Notices 2nd August 2026

A special welcome to everyone joining us in worship at Kingston today.

Matthew 14:13-21

Math isn’t my thing but nevertheless, I am going to do a sum to try and come up with a figure that could help Jesus’ caterers. They reckon there were 5000 men listening to Jesus. Assuming that each one was married to 1 or more wives, and some of them were bachelors and some of the women there were otherwise un-attached, it is reasonable to expect that there was about 5000 women also.

Now some of the men and women would have had a child, children or no children so you could guestimate that there were about 5000 children as well. That is 15000 people, filled to their satisfaction in the Jesus Lakeside Alfresco Restaurant on 2 fishes and 5 loaves! This is where my math breaks down. I do not have an answer to how this can be according to the laws of physics. I therefore deduce that this event is a miracle!

It is worth mentioning that Jesus only does the ‘magic’. When the disciples tell Jesus to send them away to eat, Jesus replies with the command,

“You feed them!”.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Our churches focus on worship, fellowship, discipleship before we think of this most fundamental of human needs. The appalling reality is that while billions starve, God’s earth produces more than enough food for everyone in the whole world. And it wouldn’t even take a miracle! All it would take is a dose of Jesus’ compassion.

Rev. Michael Duke