Monday, January 14, 2013

Satisfied


And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. -Matthew 14:19-20 (NIV)

Several months ago, a friend of mine was coming to visit and wanted to go to Lynchburg, TN while he was here. If you know anything about Lynchburg, you know that they have some great places to visit: the Moore County Library, several United Methodist churches, and at least one other place full of the spirit. One of the places my friend definitely wanted to visit was Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House.

Despite growing up in this area, I'd never been to Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House. When we got there, they seated us at a large table with complete strangers. The food was delivered in communal bowls and placed on the table. We were instructed to take as much as we wanted from each bowl and then passed it to the person next to us. When a bowl was empty, they brought another to the table.

Being seated at the table with people I didn't know and having to share food with them forced me and my friend to talk with the strangers at our table (not that I really have to be forced to talk to strangers). Before the end of the meal, we knew where each other was from and we were laughing and joking together.

In the suggested scripture reading for today, Jesus encounters a large crowd of people, has compassion on them, and heals their sick. As evening approaches, the disciples encourage Jesus to send the people home so that they can eat. Jesus responds by telling them that the crowd doesn't have to be sent home to eat; they can eat right where they are. He then commands the disciples to give the huge crowd something to eat.

The only problem is that there doesn't appear to be enough food for everyone. The disciples only manage to scrape up five loaves of bread and two fish.  But Jesus directs the huge crowd to sit down nevertheless. He blesses what little food has been collected, instructs the disciples to distribute it to the crowd, and everyone eats and is satisfied.

If their dining experience was anything like my Miss Bobo's experience, everyone was satisfied with their meal but they were also connected to people in a way that they had not been before the meal. They knew more about where people were from. They enjoyed a joke and a laugh. They knew something about each other's story that they did not know before the meal began.

One of the reasons why I love our church's hot meal ministry to the hungry is because we sit down with people that I might not otherwise meet or know. We share food and we share our stories. We joke and we laugh. And the best part is that we leave the table satisfied..and it's not just because of the food either.

May God grant you the grace to be satisfied not just by the food you eat today but by the people with whom you eat it.





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Tomorrow's suggested readings: Matthew 15

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