Bags of Grace

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent

Read Matthew 25:31-46
The king will answer them, “As you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to me.”
— Matthew 25: 40 (NRSV))

The writer of a meditation in The Upper Room said she sometimes feels guilty when bypassing street-corner beggars even though she supports agencies that serve these folks. Her story made me want to tell about the “bags of grace” my church and others prepare. Each bag has nonperishable food items, a bottle of water, personal hygiene items, a prayer card, and information on social-service agencies. Churches in urban areas often include public transportation tokens in their grace bags.

These bags are available to us at church for a little less than actual cost. (Contributions from church members make up the difference.) Since cash given to the homeless could be spent for alcohol or tobacco or in other harmful ways, we give food. Some people prefer to give out new socks as an alternative. One homeless man said, “Socks are pure gold out on the streets.”

I keep one or two of these bags of food in my car at all times. When my five-year-old grandson is with me, I let him hand the bag through the car window to the person seeking help. Recently, elementary children in our church assembled 300 “bags of grace” one Sunday morning. Each child then received a bag to give to someone in need. Each bag is a gift of love to Christ.

Prayer: God of love, may we show our love for you by showing compassion to someone in distress. Amen.

Thought for the Day

Look closely. The face of the one in need is the face of Christ.
— Gus Browning (Texas)

Prayer Focus: Those hungry and homeless
Information: http://bagsofgrace.org

Editor’s Note: This material was originally printed in The Upper Room magazine for use on July 30, 2008. It is reprinted from The Upper Room magazine, copyright 2008 by The Upper Room, Inc., P.O. Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004, www.upperroom.org, and is used by permission of the publisher.