From Rev. Pat Kriss: All People, Not Just Some
(Posted July 26, 2018)
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them
except in the form of bread.” – Mahatama Gandhi
This Sunday we will conclude our July series where our services have revolved around the story behind some of our favorite hymns. This Sunday’s hymn is, in fact, so VERY familiar because we sing the melody of it every single Sunday in our Doxology: All People Who on Earth Do Dwell.
All People. That theme fits so well with Sunday’s Gospel, which finds Jesus and the disciples facing a throng of 5,000 followers, and hungry ones at that. What Jesus and the disciples have in front of them in the way of food is what one little boy has brought with him: five barley loaves and two fishes. Now, there are several ways that Jesus could have approached the situation. One way would have been to feed only some of the people. Sorry… there’s only food for my disciples. Sorry, only people who’ve contributed to our cause get fed. Sorry, only Jews get food. Or, as a consequence of a prevalent attitude today, he could have disavowed himself completely from their poverty. Sorry, your hunger is not my problem. You created the situation. You handle it.
Worship with Us
Services begin at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome.
But that’s not what Jesus chose to do. He recognized that All People Who On Earth Do Dwell share the need to have their hunger satisfied. All People. Not just some people, divided by arbitrary criteria like ethnicity, race, religion, gender. Jesus did not exclude. There was not even a thought of that. Instead there was an unmistakable need for a miracle of abundance to take place out of the meager basket of food. And so it was. All People were satisfied on that hillside.
We, too are hungry for the assurance of God, that God companions us through the lean moments of life. This Sunday as we gather and sing our chosen hymn, we bring our recognition of the abundance of the gifts we receive in our lives and raise our voices in praise. Too often these days we come to church for what we “can get out of it,” and forget that we are also there to worship and praise God. I hope you’ll sing with us then. (I will be taking a week of vacation starting August 1.)
Join Us Monday! An Update on our Meet-up Group, Faith and Foam: Seven of us gathered last Monday at Three Brothers Diner to discuss our spirituality and beliefs. It was a very nourishing experience of thoughtfulness and a lot of laughter! We’ll be meeting one more time this coming Monday, July 30 at the diner starting at 5:30. Everyone is invited, and as one of our “foamers” said, she has friends who want to come as well. Faith and Foam will resume starting September 10, and we will publish a calendar of dates. - Pastor Pat Kriss