Message: Faith That Feeds / 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

     In today’s first reading, Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers.” Paul sees how God’s grace is at work in their lives. The gospel of Christ is shaping their daily choices and relationships.

The church in Thessalonica was still young. The members faced opposition and hardship, and they still had much to learn as they grew in faith. Paul was concerned about them. He could not visit them himself, so he sent Timothy to see how they were doing. Thankfully, Timothy returned with good news about their faith and love. When Paul heard this, he wrote to them with gratitude.

In this letter, Paul connects faith with action, love with labour, and hope with endurance. Their faith moved them to act. Their love led them to help others. Their hope encouraged them to keep going through difficult times. The gospel was changing the way they spoke and thought, how they lived, and how they faced hardship.

This change began with God’s grace. The grace they received through Jesus Christ helped them see themselves and their neighbours as people beloved by God. This is why Paul gives thanks to God when he remembers their efforts. The love they received from God was bearing fruit in their lives.

God’s grace led the early believers to become communities where people ate together and shared what they had. The book of Acts shows that they broke bread in their homes and shared meals. When some people were overlooked in the care of the community, they chose people to take responsibility for this ministry.

Jesus Christ taught and lived this way of life, and the early church followed his example. Jesus saw the hungry crowds, shared food with them, and involved his disciples in feeding them. He sat at tables with many different people, offering welcome and forgiveness. After his resurrection, he prepared breakfast for his disciples. His care reached people’s bodies and hearts, meeting them in their daily lives. When the church shares food, we continue to share the love we have received from Jesus.

World Food Sunday invites us to reflect on what food means. When we walk through grocery stores filled with food and endless choices, it is easy to take a meal for granted. But full shelves do not mean that every household has enough to eat. People close to us worry about grocery bills, put back items they need, and wonder how they will manage their next meal.

The Korean poet Kim Ji-ha expresses the meaning of food in his poem, “Rice is heaven.”

 

“Just as no one can possess heaven alone,

rice is meant to be shared with one another.

Rice is heaven.

 

Just as we gaze at the stars in the sky together,

rice is meant to be eaten with many.

Rice is heaven.

 

When rice enters the mouth,

we enshrine heaven within our bodies.

Rice is heaven.

 

Ah, rice

is meant for all to share with one another.”

 

In Korean, the word 밥 (bap), translated here as “rice,” has a broader meaning. It can mean a whole meal or, more broadly, the food that sustains our lives. So, when the poet says that rice is meant to be shared, his words reach beyond a single bowl of rice. They remind us that everyone needs food to live and that everyone should be able to share in this gift.

Our food comes from the soil, sunshine, wind, and rain, and from the work of countless people. Through the eyes of faith, we recognize God’s gift in that food. It is a gift we are meant to enjoy together. The food that sustains my life is also needed by someone else. Sharing this gift of life is one way we put our thanks into practice.

I am grateful that our congregation has long continued the early church’s practice of sharing food and caring for others through outreach activities like our Food Drive and White Gift Sunday. We remember what is needed as we shop, bring our gifts to church, and gather them for delivery. That food will become someone’s breakfast, a child’s lunch, or a family’s supper. These gifts express your care for your neighbours and your concern for their lives.

This ministry also reaches neighbours around the world through The United Church of Canada’s Mission and Service. Our denomination is a member of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of churches and church-based agencies that responds to urgent food needs and helps people build lasting food security. By working together, our care and generosity can reach people far beyond our own communities.

One story from the Foodgrains Bank tells of an Ethiopian farmer named Asnakech Zema. Through the support of member agency Tearfund Canada and a local partner organization, she learned farming methods that protect the soil. As her harvests increased, she was able to feed her family, share with neighbours, and sell some of the surplus for income.

From a harvest of 205 pumpkins, she gave 70 to neighbours who did not have enough food. She remembered having to ask her neighbours for food when she did not have enough herself. The care she had received helped her recognize the needs of others. Food grown on that farm then found its way to other tables. Help received became help shared.

This story shows how the grace we receive can reach others. God’s love takes practical form through people’s care, cooperation, and effort. Paul recognized and gave thanks for this kind of change in the Thessalonian church. If Paul heard about our congregation today, I believe he would give thanks to God for your work of faith, your labour of love, and your endurance in hope. Thank you to everyone whose hands have helped put food on our neighbours’ tables over the years.

Faith That Feeds grows from the love we have received in Christ. Our strength to continue comes from the God who first loved us. When change is slow and needs continue, our hope in Christ helps us encourage one another and keep caring. May the food we give today nourish someone’s body, and may the care it carries give them strength for the day.

Thanks be to God. Amen.