Jesus is still feeding the Hungry - November 12

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; Neh. 7:73b-8:3,5-18; Rev. 18:21-24; Matt. 15:29-39

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”

I’m not sure the parallels need much explanation. Jesus sees hungry people.
And Jesus’ response is compassion — not judgment — only compassion.

I also just want to say thank you.

I know this reflection goes out to more people than just Saint Stephen’s, but for the past two Sundays, when I’ve left the church building at the end of the day, the two tables at both entrances have been overflowing with dry goods. And the proceeds from our Meals for Missions outreach will be used to purchase over 25,000 pounds of food through the Central Alabama Food Bank for the pantry we support in Fairfield.

This is not just inspirational — this is the Gospel lived.

You and I, by our compassion and care for one another, get to participate in the incarnate God who loves, who cares, and who feeds those who are hungry. The challenge is not simply to notice the needs of the world — but to recognize that our acts of compassion are signs of a living faith. They reveal Jesus Christ alive, risen, and at work in this world — through us.

And so maybe the invitation today — is simply to keep going.  We are called to keep pouring out compassion. We are invited to keep trusting that even small offerings become abundance in God’s hands. And through our faith, we are encouraged to keep believing that Jesus still feeds the hungry — and that sometimes the loaves and fishes look like cans of soup stacked on folding tables in the elevator lobby or outside our church offices. 

Thanks be to God.
John

Question for Self-Reflection: Where is Jesus inviting you to respond with compassion today — and what might it look like to actually act on that invitation?