What do we think when we come across a story which we find hard to believe? We find ourselves asking "Did it really happen?", and we try to find ways of explaining the story so that it fits in with our experience. For example, when the first Australians saw the towering white sails of the first European ships, and the strange, pale people who came ashore, they thought they were ghosts, bodies from which all the colour had been drained.

To the Europeans, the Aborigines, with their spears, woven baskets and possum skin cloaks were seen by the Europeans as primitive, unintelligent, half human savages.

Now, of course, we know that both were wrong; but at the time each party was trying to make sense of their experience in ways that they could understand.

Looking back, we see now that the eighteenth century was a turning point in world history, not just for the Aborigines and European visitors to Australia. It was in that century that scholars started to question the literal truth of the miracles of Jesus. Take, as an example, the feeding of the 5,000 men which we heard about today. The scholars had never experienced the mysterious multiplication of food, and neither, perhaps, have we.

So they began to analyse and to seek a proper, logical explanation. Perhaps the people were so moved by Jesus' generosity that they brought forth the food that they had hidden in their clothing or travel pouches, and discovered, by sharing, that it was enough for all. Or perhaps it was not a physical feeding at all, but symbolic and spiritual; - Jesus fed the people spiritually when each person received a tiny fraction of the shared food.

May be this is what happened - either story is a reasonable explanation - but why bother to explain at all? Why don't we simply accept the miracle as it stands, listen to the story and hear what the message is for us. After all, when a baby is born, we could spend all our time investigating and explaining what has gone on from conception to birth, but most of us accept the baby with joy and wonder and start to love this precious new child of God which we have brought to birth.

Perhaps the difference between the explanation and the miracle is the difference in language. The explanation deals in hard facts; the miracle deals with acceptance, joy, wonder and love.

When we look at the miracle of the feeding of the crowd we find this language in plenty. Jesus had gone to a deserted place, by himself, and the crowds had followed him on foot from the towns. They too were in this sad place, separated from the familiarity of the town. They had gone out looking for something or someone, and Jesus saw that they were in need, and had compassion on them.

In the evening, it began to grow cold, and the people were hungry, and a long way from home. The disciples thought in terms of facts - people need food, let them go to buy some from the villages. "No," said Jesus, "The people are here, not in the villages, let them be fed here, you feed them." Jesus gives the responsibility to the disciples. "You feed them," he said. When I prepared this I thought immediately of the refugees who have come to Australia; who are far from their own place and need to be fed by us. Perhaps this is one message we might carry away with us today. We cannot simply sit around and wait for God to feed the hungry or house the homeless or employ the workless - we have the responsibility to labour alongside God.

In the story, Jesus' disciples have only a very little, barely enough for themselves. They've already counted it out, five loaves and two fish. And this is enough. What they have is acceptable to God, however little, it can be used. In Jesus' hands the food is enough for five thousand men, as well as the women and children, probably more like twenty thousand all told. It is good to know that God can always use what we bring, even if we can only bring five small loaves and two dried fish. Many poor Christians have been encouraged by this story to offer their little for the work of God's kingdom, knowing that no sincere offering is too small for God to use. For us, when we see the extent of the world's problems, we are inclined to think that there is nothing we can do. This story reminds us that if we do as much as we can, then that will be enough. The trouble is that so few people are prepared to do as much as they can. Finally, after all the people, all twenty thousand, have eaten their fill, the scraps are gathered - a mere twelve baskets, after all those people. Compare this to the truckloads of scraps left down at the main football stadium after a match! God provides, and provides generously for all creation, but there is none to waste. There must be no greed or waste, or some will go hungry. And this reminds me of the mountains of food piled up and rotting in parts of America and Europe, while in other parts of the world there is famine and starvation. Surely God is speaking to this situation in the parable of the miraculous feeding.

Perhaps the value of this miracle to us lies in the feelings and actions of Christ and the disciples. Jesus took the bread, the bread the disciples gave him, and gave thanks to God and broke it, and it was enough for all.

Maybe the whole world would be a better place if everybody looked more at miracles.

Perhaps we can start with ourselves, to see the miracles which happen around us and to start some miracles of our own.