Have you ever volunteered for a food ministry through your church or some other organization?
Yesterday, I took my seven-year-old son with me and we joined our church group in a ministry, feeding the homeless. We had breakfast sandwiches from McDonald’s, Chick Fil-A, and Burger King. Our group also served water, coffee and apples. Afterwards, my son asked me why we were doing this, and I told him about the scripture of the loaves and fishes. I felt that he needed to know that, as a Christian, we needed to help others because we’d be following Jesus’s example and this is what He’d want us to do.
I’d never volunteered for this ministry before, but, I found that I enjoyed doing it and seeing others hungry, without food, was a sobering thought. Also, it was really upsetting to see children living on the street in Washington D.C.
I wondered if any of you have ever volunteered with a similar ministry before, either through your church or some other organization? If so, tell me a bit about your experience. Leave a comment!
John 6:1-15
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wagest to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.