March 2024
Nougat 20
How do we fulfill God’s mission in our lives? By being open to God’s direction in the face of disappointment of course. Look at Jesus’ approach to the crowd in Today’s Holy Nougat
for example.
“As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled;” Mark 6:34, 41-42 NRSV
Feeding the Hungry
A much-loved hymn during my childhood years speaks of us believers committing ‘to the work, to the work’ so the hungry are fed, as we follow the path that our Master has trod. For the most part, despite the Great Commission, I heard it solely in relation to physical food. This great miraculous feeding however, invites us to consider spiritual food supplied by Jesus.
In another incident (see the Woman at the Wel, in John 4), Jesus actually tells His disciples that He is nourished by the interactions with others desirous of deeper understanding. By extension, the quest for healing and knowledge from the multitude that generated Jesus’ compassion can be equated to spiritual nourishment. We realize that although meeting our physiological needs is crucial – especially in relation to rest – it must be tempered with our yieldedness to God’s agenda for our lives. This includes compassion at times when it would be more convenient to be selfish.
This was also required for physical nutrition (material) needs, as individuals sometimes sacrifice everything in their quest for the Divine. Is it any wonder that many churches nowadays tend to link support services with mission? We are called to meet needs as we live the Great Commission. There is no substitute for feeding the hungry – regardless of its nature.
May we be found faithful on the day of reckoning.
Feed Your people through us please Jesus.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
