CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH - ANDERSON, INDIANA - MARCH 15, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Invitation to Share What You Have

In the midst of a great need, the offering of one small, seemingly insignificant gift can become the catalyst for a miracle. This act of sharing, born from a willing heart, is what Jesus asks for. He does not demand what we do not possess but instead takes what we are able to give. When we offer our humble resources to Him, He blesses and multiplies them for purposes far beyond our imagination. The journey of faith often begins with a simple, "Here is what I have." [21:06]

Then a boy from the crowd spoke up. “I have five barley loaves and two fish,” he said, “but what good is that with this huge crowd?” (John 6:9)

Reflection: What is one resource, talent, or gift you currently possess that feels small or inadequate? How might you offer it to Jesus this week, trusting that He can use it?

Day 2: God Multiplies Our Meager Offerings

We serve a God of abundance who specializes in doing much with little. The transformation begins not with our own strength or planning, but with Christ’s blessing. He takes our ordinary offerings and ordains them for His extraordinary work. Our role is not to create the miracle but to present what we have for Him to multiply. The outcome is always more than enough to meet the need and to provide for those who served. [25:59]

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” (John 6:11-12)

Reflection: Where in your life or community are you facing a situation that feels impossible to address? What would it look like to place that situation, along with your available resources, into Jesus' hands for Him to bless?

Day 3: The Call to Organized and Faithful Service

Following Christ’s direction requires both listening and acting with intention. He provides a plan for how to effectively serve those in need, ensuring that care is administered with order and compassion. This service is not haphazard but is guided by His wisdom and command. We are called to be active participants in distributing His multiplied blessings to the world. [26:20]

“Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each,” Jesus instructed. So the people all sat down. (Luke 9:14-15)

Reflection: As you consider the needs around you, what is one practical step you can take this week to organize your time or resources to serve others more effectively?

Day 4: The Principle: Those Who Serve Are Served

A profound truth of God’s kingdom is that generosity leads to fulfillment. The disciples who served the meal were the last to eat, yet they each received a full basket. When we prioritize the needs of others, we discover that God faithfully provides for our own. Our act of giving does not leave us empty but opens us to receive the abundance He has in store. [23:35]

So they all ate and were filled, and the disciples took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. (Matthew 14:20)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you hesitating to give because you fear being left with nothing? How might trusting in this kingdom principle change your actions?

Day 5: Remembering Christ, Our Ultimate Provision

The table of communion is a profound reminder that Jesus is both the preparer and the provision of our spiritual nourishment. In taking the bread and the cup, we remember His ultimate sacrifice and His ongoing presence with us. This act is an invitation to consume not just symbols, but the very reality of His life within us. We are called to carry Him into the world each day. [34:29]

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26)

Reflection: As you reflect on the truth that Christ lives in you, how does that reality influence the way you view your resources, your time, and your purpose this week?

Sermon Summary

Central Christian Church frames Lent as a forty-day season of focused preparation that calls for clearing burdens, offering forgiveness, and sharpening spiritual attention. Rituals include dropping a stone into water as a symbol of letting go, lighting candles for intercession, and sharing simple elements at the remembrance table. A theme of “taste and see” ties spiritual truth to everyday physical metaphors: ordinary recipes and pantry practices become teaching tools that make memory and discipleship practical and memorable.

Practical examples anchor the spiritual points. Simple kitchen habits—keeping bone broth, frozen vegetables, and basic aromatics—become metaphors for readiness and resourcefulness. Leftovers transform into nourishing stew, illustrating how small, humble provisions can be repurposed to sustain many. The feeding narrative of the five thousand reframes scarcity: travelers carried kofinos (lunch baskets), so food likely existed among the crowd; yet only a poor boy freely shared his modest meal. That generosity, combined with Jesus’ blessing and organization, produced abundance.

The account emphasizes mutual responsibility: the church must not merely point people to external sources but must serve, organize, and distribute what it already holds. Jesus’ instruction to assess available gifts, bless them, and implement an efficient plan highlights the interplay of faith, stewardship, and practical logistics. Serving comes before entitlement—those who labor to feed others eventually receive provision themselves. Physical sustenance opens space for spiritual teaching; meeting bodily needs creates the patience and perspective required to receive deeper truths.

