From Our Associate Pastor: The Story of the Stone Soup
One of my favorite old folk tales is the story of stone soup. A hungry traveler arrives in a village with a large empty cooking pot in tow. The traveler goes to a stream, fills the pot with water, drops a stone in and places the pot over a fire. A curious villager passes by, and the traveler tells her that he’s making a special “stone soup.” The traveler offers a bowl of the soup in exchange for some garnish to make the dish more flavorful. The villager rushes home to grab a few onions to add to the meal. Another villager walks by and asks about the pot of soup. Once again, the traveler says he’d be happy to share in exchange for an ingredient to help boost the soup’s flavor. More villagers stop by, hear the traveler’s request and return with another ingredient. Soon the pot is full of hearty vegetables, spices and meats. At the end of the day, the traveler fishes out the stone from the pot and shares a rich and delicious soup with the villagers.
This story of the stone soup reminds me of the feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospels. A large crowd gathers around Jesus and he heals people. As the evening approaches, the disciples tell Jesus to send the crowd away. Jesus instead asks the disciples to give the crowd something to eat. According to Matthew’s account of the miracle, the disciples tell Jesus “we have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” Jesus then takes these meager offerings and uses them to feed the crowd. By the grace of God, the little bits the disciples have are enough ingredients for Jesus to work a miracle.
Being in ministry is a lot like making a big pot of stone soup. We each give a little and the result is a blessing that is better and more beautiful than anything we could have done on our own. Here at the Peoples Church, there’s no shortage of places that are in need of the ingredients that you (yes YOU) have to offer. Are you a natural with kids? Get involved teaching Sunday school. Have a passion for music? Join the choir! Are you interested in serving outside the church walls? Get in touch with the community engagement ministry. Are you a longtime regular in Sunday worship? Think about being an usher or greeter. The little things we bring to the church add up, and we can’t do what we do without each and every one of you. As we approach the fall season and launch back into our church year, be thinking about what it is you hope to bring to this place. We need you.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Haley Hansen