Friday 13th January 2023
Trust in the Lord and be doing good; dwell in the land and be nourished with truth.
Let your delight be in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desire.
Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. Psalm 37:3-5
You Lord are the bread of life;
feed us with your wisdom.
Our meat is to do the Father’s will.
guide us in all we do
Whenever we eat or drink
Let it be to the glory of God.
Reading Mark 6: 38-44 ( from The Message)
But he was quite serious. “How many loaves of bread do you have? Take an inventory.”
That didn’t take long. “Five,” they said, “plus two fish.”
Jesus got them all to sit down in groups of fifty or a hundred—they looked like a patchwork quilt of wildflowers spread out on the green grass! He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. They all ate their fill. The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. More than five thousand were at the supper.
Table Piece
Around the table, smallest to largest,
youngest to oldest – comfortable and companionable.
Bread, first mixed and kneaded,
shared together at the table.
Wisdom, debated and pondered,
gathered from around the table.
Gentle chiding, loving acceptance, laughter –
differences reconciled at the table.
Thanks given, prayers said, hands clasped
a place of worship at the table.
Kith and kin, friends – all welcome: love
a community built around the table.
Prayers
We give thanks O Lord, for the food we have to eat,
for the opportunities we have to eat together,
for the times we gather to share and learn together,
and for the joy of worshipping at your table.
We pray Lord, for all who struggle to get food to eat,
all who lack the companionship of friends and family,
all who are exploited and all who are fall prey to disinformation,
and for all who have yet to feel included at you table.
Stir us Lord, to respond with generosity and determination
to feed the hungry,
to transform the inequalities of society,
to reach out to those starved of love,
and to nourish all with your word.
Amen.
The Green Tau 