A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 30 April 2015
Read Matthew 25:34-40
Sunday after Worship Service we had a special meal for self-denial. We each bought tickets in advance to raise money for overseas missions: to help those around the world who have nothing or very little. We had no idea what would happen next...
Three people were chosen at random to sit at a beautiful table in our usual dining room (which doubles as our gym) complete with a nice tablecloth, fancy cutlery, bowls, plates, etc. They were each waited on, served a multi-cultural meal and provided with more wonderful food than one could even imagine. There was so much special food that they could not even finish everything that was served to them.
The rest of us lined up and received a scoop of rice in a bowl. We did not have fancy tablecloths; we did not have special drinks; we did not even have cups or cutlery. We just had a bowl of rice.
Linda and Ora (who put on this meal) informed us that the three people at the head table, who were served and had an overabundance of food, represented us in Canada and the other ‘first world’ countries. The vast majority of us, who only had a single bowl of rice to eat, represented to vast majority of the world. The three at the head table did nothing to earn the overabundance; their names were picked at random. Those of us born into affluence here did nothing to be born into privilege and those born without food did nothing to be born without. Even though God has provided more than enough to feed our whole world many times over, this is what our world looks like today.
The question for us (especially those of us who live in countries that have much) is what are we going to do about it?
www.sheepspeak.com
[1] Based on Linda Jaster and Ora Jansen’s Multi-Cultural Meal. Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 26 April 2015.
Read Matthew 25:34-40
Sunday after Worship Service we had a special meal for self-denial. We each bought tickets in advance to raise money for overseas missions: to help those around the world who have nothing or very little. We had no idea what would happen next...
Three people were chosen at random to sit at a beautiful table in our usual dining room (which doubles as our gym) complete with a nice tablecloth, fancy cutlery, bowls, plates, etc. They were each waited on, served a multi-cultural meal and provided with more wonderful food than one could even imagine. There was so much special food that they could not even finish everything that was served to them.
The rest of us lined up and received a scoop of rice in a bowl. We did not have fancy tablecloths; we did not have special drinks; we did not even have cups or cutlery. We just had a bowl of rice.
Linda and Ora (who put on this meal) informed us that the three people at the head table, who were served and had an overabundance of food, represented us in Canada and the other ‘first world’ countries. The vast majority of us, who only had a single bowl of rice to eat, represented to vast majority of the world. The three at the head table did nothing to earn the overabundance; their names were picked at random. Those of us born into affluence here did nothing to be born into privilege and those born without food did nothing to be born without. Even though God has provided more than enough to feed our whole world many times over, this is what our world looks like today.
The question for us (especially those of us who live in countries that have much) is what are we going to do about it?
www.sheepspeak.com
[1] Based on Linda Jaster and Ora Jansen’s Multi-Cultural Meal. Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 26 April 2015.
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