Today we had our annual Thanksgiving food giveaway that we call, One Big Feed. I don’t know where the name came from. It was called that long before we started attending this church. I guess it is called that because even though we have a food bank that serves thousands each month, this event is our biggest, one-day food exchange. Yes, it is an exchange.

No, we do not charge money. It is free to all that show up. But there is an exchange that happens. They get food and we get the honor of serving. They get the food and we get the honor of praying for them. They get the food and we get the joy of learning a bit about them as we walk them to their car. They get the food and we get to meet people from our church in a new light. They get the food and we get the fellowship. They get the food and we give the glory to God.

The name of this event still aroused questions in my mind. It took me to a story I have read and have heard many times. This story is truly about a BIG feed. Mark 6:30-44 tells the story of Jesus feeding over 5000 people. Now that is ONE BIG FEED! Jesus was merely trying to find rest for His disciples, but the crowds spotted Him. Verse 33, “ But many people who saw them leaving recognized them. They ran from all the towns and got there ahead of them.” I love that it says, “from all the towns”. Today we served so many different nationalities, different stories, different customs & beliefs, and different struggles. Still, they are ALL God’s children. It didn’t matter where our guests came from today; it mattered that they came.

Verse 34 states, “…He felt deep concern for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” Isn’t that what all of us are? Doesn’t Jesus feel deep concern for all of us too? Most of the pictures I took today are of our prayer team. There was no age limit to be on this team, just a sincere desire to pray for people. I love watching people be prayed over. There is something so peaceful and holy about it. I heard a 10-year old girl ask a woman if she would like prayer. The woman asked for prayer for her feet. They have been giving her a lot of pain and she stated, “they aren’t working right.” I only heard a bit of the girl’s prayer and it brought me to tears. She asked God, “Make her imperfect feet perfectly follow Your path.” WOW!!  What a request that could easily apply to all of us.

Jesus didn’t ask them what kind of donkey they rode in on. He didn’t look at their clothes and think they didn’t need to be there. He didn’t look at their bank accounts and tell them to go feed themselves. Whomever came, He feed physically and spiritually. That was our same goal.

Verse 35 finds Jesus’ disciples trying to convince Jesus to send the people away. It was late. There was nothing (food) there. But in verse 36 Jesus begins teaching them a lesson. “You give them something to eat.” When Jesus says, “you”, He is speaking to His disciples. Aren’t we His disciples? The disciples had already calculated how much money it would cost to feed that many people. Would we have enough food? Would there still be people standing in line looking at barren tables once laden with food for a Thanksgiving meal? I wonder if we paused long enough to think about how much that food meant to so many? I wonder how often I take my full pantry for granted?

Our disciples were all poised and ready to serve. I watched as they filled bags and boxes overflowing with food. I watched as our disciples prayed for those in need; praying even for those who didn’t ask. I watched as our disciples handed out water to our guests and those serving. I watched as our children carried boxes and ran with joy to get more. I watched the children hand out toys to the children waiting in line. It didn’t matter that it was hot out, that our backs hurt, and that we were hungry ourselves. We were on a mission to serve even if that meant sacrifice. We weren’t there to represent ourselves or even our church. We were there to be the hands and feet of Jesus, just like His disciples were over 2000 years ago.

All four Gospels tell the story of feeding the 5000 with small differences. In John 6:9 we find where the food that was multiplied came from: ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small loaves of barley bread. He also has two small fish. But how far will that go in such a large crowd?” Reminds me of the little boy in the picture. He is only 4-years old and carrying a case of pork and beans. I don’t know how many trips he made carrying food to our staging area, but so many were blessed by his hunger to serve. He ran laps around most of us. He ran with joy and an urgency that maybe only he sensed. He waited for boxes he could carry. He WANTED to serve, as did many children that day.

Maybe we didn’t feed as many as Jesus did that day, but the Word of God was spoken, prayers were sent heavenward, and all that came were fed. To the nearly 1200 people with food today, I bet it was a BIG feed to them. Even if we had only fed one person today, it would have been a BIG feed to that one person and to God. No, we didn’t feed the entire world, but we made a BIG difference; one life at a time.

Even the smallest of disciples can make a BIG difference.

Happy Thanksgiving! Go serve someone. Go make a BIG difference.