Let Nothing Stand In The Way

This week’s lectionary reading, Mark 5:21-43 is unusually timely and applicable to the headline news this week—the upholding of the Affordable Health Care law by the United States Supreme Court.

In the Mark passage there are two individuals introduced, well, depicted at least.  One is Jairus, who seeks the healing of his young daughter, and the other is a nameless woman, lost in the crowd.  Jairus is a man of position, power and influence. He was one of the synagogue leaders.  The nameless woman, however, had no such power or position in her society.  What little status she may have had was long since lost.  She had a disease that had deemed her socially and religiously unclean for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on medical care that had not cured her. 

These two individuals represent the growing divide in our nation.  Those of substance and power who seem to have at their disposal resources that have been lost or remain unavailable to others.  The woman is a clear representation of those who may have begun the battle for health with some degree of security and means.  Through the course of treatment, however, she had depleted her resources—the insurance company, had there been one, would have cut her off—still, her suffering and need continued.  I am glad these individuals are paired in this account.  In Jesus response we are vividly reminded of the scope of healing and hope offered by God.  Both those with means and those without are afforded the access to healing and wholeness.

Both Jairus and the woman had a lot to overcome to seek healing from Christ.  Jairus, as a leader of the synagogue, was among the privileged of his day.  He was a benefactor of the collaboration the faith system of the day held with the imperialism of Roman oppression.  It was a group with hostility toward Christ, who opposed this alliance and use of the religious system for personal gain and privilege, a means of oppression instead of compassion.  He risked it all for the healing of his daughter.  He would not allow his respected position and privilege to stand in the way.  He stood to lose it all by turning to Christ.  He would not let the reports of his daughter’s death to stand in the way of his believing that Christ could yet do something to restore his daughter. 

The nameless woman also faced many barriers in reaching out to Jesus for healing.  There was the social stigma of women in the day.  There was the ritual issue of uncleanness due to her disease.  Then there was the multitude that overshadowed her and prevented her access to Jesus.  She allowed none of this to stand in the way to her hope for health and wholeness.  She reached out her hand in spite of who she was and what the multitude thought about her—or the fact that they didn’t think about her at all. 

Nothing would stand in the way of hope for health and healing for Jairus or this woman when it came to the suffering of themselves and those they loved.  The message is clear.  The suffering, whoever they are, are to have access to hope and wholeness.  Nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of the hope of those who suffer.  This week, thankfully, the constitution of this country was not used to stand in the way of those who are suffering without access to resources for hope of health and wholeness!  This week the pressing multitude that leaves the facelessness of suffering lost in crowd began to part; to make a way for the suffering to at least stretch out their hands and hopes.

One more significant lesson is offered in this passage which is applicable to the events of this week in our country.  That is Jesus example when approached by Jairus.  Remember, Jairus, in essence, is of the “other party.”  The leaders of the synagogue already had it in for Jesus and would continue to oppose his teaching to continue their own power.  Yet, when he came to Jesus with the account of one—a child—who was suffering, there was nothing that would stand in Jesus way from responding.  Not even the fact that he was of an “opposing party.”  Whatever our political perspective on the issue of the Affordable Health Care law, as followers of Christ, when it comes to our suffering, the suffering of those we love, the suffering of the faceless individuals lost in the crowd, even the suffering of those who disagree with us or oppose us, nothing should stand in the way of access to hope for wholeness and health!

In the Epistle reading for this week, II Corinthians 8:7-15, the Apostle Paul challenges us to “finish what we started” when it comes to acts of generosity and compassion.  It is human nature to need encouragement to carry through the things we start.  We lose motivation and commitment over time.  We grow tired when obstacles get in the way.  We must hear this admonition in relation to what is only beginning with the Affordable Health Care law.  This is but a beginning.  It will be a path with ongoing challenges, obstacles and differences of opinion.  When this happens, and it has already begun, let us have the spirit of Jairus and the woman in the crowd.  Let us allow nothing to stand in the way when it comes to providing access to hope for health and wholeness to any and all who suffer.

                                                                                                                        June 29, 2012

Do You Need A Wakeup Call?

