Left Overs

We don't think much of leftovers in middle America. They are just something you take home from a restaurant or put in the refrigerator for another time.

One day Jesus was teaching the multitudes speaking of the kingdom of God and healing but there was a problem at the end of the day. No food. (see Luke 8) The disciples wanted the crowds to go away to some of the towns. Where they were ministering was in an isolated place. Jesus had another idea: "You give them to eat." As usual the disciples looked at their resources. Here it was: five loaves and two fish.  The crowd was around five thousand. Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit in groups of fifty. Then he blessed the small resource given and gave the crowds to eat.  AND THERE WERE LEFT OVERS 12 baskets full of fragments.

In another account there is the admonition about the leftovers "let nothing be wasted." 

Every summer at camp we see very hungry children. Lunchtime is very hungry time with children having been out playing sports. We teach children to bless the food and we always have enough.

Children who are poor are used to not having enough to eat. Some of them even try to stuff their food down their shirts to take home. A left over  that consists of their lunch.

We serve a God who feeds people with the Word of God but he also sees human need. Our Lord knew what it was to be hungry. He had gone without food for 40 days in the wilderness. Jesus came from a poor family. The poor and their needs were no surprise to him.

Recently Patty Cardona mentioned that the cancelling of summer school was a real hardship BECAUSE THE CHILDREN WERE FED lunch.  It is hard for us to imagine being so close to the edge that a few lunches per week make a difference.

They do.  Left overs count. Think about it.