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Preaching: Leslie Loyd, President & COO of A Simple Gesture

What if the miracle starts before the bread ever breaks? We open with a prayer for wisdom and peace, then move through Psalm 100 and Philippians 4 to ground a timely, human conversation about hunger, dignity, and the quiet borders that shape who we consider “ours.” Drawing on Claude Lévi-Strauss, we explore how the “edge of the village” still shows up in grocery lines, policy limits, and the moments we look away—then we challenge ourselves to notice, name, and widen those edges.

From the hillside of the Sea of Galilee to a local market where a child cheers for pasta and applesauce, we trace a throughline: compassion begins with seeing. The feeding of the five thousand becomes a pattern for today, not as a spectacle of multiplication, but as a practice of participation. One person opens their bag, another follows, and abundance grows where fear of scarcity once stood. Along the way, we confront the reality of SNAP cuts that turn six dollars into the price of a latte or a day’s meals, and we refuse to let numbers eclipse neighbors.

Together we lay out concrete, hopeful ways to join the work: donate food because meals are urgent; give money because infrastructure matters; volunteer because presence restores dignity; advocate because policies have faces; pray because attention tunes our hearts to act. Gratitude deepens when it meets need, and the truest Thanksgiving table may be wherever food is shared, circles widen, and people hear the words you belong here. Listen, reflect, and then take one small step with us—subscribe, share this episode, and tell us how you plan to widen your village this week.

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