I Samuel 3:1-10   

John 1:43-51                                                              

                                     

When I read the text for today from I Samuel I am not sure if I am reading a page from the annals of Hebrew Old Testament history or a description of today’s Christian church.  The similarities are striking!  First, the text declares the word of the LORD was rare—there were not many visions.  While that was the case for Israel in Eli’s day it could also be said of today’s church.  What new word have we heard from the Still Speaking God lately?  Where have all the visions gone?  The text depicts a nighttime scene in the tabernacle.  It is a scene which, again, has striking similarities with many contemporary congregations—and not just at night.  We are often a sleepy lot!  Is it just me and Eli or are others having issues with “eyes becoming weak?”  And what about Eli “lying down in his usual place?”  Nobody had better try sitting in our pew, that is where we usually sleep!  Then there is the whole authority issue.  Samuel is said to be “ministering before the LORD, under Eli.”  If there was to be a word from the LORD, to whom would it be assumed to come?  Certainly not young Samuel.  And what if, be it ever so rare for there to come a word—a wake up call from God—what is our first reaction?  Hit the snooze button and lay back down.  The issue may not be that the word of the LORD is rare but that we have become sedentary, comfortable and not perceptive of the ways in which God’s voice is still speaking.

The text is applicable to today not only in the area of our need for a wake up call but also in the depiction of hope that remained for Israel and which remains for us.  The text states, “the lamp of the LORD had not yet gone out.”  This was the lamp that burned each night beside the Ark of the Covenant.  The actual statement indicates that the events are taking place during the night, the morning had not come.  There is, however, some sense of divine foreshadowing, that although the word of the LORD was rare, the presence of the LORD remained—the wick was still burning. 

The issue is a statement of Epiphany.  God’s lamp has not yet gone out.  As rare as the word of the LORD may seem, as depleted as we may be of vision, there is still time to receive and heed the wake up call of God.

How is this wake up call heard?  Well, how does Samuel learn to hear and know the voice?  The first thing I notice is the attention to discipline.  It was while being faithful to the mundane, routine goings on in the life of the tabernacle that the word of the LORD was heard.  Even when the word of the LORD was rare, even when there were no visions, even before Samuel knew the LORD on a personal, experiential basis, he was there doing what he had been assigned—what was necessary in the everyday life and work at the tabernacle.  I see depicted in Samuel a devotion to detail and diligence in observing the practices of the faith—tending the lamp.  I also get a picture of this little kid sleeping “on the chancel.”  Cozied up as close to God as he could get.  I see Samuel, responding in the only way he knew how as things started happening that he did not quite understand.  When God did speak and Samuel did not quite know what was going on, he went to the only place he knew to go.  He went to Eli, the aged priest, teacher and guide. 

And what about Eli?  Granted, the word of the LORD was so rare that he did not readily recognize what was going on in the tabernacle that night; he was so quick to hit the snooze button when the wake up call did come, that had it not been for the persistence of the voice of God, the word of the LORD would have remained rare and there would still have been no vision. Yet, once Eli realized that the word of the LORD was coming—and it was not coming to him he not only made room for Samuel he used his experience and knowledge to guide and prepare Samuel to hear that word.  He was not concerned about Samuel “ministering under” him.  He was not concerned, as God was not concerned, about protocol, qualification, status or rank.  Eli played a part in God’s message getting through even if he was not the one to whom God was speaking.

“The lamp of the LORD had not yet gone out.”  The voice of God was still calling and, with the help of Eli, Samuel heard it. 

The Gospel reading for today also depicts a wake up call.  Nathaniel was found by Philip.  Now, I don’t know what Nathaniel had been doing under the fig tree—apparently Jesus would have known—but my imagination sees him having found a cool place in the shade of the fig tree for an afternoon nap.  If he was not literally asleep, he was figuratively dozing in the comfort of his own prejudices and opinions.  Then, along comes Philip with a not so welcome wake up call about some religious non-sense out of Nazareth.  With all of the hospitality of one whose afternoon nap had been interrupted by a door to door religious solicitor, Nathaniel displays his prejudices and opinions.  He tries, like Eli, to hit the snooze button and dismiss the disturbance with his sarcasim, “can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  But Philip, like a mother rousing a sleeping school child, increases the volume of the wake up call with his classic enticement, “come and see.”  Nathaniel was wide awake when Jesus displayed powers beyond explanation.  Rubbing  his eyes to make sure he was awake and not dreaming he professes, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”  Now, that is getting a wake up call!

Both of these passages offer us hope and challenge in this season of Epiphany.  We see that God does give wake up calls.  We see that no matter how drowsy we may be the voice of God can still come through loud and clear.  Our challenge is to hear and respond to the voice and presence of God that is within and throughout our world.

