I write on the threshold of the annual rush of holidays. The feast of Thanksgiving with family and relatives whom we see only once a year ushers in the season of Advent filled with yearning and celebration, not to mention (insane) busyness, brings the joy of Christmas. Ahh, the holidays! Amidst all the festivities, it is unsettling, but I think necessary, to notice the latest report from the US Department of Agriculture “that 17 million American households (49 million people, or 14.6 percent of the population) were food insecure in 2008, the highest number since the government began tracking food insecurity in 1995.” (see the report) Even more disturbing is the reported increase in the number of children who experience “very low food security”, which means they do not know where their next meal will come from.

Christians cannot be complacent about these facts and still be faithful to Jesus Christ, who became poor for our sake that we may become rich in Christ. After all, Advent is the season in which we joyfully anticipate the Son of God coming among us as a poor child, a refugee fleeing oppression, in whom is hidden the fullness of God’s grace toward all. Christmas, which celebrates the incarnation of God in this one Jewish child Jesus, also reveals God’s dignity bestowed on all children. Millions of children experiencing hunger is an affront to the incarnation and all that Christians celebrate at Christmas.

It is not necessary to have immediate solutions in order to join with others seeking to help reduce hunger. To turn away in complacency is not an option for faithful Christians. In this season of multiple holidays, each of us might ask God just how we can be instruments of justice for all God’s children. For instance, you and your family may join other Saint Mark members at the Manna Food Center [ttp://www.mannafood.org] or Interfaith Works [http://www.communityministrymc.org/]. Perhaps this will be the season you serve a meal a homeless shelter or work with Sandy Champion and others in National Capital Presbytery to build a hunger ministry in our congregations.

http://www.thepresbytery.org/MissionMinistry/Hunger/tabid/16157/Default.aspx

President Obama has declared his intention to end child hunger by 2012. Bread for the World, the Christian voice to end hunger, of which Saint Mark is a Covenant Church partner, has said this is “ambitious but an achievable goal.”

“Child hunger is not just a casualty of the recession. It was a problem before the recession, and unless we take the necessary steps, kids will continue to suffer after the economy recovers,” said Bread for the World President the Rev. David Beckmann. “The recession has made the problem of hunger worse, and it has also made it more visible. Increased public awareness and the administration’s commitment gives me hope. To end hunger, our leaders need to strengthen nutrition programs and provide steady jobs that allow parents to escape the cycle of poverty and feed their families for years to come.”  http://www.bread.org/

The Advent-Christmas cycle is about history and hope. We look back with joy at the coming of God in the incarnation of Jesus for our salvation and we look forward in hope for the coming fulfillment of that promise. I hope this season you will live into hope by remembering the hungry among us and working together for ways that will reduce their plight.

On behalf of all the church staff, may the blessings of God be upon you and your loved ones in this season of our Lord’s coming