From Pastor John Collins:
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first
and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV).
The grocery stores will be busy today with all the people
rushing to get those last few items they had forgotten or to get the whole meal
that will be cooked tomorrow. This Thursday is one of the days of the year that
a big meal is cooked, there are leftovers and naps and it is a day of feasting.
There are over 48 million people in America that are in
poverty and are part of a ‘food insecure’ household. There are children and
parents and grandparents going hungry, not able to imagine a feast for the day
because having enough food every day is a luxury that they do not have.
There are almost 800 million people around the world who do
not have enough food to eat, enough to feed their children and staying alive is
a challenge and claiming health is a near impossibility. There are billions of
people who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving although they have celebrations that
are unique to their history. We have an opportunity to come together in prayer
for those who are without on this day that we gather in this country and ask
for nourishment to find its way to those who lack it.
There are too many people who take their fortune for granted
and who will be throwing away food because too much was cooked and will think
nothing of it. Take a moment to look in your cupboards and consider what you
can give to those in need in your town. There are organizations everywhere to
help those who are hungry and if one cannot be found then consider your church
and if not your church then another church and if there is not a way for you to
help those locally maybe there is a need and an opportunity for some work to be
done in the name of the Lord.
“Then His disciples answered Him, ‘How can one satisfy these
people with bread here in the wilderness?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves do
you have?’ And they said, ‘Seven.’ So He commanded the multitude to sit down on
the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave
them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the
multitude.” Mark 8:4-6 (NKJV).