Is the word of God rare?  I don’t think so.  You know what I think?  I think if we are perceptive to the voice of God we will hear in countless places a continual wake up call that, as Samuel says, “will make the ears of all who hear it to ring.”  I think, like Nathaniel, we have confessed our faith because of what we have already heard but, like Nathaniel, we ain’t heard nothing yet!  I think if we would but wake up to the voice and call of God we too would see angels continually ascending and descending.  The next time God sends a wake up call, don’t dare hit that snooze button.  Awaken and say, “Here I am!”  For God is calling each and every one of us by name.

Are You Feeling It Yet?

                                                         Isaiah 9:1-7; Luke 2:1-20

                                                         Christmas Eve 2011

We have spent the season of Advent preparing.  We have been decking the halls and shopping since Thanksgiving, or longer.  We have been partying for weeks.  Are you feeling it yet?  Feeling what?  You may be feeling many different things at this point.  You may be feeling the merriment of the season; having reconnected with friends and family, having expressed love and joy to those dear to you, having given even to those who remain strangers to you.  Maybe you are feeling the joy.  Or, maybe not.  Maybe you are feeling the peace of remembering and resting in the traditions of Christmases past.  Or, maybe not.  Whatever you may or may not be feeling yet, I wonder if you are feeling the mystery of Christmas yet.  Maybe there is still time to enter into the mystery of Christmas even at this late hour.  Tonight’s Christmas Eve service is what Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser series would call “the last chance worship.”  It is for all those who have worked hard to prepare but may not be feeling the real mystery of Christmas yet.  It is a last chance to focus on and abandon ourselves to the mystery before us.

We gather here tonight and focus on a manger in a stable and on the baby who was born and laid in that manger.  Why do we come, year after year, to repeat this tradition?  I believe we are drawn here by the mystery that we find only in gathering to celebrate this tradition in this way.  Whatever else we may feel in all of the preparations we have made it is here, and only here, that we truly enter into the mystery of this holy night.  Let us stand, even kneel, at the manger and behold him.  Let us abandon ourselves to the mystery of this holy night.

Notice first the mystery of the darkness of this night.  We gather in this, the darkest season of the year, because we are a people familiar with the darkness.  We are those of whom Isaiah spoke, “the people who walk in darkness.”  We are drawn here as partners in solidarity with one another against the darkness.  We gather in the darkness to defy the power and fear of darkness.  We gather in darkness to proclaim our faith in the one who was born and laid in the manger, the one who has “shined a great light on us.”

The mystery of the manger in Bethlehem proclaims that we are partners with all of creation.  Whether presented live or in art, the Nativity is never about just humans.  There are cattle and sheep.  There are stars and the open air of a night sky.  There are Angels.  This holy night proclaims that the event happening here, the birth of Christ, will touch all of God’s creation.  This mystery is about all of creation standing before the one who was born to reconcile and redeem all of creation of which we are part.

The mystery of all mysteries this holy night is the mystery of the Incarnation, God dwelling among us.  Every other religious tradition is focused on humankind’s endeavors to approach the deities, whether through feats of worthiness, feasts of enticement or fat of sacrifices.  The mystery of this night is that at this manger the God of God’s has come to dwell with us.  God has entered into the midst of the darkness, fears and oppression in the vulnerability of a human baby.  This child laid in a manger is Emmanuel—God with us.  O, Holy Night!

We have gathered here tonight from our scattered places.  I think we have come to the right place.  Something draws us here.  I think it is the mystery.  I think of the old movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  There is a scene in the Close Encounters movie which speaks to the drawing power of a mystery.  People who have seen the UFO in the movie have a compelling draw to go to Devil’s Tower, the projected site of the upcoming alien landing.  Against government order, these people begin to arrive at Devil’s Tower with a determination which is unstoppable.  One of the scientists who is working for the government is intrigued by this magnetism and says, “It’s still a mystery to me why they are here.  Even they do not know why.  Mysteriously they have been drawn here in their quest for something they can’t comprehend.”  He continues, “We didn’t choose this place; we didn’t choose these people.  They were invited.…(They are) a group of people who have shared a vision in common.”

We are drawn here because we are a people who have shared a vision in common.  It is a vision of light that has shined upon us.  It is a vision of unity with all of creation.  It is the assurance of the dwelling of God among us.  Here in this place, in this moment, we enter into the mystery of this holy night.

