“And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.” Luke 15:37
It’s easy to feel these days that all hope is gone. Violence, natural disaster and political division threaten every community, country and continent.
How can we overcome this bad news? How do we combat messages of hate and mistruth that lead to fear, scarcity mindsets and hatred?
We’re familiar with the Feeding of the 5000 in the gospels. Did you know there is a feeding of the 4000, too?
Yeah, Jesus likes to take scarce resources, bless it and make it feed the masses. In the midst of the miracle, disciples are instructed to feed and pick up the broken pieces. In Matthew 15, seven baskets are filled from those broken pieces, far more than the 7 loaves and a few fish.
I don’t know how big those baskets were. Maybe they were big. Maybe small. Nevertheless, all were fed and with more, or at least as much as what they had begun with, leftover.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve gathered Statements of Intent to help Risen Lord continue its mission to share God’s love through word and action to all people in 2023. Each commitment, no matter the amount, joins the generosity of others to fill a basket.
We are collecting gift cards and gifts for the Lutheran Child and Family Services Christmas Store to help families in need provide the joy of sharing gifts at Christmas. Each gift offers joy to an entire household.
We are collecting bags of non-perishable food for The Refuge food pantry. Each item fills a bag that helps a family share several meals together.
Hopefully, you voted this week. Each ballot fills a basket of hopes and dreams for the future of our country.
We offer prayers to God, giving thanks for what we have and pleading for the healing of all the broken pieces of this world. These prayers fill the heart of God whose love and mercy flows forth in ways not always known.
Every broken piece fills a basket. You matter. The broken pieces of your life and of our world are gathered into the arms of Jesus who is healing, redeeming and setting us free to continue feeding one another with what he gives to us.
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