As the universe taken physical form and made divinity incarnate, you are divine. You also deserve food. I’m reminded of a conversation I had a few years ago with some members of my community. I’d asked about lunch debt and if there were any community programs to resolve it. The answer was that there wasn’t, and even if there was, what if someone who didn’t need help got it? My answer, well they’d get fed, and didn’t all kids deserve school lunch? To which I was met with people muttering about “those who take advantage of the system” and other such things. I’ve never forgotten that conversation. And I’ve never forgotten what it was like to ask my mother for lunch money when I knew she couldn’t afford a monthly ticket, which back then was like $22. (Checking my old school district it’s now more like $90/month.)

The conversation has come up again, and so I’ve felt the need to reiterate our belief that we are the universe made incarnate. We are divine, just as our planet, its inhabitants from all plant, mineral, and animal kingdoms are divine. And because we are divine, we deserve food, shelter, medical care, and love and support. There is no “taking advantage” of things, because we all deserve to have our needs met, and there is plenty on this planet for all of us, if we learn to share.

If someone is hungry, find a way to feed them. If someone needs help, offer a hand. I’m currently working on ways here at the church headquarters to do more in the community, and I hope to bring that information to you before the end of the year. And when someone talks about those who need food, instead of condemning them, or accusing them of taking something to which they’re not deserving, or using them to further your ambition, how about you help make sure they’re fed. That’s the human thing to do.