Stone Soup

Sunday's Gospel reading, the feeding of the 5,000, got me thinking how we have been feeding our neighbours (and each other) through the programs we offer:  the Good Food Market, and Good Food boxes, and the Neighbourhood Table (pre-pandemic).  And, then, the train of thought branched and I arrived at Stone Soup.  Do you remember this story?  It's a European folk tale that apparently is told in many variations.  But the basic story is always the same:

Some travelers come to a village.  They carry only an empty cook pot.  Hungry, they approach the villagers and ask for them to share their food.  The villagers are protective of what little they have and refuse the requests.  So, the travelers find a nearby stream and fill their pot.  They find a large stone, place it in the pot of water and then return to the village.  They build a fire and put the pot over it to heat.  

Now the villagers are curious.  One by one they approach the travellers and ask, "What are you doing?"  The travellers explain they are making stone soup, and how wonderful it will taste.  When it's ready, they state, they would love to share it with the villager. "But," they say, "it still needs a little bit of garnish to improve the flavour".  Each villager in turn offers what they have to go in the pot.  One offers carrots, another onion, and one shares potatoes.  Soon there is salt and pepper added and cabbage and so on.  The travellers stir the pot and all anticipate a bowl of stone soup as the smell fills the village square.

Finally, the soup is ready, and a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by travelers and villagers alike. The travelers have inspired the villagers into sharing their food with them, they have successfully transformed it into a tasty meal which they all share.

I love this story.  It speaks to neighbours together accomplishing something.  It feeds people.  It shows how what little we have can be made into something better.  That we each have something to offer. How one person's idea (the stone), can be transformational. 

The story makes it seem all so simple.  Is it?  Can we each add something we have to the pot and it become nourishing and feed our neighbours?  As our efforts have grown at St. Philip's, I think we are witness to how the idea of a few members, their efforts and those who joined in, have made a difference.  How many did we feed weekly with the Good Food Boxes?  Maybe 200?  

I imagine the story of the feeding of the 5,000 is similar.  That once the bread and fish are shared, the people who had "nothing" found their reserves and shared them.  

In this potluck of life, we each bring to the table what has first been given us.  May we always be at the table together.  We can feed others and ourselves.