Feed Them

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he tried to see him. On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:1-17

Jesus never failed to feed the hungry who gathered around him. He never failed to heal those who asked for healing. We often fail to admit to our hunger and our real need. Church folks are reluctant to ask for the prayer they ache for, as it makes them feel more vulnerable than they want to be. Yet, the hungry flocked to Jesus and were never disappointed, the hurting found their way to him, and never were refused. May we who carry the love of Jesus in our hearts, always be ready to ask for what we need and always be praying and actively serving those who ache to be healed, fed and surrounded with love.

Wondrous Creator, there is need the wide world round

and there is so much abundance and so much suffering

Jesus came and fed the throngs and healed everyone

there are no limits to the abundance of your sacred love.

We pride ourselves as independent, self-starting folks

forgetting the ancestors, the family and neighbors

that have held us, fed us, took us to holy healing

and we forget to bring every need every day to Jesus.

Lord, give us humility so we might see the needs

those within us, those on the margins and those silenced

and help us to offer all that we have asking your blessing

so that all our days might be filled with loving service. Amen.