Feast on the hillside

Or, the feeding of the 5000 as it's better known.

At last a story about lots of people eating until they were full without all the media hype regarding trans fat, too many carbs, American obesity et al ad nauseum.

What makes this text just a tad out of our reach is the enormous gap between what was reality for 1c. Palestine and what is reality for those reading this blog in 21c. affluent America.  Unless you are on a stringent diet, none of us truly knows what it means to go hungry, to have no idea where our next meal will come from, and to have little or no choice in what we will be eating.

When fisherman Dad had a bad day on the boat and brought home just 2 little fish, he didn't go down to the local fish market and buy another couple pounds for dinner.  Everyone simply ate less until the catch was better. 

When I traveled to Africa in 2010, again and again I was asked what the price was for bread.  It's a good thing folks didn't ask about milk since I no longer buy it, but what kind of bread did they mean?  White, sandwich, in a long loaf bread?  Or multi-grain, low fat, good for you bread?  How could I explain that I choose not to purchase the cheap stuff but opt for the $4 a loaf multi-grain stuff.  Oh to have the luxury of choosing!

I listened to another radio report regarding American eating habits.  For years the "Mediterranean" diet has been touted as healthy.  This is a diet based on vegetables, olive oil, pasta, a little meat.  This is not some kind of fashion diet - it is how poor people eat.  They grow the vegetables, harvest the olive trees, make pasta/bread out of some kind of grain, and rarely, rarely eat meat.  When those who had followed this pattern of eating for years were asked what they would change they mostly answered - eat more meat.  Well, if you eat the meat, the benefits of the diet do down hill.

I share all of this because we Americans have a very different relationship with food than does probably 3/4 of the rest of the world - most certainly we have access to a veritable feast in comparison to those gathered around Jesus that day.

That is to say, I'm not sure what is more amazing about this story from their point of view:  that in Jesus' hands what looks like a meager offering becomes an abundant meal for a very large number of people; or two, that these folks ate and ate and ate until they were FULL and there were abundant leftovers.  In Jesus' hands, the pedestrian meal becomes sufficient to fully satisfy those who sat at his feet.

God has been providing meals for folks throughout the Bible's story of faith.  Adam and Eve had an apple (OK, that's not the best example), Elijah provided for the widow of Zarephath, manna fed the Israelites in the wilderness.  So we see that Jesus has the same concern regarding the hunger of his people - and the God given power to provide for them.

It might be a surprise to you that you have God given power to provide for the hungry as well.  Few of us will be carrying a basket with 2 fish and 5 loaves to church on Sunday (I especially hope you leave the fish at home) but a couple of dollar bills from your wallet can provide a blessing to those who hunger.  Who are they?  Somalians, dieing at an alarming rate due to famine.  The horn of Africa countries (S. Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, etc) who are experiencing another devastating drought.  The people of the near west side of Syracuse who look to St. Paul's food pantry for help eating.  (we gathered veggies in July, peanut butter in August).

If you want to see the Holy Spirit at work, watch the food gathering table in the Social Hall or the total of offerings given to Lutheran Disaster Relief to feed the hungry in Africa. 

That's all for now.  God bless your cooking, your eating, and your generous giving.
Pax.