Friends,
Every week in November, we are reflecting on the many ways abundance can be shared. This Sunday, as we continue our Cornucopia of Commitment series, we turn our attention to The Table We Build. At its heart, this is about more than food. It is about what we value as a nation and as a people.
Ending food insecurity in the United States would cost about twenty-five billion dollars a year. That is a large number, but when placed beside the two trillion dollars spent on the F-35 fighter jet program, or the hundreds of billions allocated annually to outdated weapons systems, it suddenly looks very small. I believe in a strong military, one that can defend us from real and emerging threats. But true strength is not found in how many missiles we can launch. It is found in whether we can feed every child, protect every family, and invest in a future shaped by innovation and care.
Imagine if even a fraction of those funds went toward ending hunger, building sustainable food systems, or advancing technology that ensures peace rather than destruction. Imagine a nation that measures greatness not by the size of its arsenal, but by the well being of its people. That is the kind of strength that endures. That is what it means to truly “make America great again,” not through division or dominance, but through compassion, intelligence, and courage.
At UUMiami, we are building that kind of table right here in our city. Each Sunday this month, I invite you to bring nonperishable food items for families in Miami-Dade who are struggling with food insecurity. Bring rice, beans, canned goods, boxed meals, and shelf-stable milk. Bring what your heart moves you to share. Every contribution is an act of moral imagination, a declaration that our abundance can heal hunger and that justice begins at the table we build together.
Let us be the kind of people who invest not in fear, but in hope. Let us build a table so wide that no one is left standing outside. And let our overflowing cornucopia become a living symbol of what love, courage, and community can do.
With gratitude and steadfast hope,
Rev. Dr. Harold Marrero
Minister, UUMiami