All Saints’ Sunday C
November 2, 2025
St. Dunstan’s
The Rev. Patricia Templeton
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”
Sometimes, like today, I feel the need to explain why we are reading certain Biblical texts. In some denominations clergy choose the texts or verses that they want to preach on that Sunday.
That’s not how it works in the Episcopal Church. We, like other mainline denominations, including the Catholic Church, follow the lectionary — a schedule that assigns specific scripture readings for every Sunday in the church year.
The lectionary is on a three-year cycle, meaning the same readings show up every three years. The schedule was set decades ago, but it is amazing how often the Sunday readings speak to what is going on in the world.
I’m offering this disclaimer because you might think that I chose today’s reading from Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. In the week when our government is letting its citizens go hungry, we hear Jesus say this:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”
Yesterday recipients of SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, ran out of benefits.
That means the 42 million Americans who depend on that supplement to feed themselves and their families will have to find other sources of food or go hungry.
Even with the government shut down, SNAP benefits did not have to end. A contingency fund exists for just such occasions. In fact, the law prescribes that the funds be used in emergency situations.
And our state government has a $14.6 billion surplus, some of which could be used to feed our neighbors.
But our governor and our president choose to use the hungry as political pawns rather than to follow the teachings of Jesus.
There is a lot of misinformation flying around the internet. Here are the facts: about 60 percent of the households that receive food stamps have at least one adult who works. Many of the recipients who don’t work are elderly or disabled.
The average benefit is about $185 a month. The amount doesn’t increase with inflation, so as food prices have skyrocketed since January, food stamps have bought less and less.
The average person or family stays on food stamps for less than a year. People who are not here legally are not eligible for benefits.
Passing the budget will not solve the problems facing food stamp recipients. The proposed budget slashes $186 billion from SNAP. It also restricts eligibility. Refugees, like our families from Cameroon, would no longer be eligible. Neither are those who have been granted asylum or survivors of human trafficking.
“It feels like we’re standing on the shore, and we see a tidal wave coming,” said Robyn Hyden, the director of Alabama Arise, an organization that advocates for policies to help low-income people. “But we don’t know exactly how it is going to hit, where it’s going to hit, because there’s still uncertainty over whether they are going to be able to fix any of this.”
In addition to SNAP, several antipoverty programs will dry up this month, affecting tens of millions of Americans who depend on subsidies for childcare and utilities as well as food.
The proposed budget will also make health care premiums increase so much that millions of people will no longer be able to afford health insurance.
It’s important for us to know the facts about what is happening to social programs in this country.
But Jesus doesn’t care about any of that.
When Jesus sees that people are hungry he feeds them. He doesn’t ask whether they are deserving of free food, whether they work, whether they are legal residents.
Jesus leads with compassion, a trait that is lacking among many who claim to be his followers.
When Jesus sees someone in need, he acts. If someone is sick, blind, or lame, he heals them. No questions asked.
That is the philosophy of Solidarity Sandy Springs, a food pantry we support that began during the pandemic. Anyone who comes to the door is fed, no questions asked.
“We are not worried about running out of food,” a statement on their website says. “We are worried about our neighbors who need help. Just based on the increased number of inquiries for help in the last three days, we know that an increased demand is real.
“We were born from a crisis, and we will continue to do whatever we need to do to make sure no one goes hungry in our backyard. We will be the solid safety net when the federal one frays.”
People who say they are Christian, but put qualifications on who is worthy of help are not following the teachings of Jesus.
I have no doubt that if Jesus were here today he’d be turning over tables in Congress and the White House.
“Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your compensation,” he’d say. “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.” The tables will turn, Jesus warns us.
Taking away food and healthcare from those in need to help pay for tax cuts for the rich is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus, no matter how loudly those doing the cuts proclaim they are Christian.
I saw a painting this week that illustrates what is happening in this country. The top of the painting shows a glittering ballroom, filled with wealthy men and women dancing and partaking of fine food and wine.
The bottom half of the painting shows that the ballroom is being held up by the poor, straining to keep themselves from being crushed.
The painting was done in 1906 by William Balfour Ker.
In the painting, as in this country today, the rich profit from the labors of the poor. I have no doubt where Jesus would be.
Blessed are those who hold up the ballroom, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Amen.