The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord,
and you give them their food in due season.
Today’s scriptures can be summarized by that prayer many of us learned as children: “Good food, good meat, good God, let’s eat!”
In our Isaiah passage, we join with the exiled people of Judah as they contemplate what it might look like to return to Jerusalem after war, destruction, and exile. In the face of so much suffering, there’s an implicit question that the book of Isaiah hopes to answer: “Will God keep his promises?”
In the brief section we red today, Isaiah speaks in the voice of God, leaving no doubt as to the answer: “Yes.” In fact, God will not just restore his people to their previous life, he will lead them to a place without want, where no one is thirsty, hungry, or forced to beg for what they need.
This is a place where anything you have – no matter how small – will buy whatever you need. Empty out your pockets and hand God the penny, the paperclip, the lint, the old receipt. And, in return, you will receive wine and milk and bread.
Now, we know that, despite Isaiah’s prophecy, peace in Jerusalem didn’t last forever (at least not on this side of the new heaven and the new earth). But that doesn’t make these words any less important. Because – regardless of the present circumstances – they tell us exactly what God’s ideal world looks like.
They tell us what God understands as perfection. And God’s perfect world is one in which no one is hungry. It is one in which having enough food to eat isn’t based on how much money you have in your pockets. And it is one in which our basic human needs are put front and center. God’s presence is first and best understood through his provision. We know God’s love when we are fed.
We are confronted with God’s ideal world again in Matthew’s telling of the Feeding of the 5,000.
At the beginning of this story, Jesus has just learned that his cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded. In grief and fear, he retreats from his ministry to get some alone time, when he is confronted by a needy crowd. As day turns to evening, the people are starting to become restless with hunger. So, the disciples – undoubtedly exhausted themselves – invite Jesus to send the crowds away to buy their own food.
But Jesus knows something more is possible. The people are hungry. It’s the perfect time to show them what God’s ideal world looks like.
So, he takes five little loaves and two little fish and raises his hands and breaks the bread in an image that reminds us of Holy Communion. Then, he hands it to the disciples to pass around until everyone is full. And they all take home leftovers that night.
The scale of this feast is what makes it a miracle. But the basic premise of it – feeding the people in front of you – is just common sense for the Son of God. Because Jesus knows that God’s presence is first and best understood through his provision. We know God’s love when we are fed.
It is a rare Sunday when the bishop asks you to preach on a specific topic. It is rarer still when the bishop asks you to preach on a policy issue. But the Episcopal Diocese of Texas has designated this day as “Call to Feed the Hungry Sunday.”
Along with our interfaith partners, Episcopal churches across the state are sharing an urgent message today: No one should go hungry. And everyone deserves to be fed.
In Bishop Doyle’s own words:
“When Jesus fed the five thousand, he did not turn people away. On August 2, we are invited to do the same — to open our doors, gather our communities, and raise our voices for the millions of Texans who depend on SNAP to eat.”
SNAP, which stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a government program that ensures that low-income families can buy the basic food they need not to go hungry. While SNAP itself began in 2008, federal food assistance – often called “food stamps” – has been around since 1939.
But before all that, there were charities…
In fact, the first government aid programs came out of a political environment influenced by Christian charity, particularly the “Social Gospel” movement. This movement was rooted in a Christian social ethic of care for the poor. It was set up by churches to assist people flooding into cities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Of course, those “Social Gospel” Christians didn’t invent charity. They were following the example of their first-century Christian siblings.
We know from our scriptures and historical records that the first Christians were known to feed the hungry. In fact, their entire mode of worship was centered around a shared meal – called a “love feast” or “agape meal” – that included Holy Communion. In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul reminds church members in Corinth to wait for everyone to arrive before they start eating, to make sure that the late-arriving, working poor have access to a hearty meal.
So, we see that, in their worship, the first Christians were enacting God’s ideal world by making sure that no one went hungry.
Following in their footsteps, when SNAP benefits were put on hold last fall, the church sprang into action. Here at our church, we donated hundreds of pounds of food to our local food pantry, launching a food drive in less than a week.
At the same time, our day school converted one of their “Little Free Libraries” into a “Little Free Food Pantry,” and we couldn’t keep food on the shelves. In fact, we still can’t keep food on the shelves. I restocked the pantry on Monday afternoon and by Tuesday morning, only 4 cans remained.
I don’t know if you know this, but many food pantries limit families to receiving food only once per month. The restriction is a practical one – there simply isn’t enough food to go around.
According to the Episcopal Health Foundation:
“Hunger affects 5.4 million Texans, including children, seniors, working families, and people in our own pews. Each month SNAP helps about 3.5 million of our neighbors put food on the table. Our churches and food ministries do extraordinary work, and they cannot meet this need alone. SNAP provides 90% of food assistance in Texas. Churches and charitable organizations provide the other 10%.”
Food ministry is perhaps the defining work of the church throughout the ages. It is central to our worship. It is what we are known for. It is who we are. And that is the reason why the church has a stake in the future of food programs in this country. After all, it was Christians who first advocated for and inspired these programs, knowing that the scale of need necessitated a response bigger than the church discretionary fund and more systematic than the local food pantry.
Programs like SNAP are not perfect – and certainly, there may be a better solution than what we have right now – but they can still help us in the work we are called to as Christians.
Today we are confronted with the same question that Christians throughout the centuries have been trying to answer: How does God invite us to respond to his love and provision?
Just like the disciples at the Feeding of the 5,000, God calls us to “take and eat,” and share, until everyone is fed. To this end, the Diocese of Texas is asking us to encourage our representatives to fully fund SNAP. They are asking us to sign on to their Call to Feed the Hungry.
Of course, we know that the fulfillment of our Gospel call will take more than a single program or policy. Above all, our faith invites us to respond, from a variety of gifts and a variety of places, to the fact of such great need, not out of obligation, but from our own gratitude.
Because we have experienced God’s love through his provision of “daily bread.” So, we give with open hands and receive without shame, knowing that God’s ideal world is one in which all are fed. Amen.
Learn more about the Episcopal Diocese of Texas’ Call to Feed the Hungry here.
Leah Wise 