Upper Room | Devotional

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Bags of Grace
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)
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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.
Gus Browning (Texas)

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

Look closely. The face of the one in need is the face of Christ.

Those hungry and homeless


	The Workbook on the Christian Walk In THE WORKBOOK ON THE CHRISTIAN WALK Maxie Dunnam says, "We have excelled in almost every way imaginable as human beings except in the one way that matters most. We have not learned to love." Use this time-tested resource to guide you as you strive to reflect Christ in your daily life. Learn more about or purchase this book.

| July 29, 2008 | July 30, 2008 | July 31, 2008 |

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