To feel the mystery of this night we must but stop and behold the Child in the manger.  To enter into the mystery of this night we must but abandon ourselves to God…and receive our Emmanuel.

What More Could We Be?

                                                                                                  Isaiah 40:1-11

                                                                                                  11-04-12

                                                                                                   Advent II

How about those prophets?  They intrude on our otherwise joyous season of Advent.  Their voices crying, strange and disturbing words.  Always they leave us with a challenge rather than the warm fuzzies.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather hear stories about the weary traveler finding rest for the expecting mother.  I would rather hear about the angels who couldn’t keep a secret finding the poor shepherds.  Tell me about the baby wrapped in the swaddling clothes and lying in the fresh hay of the manger as the animals are seemingly the first to respond.  But the prophets, Isaiah, John the Baptist and the rest, seem to say to us, “No!  You are not ready for that story!  If you want to hear that story you must get ready; make the necessary preparation.  Then, and only then, will you be ready to receive the story of the events that are coming.” We, like those who went out to hear John the Baptist, think these prophets have to be crazy.  At the very least, they are a sorry lot who want to say bah-humbug to our otherwise joyous season.

While we would like to receive the good news of Christmas without the challenge that is not the way it goes.  If we are to hear the songs of the angels we must first hear the cries of the prophets.  If we are to arrive at the manger we must “prepare the way.”  Let’s stop and listen to the cry of Isaiah today.  Let’s try to understand what it is he is saying to us.  Let’s attempt to respond to his challenge in a way that would prepare not only ourselves but the world in which we live for the coming of the Christ Child.

It is important to remember that the prophets were more “forth-tellers” than “fore-tellers.”  Yet, they seemed to look at the state of affairs of their day and see more.  They were aware of the ills of the time in just as real a way as everyone else but they could also see the “not yet” of what God purposed and was preparing to do.  They could see what was not visible to others.  They were a voice that gave rise to hope in the midst of disappointment and doubt.  They could proclaim comfort and peace even when suffering and conflict were the realities of the day.  The message of Isaiah we hear today is, “Get ready!  Make the necessary preparations!  God is going to do something but you are not ready for it just yet.”

Let us ask ourselves some challenging questions based on this cry of the prophet.  First, what are you aware of that is not yet seen?  It sounds like one of those elusive questions of philosophy that has no substantial answer.  Yet, it is one that had the prophets not entertained, they would have been silent.  Had the prophets not asked the question and sought the answer, there would have been no vision of what God was about to do.  There would have been no hope beyond what already met the eye.  So, what is God doing that is not yet seen in your life, in our congregation, in our neighborhood and beyond?  Isaiah and his counterparts would challenge us, regardless of the conditions of our day, to capture a vision of God’s “not yet.”  This is a vision not reserved for Old Testament prophets or ancient holy men.  It is information God offers as an “open secret” to all who will allow themselves to look, see and imagine in new ways.  To arrive at this awareness we have to look past what is physically present.  We have to look into that which is about to become visible.  We have to join the prophets in seeing God’s “not yet.” 

We all have fleeting glimpses into the “not yet.”  We can, when we let our defenses down, begin to imagine how things could be different than they are—we know things are not as they should be, whether in our lives or in our world.  What do you imagine being different?  That is where the prophets started.  But they didn’t stop there.  They didn’t dismiss what they were seeing that was not yet visible.  They didn’t allow it to be hidden—but cried out the message that all could hear.  They did not dwell in the boundaries of doubt and personal limitations.  They simply stood, in the face of reality, with eyes of their spirit wide open and took a peek beyond what they were seeing.  Then, they told everyone what was “yet to be.” 

The first way these prophets disturb us is by challenging us to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and gaze into God’s “not yet.”  It goes beyond taking a glance and realizing that things are not as they should be…anybody can notice that. But, what do you see coming that is “not yet” seen?  Take a look with the prophets into God’s “not yet,” catch a vision and proclaim it boldly, regardless of who it disturbs.

