of what the kin-dom of God might look like.  John is arrested, and eventually executed.  Jesus hears this news, and withdraws, to be by himself, in a deserted place.  That’s where this story picks up.  It is in this place of grief and desired solitude, that the crowds find Jesus.  And a story that starts in loss, ends up in abundance.   

So let’s go ahead and give this a try.  This morning is going to involve two experiments.  I’ve never seen Lectio Divina bingo.  And I’ve never tried lectio in a group anywhere near this size, by about a factor of 10.   I’m going to let down the screen so we can see the full congregation.  When there’s the chance to speak, you folks on Zoom should feel free to unmute yourselves or use the Chat. 

So we’ll see how it goes.  And if there’s just a lot of reflective silence, so be it.

We’ll hear this story read three times, and I’ll give some instructions before each one.  For this first one, we’re just listening for the story.  And we’ll allow for silence afterwards.

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

This second time you’re listening for a word, or phrase, that catches your attention: Maybe because you hadn’t noticed it before.  Maybe it feels especially important to the story.  Maybe it speaks to something in your life.  Or it echoes something in our world you want to ponder.  Or it just makes you wonder.  And there may not be something that stands out, which is also very OK.  No need to force it.  After some silence after the reading, I’ll welcome anyone who wants to speak that phrase to raise their hand, and I’ll bring the microphone around.

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

Who would like to speak the word or phrase that stood out to you.  If you’re in the sanctuary, raise your hand and I’ll bring a microphone.  If you’re on Zoom, simply unmute yourself and talk or use the chat.  If your phrase is the same as what someone else said, it’s actually quite helpful to hear it multiple times.  There’s going to be the chance to offer a brief reflection after the next reading, so for now, it’s just the word or phrase.

For this third and final reading, listen again for how that word or phrase sounds, feels, relates to other things, speaks to you.  And might there be in invitation behind those words.

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

If you wish to expound a little more on what a certain phrase is saying to you, you can do so now.  A few sentences.  What is this sparking for you, or asking of you or us?  What are you noticing in that stone you’ve picked up and are rolling around in your hands?  It can be a statement or an open question that we will not feel compelled to quickly answer.          

The thought I’ll end on is to highlight again that our attention is now considered a highly valuable resource.  And there’s a lot of truth to this.  How are where we direct our attention is how and where we direct our lives.  Lectio divina is one practice among many that invites our attention toward a divine reading.  It takes some patience, and it takes some trust that the Divine is already present within us and in the text, or image, or person toward which we give our attention.  The story of the feeding of the 5000 reminds us that even in times of loss and withdraw, there is an abundance.  There is enough.  There is more than enough.  Jesus takes whatever we have, he blesses it, multiplies it, and a whole community is fed.   Thanks for going along with experiment.