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“Feed My Lambs”
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’"
John 21:15
In the 21st chapter of John’s Gospel account, we read that Jesus appears to seven disciples on a beach. Finding His disciples hungry and not catching many fish, Jesus instructs them on where to cast the net and then breaks bread with them. I have quoted the 15th verse for us to focus on from this scene above.
Jesus meets His disciples once again and gives them threefold instructions beginning with “Feed my lambs.”
I wonder what it looks like when you are following Jesus’ instructions to feed His lambs. When I read this passage, I remembered a scene in the Parish Life Center kitchen during a Kids’ Meals sandwich-making session.[1] There were mostly adults making sandwiches and a few little ones, but one in particular stood out in my memory.
There was a little boy not tall enough to see over the counters, so with a basket he went around collecting made and packaged sandwiches to place into the crates for delivery. Here was one of Jesus’ little lambs helping feed other little lambs across Houston — what an image!
As many of us are aware, summers can be very difficult for the poorest among us, particularly children who may rely on receiving a school lunch as their primary source of nutrition for the day.
Over the summer as we become busy trying to relax, travel and not turn into a puddle of sweat in Houston, I hope we can remember Jesus’ instructions to the disciples — and us! How can we make space and time to volunteer to feed the lambs who are no longer receiving school lunches, or if we are not physically able, how can we financially support those who can?
I give thanks to God for our Outreach team and volunteers at St. Martin’s as they take point on making sure that we remain a Gospel mission-centered Parish.[2] No small part of that mission is feeding our Lord’s most vulnerable lambs, as instructed by Jesus Christ.
You may join the Outreach team to make sandwiches on the first Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. in the Parish Life Center kitchen. Tuesday, June 17, is a serve day in the Student Life Center from 10-11:30 a.m. and, as always, you may contact the Outreach team to find more ways to serve.
[1] https://kidsmealsinc.org/
[2] https://www.stmartinsepiscopal.org/ministries/outreach/
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