Monthly Message | November

“They ate until they were full. They collected seven baskets full of leftovers.” Mark 8:8 (Common English Bible)

Grace and peace to you friends.

That verse from the Gospel of Mark isn’t from Jesus’s famous feeding five thousand people that is recorded in all four gospels. Instead, it is from the lesser known feeding of four thousand that Jesus presided over. The story made me think of the Thanksgiving meals many of us will enjoy this month. I know at my family Thanksgiving meals, we eat until we are full, and there are still leftovers, which — I think we can agree! — usually end up tasting so much better when you enjoy them over the next day or two than what you ate on Thanksgiving.

The story also is another example of Jesus’s showing his abundance. Whether it is feeding five thousand or four thousand, Jesus always gives more. We receive his abundant grace and love each day. Jesus just gives more.

Abundance is a word that churches use a lot, understandably so. It is an accurate word to describe God, God’s love for us, what God has given us, and what God can do with the gifts we share. Yet, many may not feel a sense of abundance in the world, whether we are talking about food, peace, affordable housing, or financial accounts. As I write this, Pennsylvania still doesn’t haven’t a state budget and the federal government remains shut down. Wherever you stand politically, those stalemates are impacting many people in our communities. We are seeing it play out firsthand at St. Mark with the increase use of our Food Pantry and hearing from organizations St. Mark has connections with expressing their needs. Scarcity, rather than abundance, is what many may be feeling

But let us go back to that word — abundance. Jesus gave everything to ensure our lives with him. We are forgiven by God and have eternal life with God because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of that, we have an abundance of freedom. We are free from sin and death, and we are free, then, to serve and care for one another however we are able. In those great feeding stories of the gospels, the disciples didn’t think they had enough to feed everyone. They brought what they had to Jesus — and it was enough. It was more than enough! We may think we don’t have much to offer, but with Jesus, when we offer what we can — prayers, some cans of food for the pantry, financial offerings — Jesus takes what we offer and turns it into something more than we expect. 

Entering this season of thanks-giving, we give thanks to Jesus, our abundant savior. He shows us and offers us life with him — a life that is full of grace and love. It is a life that is to be shared because there is always more than enough.   

Finally, I give thanks to you, the St. Mark community. Thank you for the grace and love you have shown and shared with me and my family. We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pastor David