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Mark 6:35-38
When it grew late, [Jesus’] disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send [the crowd] away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”

To ponder
When we live our lives strictly in private, concerned only with our own consumption, when we hoard and do not share, then we live in continual fear of scarcity and never learn of the riches that a public life can bring. - Parker J. Palmer, the Company of Strangers

Teach us to share
Five loaves of bread and two fish were all the food the disciples could find to feed the crowd. That initial meager fare is a stark reminder that when no preparations are made for travel through a deserted place, the outcome can be brutal.

In today’s world, the term food deserts describes places that have little access to fresh food at a a fair price. Far too often, people living in these places suffer from the poor health that accompanies a poor diet. Many urban food deserts exist in reasonable proximity to an abundance of food, but political and social barriers keep those who are poor from obtaining what they need.

Jesus noticed that people in the crowd were hungry, and challenged his disciples to meet this need. He continues to challenge his disciples today, and calls us into a new community where all are fed. Feeding others is part of who we are as his body, his church, and indeed his people.

Prayer
We look to you, O God, to care for our bodies and souls. Awaken us to do our part to end the scourge of hunger. Amen.

(from: “A Story to Tell: Devotions for Lent” Bekki Lohrmann, Harvard Stephens Jr., Lydia Posselt, David L. Miller; Augsburg Fortress, 2020)