"To till it and to tend it"
In the second creation story at the beginning of the Bible, God places the human being in the garden of Eden "to till it and to tend it." God's original intention for us is to make use of the abundance we have been given and to use it wisely. Our 9:15 Christian Formation series during Creation Season has focused on our original vocation as farmers of the earth and conservators of its abundance - especially as it comes to food. Come join us this Sunday as we continue the series. Last week we discussed global hunger and reflected on the remarkable fact that there is more than enough food produced to feed every person on the planet abundantly, yet today so many go hungry. The problem is not one of food scarcity, but of distribution. God gave the garden into the hands of all people and yet, we humans tend to hoard what we get in order to press our advantage. So what can we do about this? Archdeacon Joanne Leslie has given us some resources to explore, especially Bread for the World (bread.org), where we can learn ways to advocate for global food justice. Yet right here in our own community, we encourage you to give out of your abundance to the work of our food pantry. Along with the stewardship of creation, we continue to reflect on the stewardship of our financial resources through our pledge campaign. We seek to become the community of Christ's love - a community that shares its resources to do God's work in the world. Our community needs your help to continue to demonstrate the love of Christ who demonstrates how we are to share when he gives himself to us in the Eucharist. One amazing Bible story brings these two themes together. As our patron St. John relates the story of Jesus feeding the multitude, a young boy offers his small lunch of bread and fish to the disciples to share with the thousands who need to be fed. The disciples say, "what good is that for a crowd like this?" But Jesus takes what is offered, he gives thanks, breaks it and shares it and everyone not only has enough to eat, but there are twelve baskets of leftovers. That is the logic of Christian giving: offer sacrificially what you have to offer in faith and God will give the increase. As our mission hymn puts it, "Christ breaks bread and bids US share." Jesus invites us to step up to give what we have to share with our community. We will have enough to do the work we have been given to do. The world's hunger will be fed when those with bread give it to those who have none. That is the lavish logic of God's kingdom.