That would have been challenge enough but Isaiah doesn’t stop there.  He perceives not only the “not yet,” of how things could be different but he realized that he and his hearers were a part of it.  The prophets realized that if things were not as they should be, and they weren’t, they were to be where the change began.  So, Isaiah calls the people to make preparations necessary for God’s purpose to come.  Isaiah’s second challenging question to us is “what more can you be?”  We are put into the scenario of the “not yet.”  Isaiah calls his hearers and us to be more than our immediate situation.  We are called to be more than passive observers.  We are to be more than victims of circumstances.  We are to be even more than visionaries.  We are to become the change God purposes to bring into reality.  “Prepare the way…make straight the way…”  The call is to make the preparations in our lives, in our world, for the change to take place. 

When it comes to the peace we think about this second week of Advent, we are challenged to become more than we have been.  It is not enough to notice the places peace is less of a reality than what God intends for our world.  It is not enough to imagine what it would be like if there was “peace on earth.”  Isaiah cries for us to make a way for it to happen.  We are reminded of our personal responsibility by Quinn Caldwell who writes, “if you really want swords beaten into plowshares you’re going to have to work.  You’re going to have to pay and organize.  You’re going to have to convince other people, people like you and people who run businesses that do stuff that you can’t do yourself, that peace is profitable.” 

In short, we are challenged by the prophets to not only capture a vision but to use that vision and risk doing the work to make it into something real.  We are challenged to do the work of personal involvement and preparation that it takes to test, to refine, to start over as many times as it takes.  This is the kind of work that is enough to make us give up before we ever start.  This is the kind of work that, if we refuse to do, keeps things the same and prevents the “not yet” from ever becoming a reality.  We are called to ask ourselves what more we can be.  To paraphrase Isaiah, eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor has it entered into our hearts what we are prepared to become. 

It would be so much more convenient to start with the baby in the manger.  But we have to go to Bethlehem through the prophets.  We can only hear the angels’ songs after we have paid attention to the cries of the prophets.  They challenge us to ask what is not yet seen.  They challenge us to ask ourselves what more we can become.  When we answer these questions, and only when we answer these questions, are we ready for the rest of the story.

In a moment we will be called to the communion table.  We will affirm our faith; we will confess our sins and receive assurance of pardon; we will bless the bread and cup.  Then we will hear the words, “The gift of God for the people of God.  Come all is ready.”  Let these words be about more than our participation in communion.  Let these words be our Advent prayer.  Let us see the “not yet” gift of God; let us see ourselves as the people of God and all that we can become.  Let our Advent prayer be “Come!  All is ready!”

More Than Meets The Mouth

                                                                             “More Than Meets The Mouth”

                                                                                      Amos 5:18-2 

                                                                                      11-6-11  Mission 1

           

Today we will receive communion.  A small piece of bread and tiny cup of wine or juice.  But, no one would say that the communion we receive is only bread and wine.  While there may be a wide range of what we individually understand to be present in the bread and cup, we agree and affirm that these elements are more than meet the mouth.  In this cup we celebrate the gift of God’s grace.  We affirm our commitment to Christ, through whom we who hear and see the message of God’s grace.  We renew and restore our fellowship with God and with one another as a community of faith.  This bread and this cup become more than meet the mouth.

Think quickly about the institution of this sacrament.  Jesus, in the night that he was betrayed, together with his disciples, after the Passover Feast…the Passover Feast.  Again, food, but food that was for Jesus and his disciples more than met the mouth.  Food that was for generations of Jews before and after Jesus’ meal much more than met the mouth.  The food at that feast was and is filled with meaning.  It was a living symbol of God’s deliverance and presence with the Israelites in the Exodus.  It was and is a memorial and a source of connection for the people Israel. 

In both the Passover Feast and Communion, food becomes more than meets the mouth.  It becomes a mystical and spiritual experience which unites us as community and with our God.

Could this also be the case not just for the bread and cup we will share today but also for all other food as well?  Could food be more than meets the mouth?

Norman Wirzba in Food and Faith:  A Theology of Eating, writes that, “Eating joins people to each other, to other creatures, to the world, and to God through forms of ‘natural communion’ too complex to fathom.”  He wants us to understand that every mundane act of eating is a daily invitation to commune with God, one another and God’s creation.  It’s all about communion, community and membership.

Wirzba writes about eating in “exile.” He offers many ways in which we may eat that do not enhance our connection to creation, the God of creation or one another.  For our purposes today let us consider those who are in Exile from the very substance of food; those who live in “food insecurity,” or who have uncertainty regarding the availability of affordable, healthy food. 

