Most of the significant meals Ive had have been in unusual circumstances. When I was in Leipzig in 1990 I was invited to the flat of a Russian woman teaching in the city. As I crossed the city early in the morning, I was confronted by gangs in black shirts, mimicking fascists and made my way hurriedly to an enormous area of large tower blocks row on row. I was received by my host who lived in a tiny two room flat and asked if I wanted a shower. I was somewhat taken aback at this, but it was dry and dusty. I was given fresh fruits, sliced, a luxery then and enjoyed a level of hospitality second to none. Meals are made special by how they are made and who we share them with. Its no accident that many of the stories in the gospels are set in the context of meals and middle Eastern hospitality.
The feeding of the 5,000 is told against the backdrop of growing dissent. You were either for Jesus or not.
Many people were coming and going so that they didn’t have time to eat
so Jesus calls them away to go to a deserted, lonely place by boat
acroos the lake to eat, identified as as the north-east side of lake
Galilee. But the people saw them going and ran on foot getting ahead of
them.When Jesus got out of the boat he saw them and (instead of being
annoyed as I would have been) he felt sorry for them and even though he
was hungry he began to teach again. By this time it was late in the day,
so the disciples told him to send them away so they could buy something
to eat. But he said back to them “Give them some food yourselves" and
they responded that it would cost eight months wages! So he asked them
“How much bread do you have?” And they found five barley loaves,
probably flat bread and two fish, probably cooked or pickled fish.
So
he told them to tell the people to sit down in groups and they sat in
groups of hundreds and fifties(how many picnics have you been at like
that!). Having looked up to heaven , he blessed the bread, and gave
thanks and gave it to them in successive distributions. He also divided
the two fish and distributed it. They ate until they were full and
couldn’t eat anymore. The left overs were collected in 12 strong wicker
baskets as well as pieces of fish. The men present were more than 5,000
plus women and children.
In
the desert the people find spiritual and real food. In hard times,
desert times its the same. I heard of a woman this week who has MS. She
is very ill. She leant on her husbands chest and realised he had a heart
murmur. She has elderly parents who depend on her and she said "I cant
ask why me!" That is a desert place. Hopefully she will be sent the
right people to lean on during this very hard journey.
Every
3 seconds someone dies of poverty in our world. To address this and
usher in a new way of being, where everyone has something to eat, we
will have to share and have less. Maybe that would be good for us too. A
different sort of miracle.
Intercessions
22nd
July 2012
Jesus felt sorry for the people he saw on the
shore because of they looked lost and hungry. So today, loving compassionate
God , we pray that, those who do not know you may come to the realisation of
their place as your children, loved and accepted for who they are.
For those who fast from dawn to dusk in
Ramadan, we pray that their spiritual insights reflect your generosity and peace
and guard everyone against fundamentalism whatever their espoused faith.
We pray for others, in the full knowledge
that our own actions do not always benefit the perfect world you have created.
Help world leaders do everything in their power to create peaceful and law
abiding environments, even if they don’t really understand the benefit of the
healing through faith in you. In countries full of strife, help them to
bring peace and fairness to their beleaguered people
Be close to grieving families worldwide,
especially those killed in accident off the coast of Tanzania and as a result
of the massacre in Colorado. Violence is never far from the surface it’s only a
year since a similar event in Norway and yet guns are still so readily
available.
The commercialisation of the Olympics is
causing negative reaction, help all those involved to focus on the ancient
spirit of celebration, dedication and determination. and ensure that conflict
between countries represented does not mar the event. At same time British food
fortnight starts, help us all to consider how we can contribute to offsetting
the food poverty experienced by increasing numbers of people in this country.
Encourage moderation and support businesses that exhibit ethical
behaviour. We all recognise that we have a part to play by making choices that
protect scare resources and recompense producers fairly for the work they do.
As Jesus fed the 5 thousand, so help us to act in a manner that demonstrates
our commitment to follow him and do all we can to feed, physically, emotionally
and spiritually those with whom we interact.
We pray that the problems caused by the wet
summer will not permanently affect this country. For those who have holidays,
that they will have a time of rest and joy. For some, the lack of work, family
difficulties and money worries mean that relaxation is far from their minds.
Help us to remember those who find daily living a challenge, especially when
struggling to find a meaningful purpose in life.
For those suffering ill health, loneliness
and grief we pray for relief, especially in a moment of quiet we remember those
close to us who are need to know your loving support.
Jenny Airs