The remembrance table deepens the lesson. Bread and cup function both as memory of sacrificial life and as invitation to embody that life now—allowing the body and heart to become living vessels of Christ’s presence. Prayer, communal order, and humble giving unite: planned readiness, shared resources, and organized service multiply what appears insufficient and invite people to taste and see the goodness meant for the whole community.

Key Takeaways

1. Give what you already have Jesus asked to see what was on hand rather than lamenting lack. Small, ordinary gifts can become channels for God’s multiplication when offered willingly and blessed with intention. Generosity often begins in scarcity; the act of giving reorients fear and releases creative provision. [25:46]
2. Organize service with simple plan Efficient distribution matters as much as the offering itself. Clear roles, calm order, and practical steps prevent waste and enable immediate care for need. Structure honors both dignity and urgency, allowing grace to move through disciplined action. [26:20]
3. Feed needs before teaching Physical hunger disrupts attention; meeting basic needs creates readiness for spiritual formation. Nourishing the body expresses love that opens hearts to deeper truth without coercion. Material care and proclamation belong together; one prepares the soil for the other. [27:06]
4. Communion as continual invitation Bread and cup recall past sacrifice while inviting present embodiment of that life. Communion calls for internal reception of Christ’s way—so that daily actions reflect the table’s grace. Remembering becomes active living when remembrance shapes relationships and service. [35:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:23] - Drop a Stone: Letting Go Practice
[02:56] - Communion Elements and Participation
[06:34] - Lent: Forty Days of Preparation
[07:58] - Theme: Taste and See, Recipe Metaphors
[09:56] - Pantry Habits: Practical Readiness
[12:51] - Leftovers Stew: Repurposing Food
[13:23] - Feeding the Multitude: Context Explained
[22:29] - Miracle of Sharing and Multiplication
[25:46] - Use What You Have: Church Lesson
[27:06] - Serve First, Teach Second
[35:01] - Communion: Remembrance and Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
John 6:1–13 (ESV)
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

Observation questions

What did Jesus ask the disciples to do before distributing the food, and what was the result?
What practical items did the sermon mention keeping in a pantry to be ready to make a simple meal? [09:56]
According to the sermon, what was the likely reason many in the crowd had food but weren’t sharing it initially? [19:11]
How many baskets of leftovers were collected, and who received them?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus tested Philip by asking where they could buy bread, when he already knew what he was going to do?
What might the boy’s willingness to share his small lunch reveal about the relationship between humility and generosity?
The sermon suggests the miracle involved both multiplication and a change in people’s hearts toward sharing. How does this shape our understanding of how God provides through community? [22:29]
Why is it significant that the disciples who served also ended up with a full basket each? [23:20]

Application questions

What’s one practical, small resource—like time, a skill, or an item—you already have that you could offer to help others this week?
How can you create more “spiritual readiness” in your daily routine, similar to keeping a well-stocked pantry? [27:28]
When have you seen a simple act of serving or sharing open the way for deeper conversation or spiritual connection?
In what area of your life do you tend to focus on what you don’t have instead of using what you do have?
How can the principle of “serve first, then receive” change the way you approach your relationships or responsibilities? [29:34]
What would it look like for you to “taste and see” God’s goodness in a tangible way this season?
How does regularly taking communion reshape not just your memory but your daily actions and choices? [35:01]

Sermon Clips

46s

#GiveAndMultiply

“Do you want to live in peace? Then make peace. Do you want to be forgiven? Then forgive. Do you want to be loved? Then love. You make peace first, and then you have peace. You forgive people first, and then you are forgiven. You love people first, and then you are loved. Do you want to be fed? Then feed. Those who serve will be served. God will multiply, but you need to give what you have.”

57s

#RemembranceTable

“Jesus invites us to sit down at a table where he has both prepared the meal and in a way is the meal. This this time of remembrance. We call it a remembrance table because we are taught to remember what Jesus did when he gave up his life and came back from the grave. But also, we remember what he does. We are reminded that he's still alive, that the whole purpose was that we would consume everything that he is. Not just tick off the boxes of do's and don'ts, but we would actually take his hand, follow him, invite him to live inside a temple that is our bodies, that is our hearts, our minds, that he would come in, and that we would carry him around or that he would wear us as clothes and be represented here on earth.”

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CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH - ANDERSON, INDIANA - MARCH 15, 2026 - LENT IV