The Price of Grace
Illustration
Stories
Burt stood in front of the food truck and frowned. “Are you telling me that I can just sit down and have a meal and it’s not going to cost me any money?”
“Absolutely.” The woman pointed to the food truck and the picnic tables set up in the small empty lot. “The meal is free, and you are welcome to sit down and have something to eat. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.” Burt took a deep breath. “Is that turkey that I smell being cooked?”
“There is turkey, potatoes, carrots, and homemade pumpkin pie.” The woman smiled. “It does smell good, doesn’t it?
“It sure does.” Burt tilted his head to one side. “What’s the catch?”
“Catch?” It was the woman’s time to frown. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“A meal like that isn’t cheap. Someone has to be paying for it so you must want something for it.”
“All the money and food to make this happen is donated.” She gestured at the people moving among the tables. “All the people are volunteers.”
“Huh.” Burt rubbed his chin with his hand. “I guess that just leaves me one question that you probably don’t want to answer.”
“What question is that?”
“Why?”
“Do you mean why did we set up the food truck here and are offering the meal free of charge to anyone who wants it?” the woman asked.
Burt nodded.
“Because we know there are people who are having trouble making ends meet and need a good hot meal,” she said. “That is why the church has set up these meals.”
“So you don’t want anything from me?” Burt frowned. “You don’t want to take pictures of me for some promotional campaign or ask me questions for some sort of research or something else?”
“We don’t want anything like that.” The woman shook her head. “Nothing at all. We just want you to have a meal if you are hungry and it would help you in your life.”
Burt’s stomached growled as he took another deep breath of the delicious smells. He wavered beside the table. “Do I have to tell you that I believe in Jesus in order to get a meal because I don’t know if I believe in him, and I want to be honest.”
“We don’t ask what you believe in when you get your meal.” The woman paused. “I guess I should be honest though that everyone here and the church is providing the meals because we believe in Jesus.”
“Okay.” Burt thought for a moment. “Can I ask you another couple of questions?”
“You can ask me whatever you like.”
“Why does you believing in Jesus mean you are offering this meal?”
The woman smiled. “All of us believe that we are supposed to help our neighbour and we know that people could use a good nutritious meal so we’re providing one. We believe that God has given to us in Jesus, and we are asked to give to others just as generously. I know other churches are doing other things to help like the clothing depot at Good Shepherd Church and the shelter that St. Mark’s runs. This is our way to help.”
“I guess that answers my first question.” Burt took a deep breath. “The second is that I know some fellas who are worse off then me in terms of being hungry. Can I tell them about this meal?”
“Absolutely,” the woman said. “If they aren’t far, why don’t you go and get them? There’s lots of food.”
Burt considered her for a moment. “I think I might do that. Will you still be here in about five minutes?”
“We’ll be here for the next two hours, and you and your friends are more than welcome to have a meal.”
“I’ll go get them.” Burt started to leave and then paused. “I’m not sure if they’ll come with me though. “
“Why is that?” the woman asked.
“I’m not sure if they’ll believe me when I tell them that there is a full hot turkey dinner here and it doesn’t cost them anything. It’s a pretty incredible thing.” Burt shrugged. “All I can do is invite them though.”
“That is all any of us can do when we discover incredible things,” the woman said. “We can tell and hope they believe us.
Burt dashed off and the woman busied herself getting a table ready for him and his friends. She hoped Burt and his friends would return and enjoy the wonderful meal waiting to feed their hunger. A meal which she believed would show them the possibility and power of God’s grace at work in the world.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 20, 2022, issue.
Copyright 2022 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Absolutely.” The woman pointed to the food truck and the picnic tables set up in the small empty lot. “The meal is free, and you are welcome to sit down and have something to eat. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.” Burt took a deep breath. “Is that turkey that I smell being cooked?”
“There is turkey, potatoes, carrots, and homemade pumpkin pie.” The woman smiled. “It does smell good, doesn’t it?
“It sure does.” Burt tilted his head to one side. “What’s the catch?”
“Catch?” It was the woman’s time to frown. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“A meal like that isn’t cheap. Someone has to be paying for it so you must want something for it.”
“All the money and food to make this happen is donated.” She gestured at the people moving among the tables. “All the people are volunteers.”
“Huh.” Burt rubbed his chin with his hand. “I guess that just leaves me one question that you probably don’t want to answer.”
“What question is that?”
“Why?”
“Do you mean why did we set up the food truck here and are offering the meal free of charge to anyone who wants it?” the woman asked.
Burt nodded.
“Because we know there are people who are having trouble making ends meet and need a good hot meal,” she said. “That is why the church has set up these meals.”
“So you don’t want anything from me?” Burt frowned. “You don’t want to take pictures of me for some promotional campaign or ask me questions for some sort of research or something else?”
“We don’t want anything like that.” The woman shook her head. “Nothing at all. We just want you to have a meal if you are hungry and it would help you in your life.”
Burt’s stomached growled as he took another deep breath of the delicious smells. He wavered beside the table. “Do I have to tell you that I believe in Jesus in order to get a meal because I don’t know if I believe in him, and I want to be honest.”
“We don’t ask what you believe in when you get your meal.” The woman paused. “I guess I should be honest though that everyone here and the church is providing the meals because we believe in Jesus.”
“Okay.” Burt thought for a moment. “Can I ask you another couple of questions?”
“You can ask me whatever you like.”
“Why does you believing in Jesus mean you are offering this meal?”
The woman smiled. “All of us believe that we are supposed to help our neighbour and we know that people could use a good nutritious meal so we’re providing one. We believe that God has given to us in Jesus, and we are asked to give to others just as generously. I know other churches are doing other things to help like the clothing depot at Good Shepherd Church and the shelter that St. Mark’s runs. This is our way to help.”
“I guess that answers my first question.” Burt took a deep breath. “The second is that I know some fellas who are worse off then me in terms of being hungry. Can I tell them about this meal?”
“Absolutely,” the woman said. “If they aren’t far, why don’t you go and get them? There’s lots of food.”
Burt considered her for a moment. “I think I might do that. Will you still be here in about five minutes?”
“We’ll be here for the next two hours, and you and your friends are more than welcome to have a meal.”
“I’ll go get them.” Burt started to leave and then paused. “I’m not sure if they’ll come with me though. “
“Why is that?” the woman asked.
“I’m not sure if they’ll believe me when I tell them that there is a full hot turkey dinner here and it doesn’t cost them anything. It’s a pretty incredible thing.” Burt shrugged. “All I can do is invite them though.”
“That is all any of us can do when we discover incredible things,” the woman said. “We can tell and hope they believe us.
Burt dashed off and the woman busied herself getting a table ready for him and his friends. She hoped Burt and his friends would return and enjoy the wonderful meal waiting to feed their hunger. A meal which she believed would show them the possibility and power of God’s grace at work in the world.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 20, 2022, issue.
Copyright 2022 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
