March 16, 2026
Food for Thought - Part 1
John 6:1-3
03/16/2026
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of
the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
2 And a large crowd was following him, because they
saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat
down with his disciples. (ESV)
The Collect is a brief prayer which the Church appoints for
each Sunday. It is usually related to the Gospel or Epistle for
the Sunday. In the historic series of readings, some of the
collects have been in use for almost fifteen centuries. Because
the love of God is never ending, and He does not change, our
liturgical prayers do not need to change.
Sunday's Gospel lesson was Saint John's account of the
feeding of the 5,000 men, plus women and children. There in the
wilderness, Jesus used five loaves of bread and two fish to
satisfy the physical needs of the crowds. He answered the
prayer, ``give us this day our daily bread,'' even before the
crowds were aware they had no provisions.
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea
of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large
crowd was following him, because they saw the signs
that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the
mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
Last Sunday the Church prayed:
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new
every morning; and though we deserve only punishment,
You receive us as Your children and provide for all our
needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily
acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all
Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience;
through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever.
This prayer, which we will discuss this week, is both for
physical and spiritual blessings.
May our Lord grant that we acknowledge His love and mercy,
that He knows and cares for us, body and soul. Amen.