According to statistics, that is 15% of American families.  Feeding America, a hunger relief agency, tells us what we have already realized in our community pantries, that food from pantries is no longer being used to meet temporary acute food emergencies. A majority of pantry clients now visit food pantries as a “normal” part of their survival strategy.  Many stories are circulating about those who used to go to neighborhood pantries to donate food but are now forced to go there as recipients.  Families are routinely faced with a dilemma of whether to pay for food or utilities, food or transportation, food or medicine.  And with the climate of the economy, more of those facing these decisions are employed, sometimes at multiple jobs and remain without resources for the basic needs of life for themselves and their families.  Child poverty rates reached 22 percent in 2010, up from 16.2 percent in 2000.  In our neighborhood the number of children living in poverty increased by 200 percent in those ten years.  Combined with this issue is the problem of Childhood Obesity.  A problem aggravated by the simple fact that calories are cheap but nutrition is costly.  In turn, poor health and related cost of health problems find those who struggle buried even more deeply and often without resources with which to address the problem.

These issues cannot be ignored.  Mission 1 is an initiative to call for not only our attention but for our response as a people of faith.  Mission 1 is a good name for the initiative for a couple of reasons.  One is, I think food and feeding people is God’s first mission.  In the story of creation, Adam and Eve are placed in a Garden and given the plants of the earth for food.  God sent Joseph ahead to Egypt to lay up food for the people in preparation for a coming famine.  The Children of Israel were fed in the wilderness by bread from heaven.  God provided for the widow of Zeraphath through the presence of Elijah.  Jesus fed the hungry multitude.  God has always been about providing food.  And when God provided food, it was always meant for sharing.  Feeding people has always been God’s Mission 1.  Why?  Because food is more than meets the mouth.  Remember the analogy made by Wirzba, “every mundane act of eating is a daily invitation to commune with God, one another and God’s creation.  It’s all about communion, community and membership.”  All food becomes holy elements of communion.  It is our source of connection to God, to creation and to one another.  In and through food, in some way that is too powerful to comprehend, we do become one.  This prayer of Jesus, the UCC motto, “that they may all be one,” is to be best realized WHEN FOOD IS RECEIVED FROM GOD AND SHARED BY ALL.  Maybe we could say that when it comes to calories food is cheep; when it comes to nutrition food is expensive; but when it comes to communion, community, and connection to God… that food is priceless.

Mission 1 calls for a response.  A bold response.  The goals are lofty and challenging.  As a denomination, the members of UCC congregations will collect more than 1 million items of healthy food for local food banks; gather contributions of more than $111,111 for Neighbors in Need offerings; and offer more than 11,111 letters to congress asking for reform that more effectively benefits hungry people worldwide.

In this initiative we hear the cry of Amos for Justice to roll like a might river; for Fairness to be like a vast ocean.  But Amos was wrong.  In spite of how Amos and we would like God to act and listen to our cries, Justice and Fairness do not seem to come like that.  Instead, justice and fairness seem to enter our world in small, seemingly insignificant acts.  Not as rolling, raging rivers but in the gentleness of small, single seeds planted, tended and nurtured in hope.  It may not be noticeable.  It may not be clear how these tiny seeds of righteousness will take root but when they do they will most certainly carry with them the prospect of bearing good fruit, of bearing a hundred-fold harvest.

It is not about boldness as much as it is about faithfulness.  It is not about largeness as much it is about the least of these.  It is not about the far-reaching as much as it is about the up-close and personal.  I find the paraphrase of Amos from the Message to be an ultimate warning for us in the wake of a bold campaign to address hunger and human need.  The Message has God saying this:  “I can’t stand your religious meetings.  I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.  I want nothing to do with your pretentious slogans and goals.  I’m sick of your fundraising schemes, your public relations and image making.  I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music…Do you know what I want?  I want justice-oceans of it.  I want fairness-rivers of it.  That’s what I want.  That’s all I want.” 

I am under the persuasion that the rivers of justice and righteousness flow one small drop at a time, one small seed at a time, one small bite of food at a time. Let the small piece of bread and the tiny cup we receive today be the source of a river of justice that will not cease to flow until all the gifts of God are shared by all of God’s children. Remember in receiving this bread and this cup that it and all other food is more than meets the mouth.  Realize that food is a holy gift of God.  Realize that food, like all the gifts of God, is to be shared with all.  In sharing food—the gift of God for the people of God—we share communion.  Communion with God, with creation and with one another.  We are called to share food that we may all be one.