Ordinary Time
February 13, 2022
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-38
‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ –Luke 6:37-38
The container in which I store ground coffee holds exactly 12 ounces. It must be totally empty to hold the coffee from the pouch I pour into it. To make the transfer I must shake the receiving container at least once to press it down so the lid will close. I usually use that which might run over to make my next cup of coffee before I close the lid. I buy my coffee and other products from Equal Exchange*. My favorite is their Organic Mind, Body, and Soul Coffee. I thought of them when I read the last part of the above scripture. We do not realize the many ways we can help others just through the everyday activities of living. My buying Equal Exchange coffee provides me with a quality product I would buy anyway while enabling small farmers in third world nations to eke out a living, often when they otherwise could not compete with the corporate farms making much of the coffee we drink while their workers earn far below a living wage.
God calls us to be intentional about the way we invest our time, energy, and resources for the wellbeing of all people. Before COVID hit we sold at cost, Equal Exchange coffee, tea, chocolate, and olive oil at my church in support of this program. My hope is we will sell it again when we are able to return to full attendance at worship. In the meantime, we each can buy it online from home. It is a small thing, but we indeed do get a wonderful return for our efforts.
Praise God for the harvest of orchard and field,
praise God for the people who gather their yield,
the long hours of labor, the skills of a team,
the patience of science, the power of machine.
Praise God for the harvest that comes from afar,
from market and harbor, the sea and the shore:
foods packed and transported, and gathered and grown
by God-given neighbors, unseen and unknown**.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for farmers, near and far, who bless us with food for our bodies. Amen.
*To learn more about Equal Exchange go to https://equalexchange.coop/
**Verses one and two of PRAISE GOD FOR THE HARVEST OF ORCHARD AND FIELD by Brian Wren see at https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2711.aspx
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.