The years have flown by O’ so quickly passing into the abyss of memory…gone…vanishing in time as the melody of the senior’s song plays on in my mind counting the days, the months, the years that Thou O’ Lord has kept me.
The sun relentlessly rises and sets on those in need, the hungry. It’s another community dinner day (soup kitchen). The House of Love Soup Kitchen has been in operation since 2008. We’re all eleven years older. Those of us who have been here consistently are now seniors praying our strength in the Lord. We pray that God will continue to give us the might to fight against injustice and enable us to endure so that we can be of service to the community that we serve.
It’s a warm day in May. Our soup kitchen is part of what is called The College Recovery Program, a network of colleges from across the country where the students gather food from their cafeterias. Ordinarily all food not eaten by the students is thrown away and this is delicious, nutritious food would be going to waste. Instead the students that are a part of this initiative recover the food and disperse it among different community groups that are servicing hungry people. According to the USDA Office of the Chief Economist food waste in the United States ranges from 40-50% of our food supply equating to around 160 billion dollars annually.. Our benefactor college in this fight against waste is Seton Hall in South Orange, NJ. When school is out though, we must fend once again for ourselves which we will be doing from now until mid-September.
Today is one of those days. We know how to cook, and with what resources we have we manage. Some of us are not well but we push ourselves. I know that part of my drive has to do with the fact that my son, who is now deceased, co-founded the House of Love Soup Kitchen along with another minister. Part of my drive is directly related to keeping my son’s legacy alive.
Sustainability in you O’ God has enabled me to maintain my sanity through triumphs, through storms, through sickness, through health, through financial instability, through insecurity, through the joy of giving birth, through death, and through the overwhelming sadness at the loss of loved ones.
We are a faith-based organization and we come Tuesday after Tuesday because we are trying to do God’s will: St. Matthew 25:33-36:
33) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34) Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35) for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36) Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
In the course of our discussions during Bible study we often wonder if we are serving the same Jesus that those currently in control of this government say that they worship. Are we serving the same Jesus that the racists and misogynists say that they serve? Are we serving the same Jesus that the Xenophobic and the intolerant serve? Are we serving the same Jesus that the haters serve?
First, our Jesus would change hearts and minds to love instead of hate. Our Jesus is multi-cultural. Our Jesus through people would feed the multitudes and eradicate the amount of food wasted in this country. Our Jesus through people would heal the sick making sure that all have adequate wellness and health care. Our Jesus through people would eliminate the homeless problem by seeing that there was suitable housing for all. Our Jesus through people would see to it that those incarcerated and those re-entering society would have the skill set necessary to survive in this world. Our Jesus cares and wants to share our burdens. He loves us. Do we really serve the same Jesus as the haters?
The tables have been wiped down. The food is ready, and the salad is made. Dinner is about to be served. The people gather together and join hands. The community leader of the Bible Study leads us in prayer. Hope is infused into the atmosphere. Despite the dire circumstances of many the phrase “God is good all the time” jumps from breast to breast. Joy will come in the morning.
The magnificence of the sunset colors the sky as the sun descends each day in its majestic beauty proclaiming hope…hope in which tranquility trumps hostility forging a path of empathy, love, and peace into the hearts of man.
