Well Fed

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.” His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. Mark 8:1-10

My mother often told stories about growing up in Oklahoma among her people. She talked a lot about the meals that were made for the holidays and how no one would go hungry. They may have had very little, but they shared with everyone. She remembered being a small child, sitting outside with the Cherokee men, They had already eaten but were waiting to go in again, if there were any leftovers. She remembered their laughing and their story telling, joking they might go back in multiples times once the guests had left. I always wondered about this story and where or to whom the leftovers went. God is always generous and provides, even when we are so fearful, like the disciples. I have to assume that some of the food was sent home with those who came from a distance and to those in need nearby. God invites us to consider how we might too be generous with such abundance.

Creator, you are the source of abundance

sending sun and rain in due seasons

breaking open seeds and sending them forth

so all the world might be generously blessed.

We humans are anxious and we stock pile

the bounty which we should be sharing

we worry about enough in these hard times

when you have promised abundance always.

Let us be faithful with all we have been given

let us share the abundance we have received

make us providers for those who are waiting

help us serve you by feeding the hungry in your name. Amen.