Wealthy people, poor people, kids, adults, progressives, conservatives… we all get hungry. Using their stomachs as a common denominator, Jesus was teaching them that their needs united them in solidarity with every other person.
And if we can see that what another person needs is the same thing that we need, it has the power to awaken our compassion for that person. Recognizing our common humanity can break down the walls that divide us so that when we see someone else in need, we want to help them just as we’d want them to help us.
By feeding thousands of people, Jesus is showing us in this story that his kingdom is not a place of scarcity, but a place of abundance. Not a place of fear, but a place of generosity. A place where there is sufficient food and drink and where the needs of the whole person are satisfied.
Meeting the needs of our neighbors is one of the most important characteristics of being a follower of Jesus. He doesn’t just give us what we need, he gives us more, so that we can give it to others. Not only are all needs met, it also reminds us that we are recipients of grace. Everything we have from God is a gift rather than something we’re entitled to or that we’ve earned.
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Wealthy people, poor people, kids, adults, progressives, conservatives… we all get hungry. Using their stomachs as a common denominator, Jesus was teaching them that their needs united them in solidarity with every other person.
And if we can see that what another person needs is the same thing that we need, it has the power to awaken our compassion for that person. Recognizing our common humanity can break down the walls that divide us so that when we see someone else in need, we want to help them just as we’d want them to help us.
By feeding thousands of people, Jesus is showing us in this story that his kingdom is not a place of scarcity, but a place of abundance. Not a place of fear, but a place of generosity. A place where there is sufficient food and drink and where the needs of the whole person are satisfied.
Meeting the needs of our neighbors is one of the most important characteristics of being a follower of Jesus. He doesn’t just give us what we need, he gives us more, so that we can give it to others. Not only are all needs met, it also reminds us that we are recipients of grace. Everything we have from God is a gift rather than something we’re entitled to or that we’ve earned.
Maybe you feel like you’re alone making major decisions or struggling through transitions, changes, and challenges. And if so, you might wonder, “Where is God?” Is God on the sidelines, judging how well you’re doing or does God jump in and do it all for us?
God cares about this world and God has chosen to change individual people, to give them life by the Holy Spirit, so that as God’s people, the church can be the change that God wants to bring about in this world.
God empowers, energizes, puts in us new desires and new abilities, but it’s not coercive. God has begun a work in us and God will continue that work and at the same time, Paul repeatedly encourages the Philippian Christians to choose to live the way God is calling them to live.
Haverhill Commons Church
Wealthy people, poor people, kids, adults, progressives, conservatives… we all get hungry. Using their stomachs as a common denominator, Jesus was teaching them that their needs united them in solidarity with every other person.
And if we can see that what another person needs is the same thing that we need, it has the power to awaken our compassion for that person. Recognizing our common humanity can break down the walls that divide us so that when we see someone else in need, we want to help them just as we’d want them to help us.
By feeding thousands of people, Jesus is showing us in this story that his kingdom is not a place of scarcity, but a place of abundance. Not a place of fear, but a place of generosity. A place where there is sufficient food and drink and where the needs of the whole person are satisfied.
Meeting the needs of our neighbors is one of the most important characteristics of being a follower of Jesus. He doesn’t just give us what we need, he gives us more, so that we can give it to others. Not only are all needs met, it also reminds us that we are recipients of grace. Everything we have from God is a gift rather than something we’re entitled to or that we’ve earned.
