Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
SUNDAY, August 2 9 Pentecost
John 6:24-35. Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Recently our parish has been involved in a program for AIDS orphans in the Diocese of Central Tanganyika in Tanzania. These children want for the most basic necessities, and there are thousands of them. Fifty dollars a year provides meals, clothing, and school supplies for a child, offering the child a chance to grow into a healthy and productive adult. The faith of the communities we are linked with in Tanzania is strong and vibrant, but I often wonder what they make of this passage from John. They believe in Jesus, but food is scarce and clean water hard to come by.
Jesus says, "Whoever comes to me will never be hungry...will never be thirsty." One of the most important ways we come to Jesus is by coming to-gether to bear one another's burdens and share our gifts. Even in a time of severe recession, America remains a land of plentiful resources. The faith of these Tanzanian children can feed the jaded hunger of those whose spirits are weighed down with material abundance, even as our wealth can sate the physical hungers of the body.
PRAY for the Diocese of Rochester (Province II, USA)
Ps 51:1-13 and 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a –OR– Ps 78:23-29 and Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Ephesians 4:1-16
View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.
A Meditation for Pentecost
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