Come and Get It!

"Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? [Luke 12:24-26]

This past Sunday morning, I was on my way to the restroom when I looked out the window on the side door of the church.  Much to my surprise, I spotted two enormous crows who were happily pecking at the leftover bread from Holy Communion.  The bread had only been there for about five minutes and now it was completely gone.  It was as if God had rung the dinner bell and said, "Come and get it!"

For those of you who wonder why we put the bread outdoors, it is standard Lutheran practice to pour the wine back into the ground and leave the bread out for the animals.  It is considered to be a more respectful way of handling the left-overs rather than putting them in the trash can.

My encounter with the crows gave me a rare front row seat to watch the One who provides for all of God's creatures.  It not only brought a smile to my face.  It also reminded me of the verse in Luke which tells us that we are even more valuable to God than the ravens.  Therefore, we should not worry because God will feed us as well.

Do we really trust God to "feed" us, spiritually and otherwise?  Are we willing to trust God to provide our daily bread?  This is an act of faith for all believers, be they gay or straight.  It is the firm conviction that God may not give us what we want, but God will definitely give us what we need.