Food and Faith

The youth group has been focusing on food quite a bit lately. To be fair there has almost always been plenty of food to go along with our activities. But we have taken up the whole process ourselves lately. Everything from planning, shopping, cooking, serving, and eating, to cleaning up. We have experimented with odd combinations like hot dogs and fried rice or pizza and macaroni and cheese. One of the favorites, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, has become a standard part of the program. And bananas. We always have bananas. And toast. Toast seems to go with everything, too.

We shop for deals. We take turns cooking. There are a blessed few that almost always wash dishes. Making our meals together has become an important part of sharing our lives together. We have a lot of fun conversations and can talk about whatever anyone wants or needs to talk about. A lot of good things happen over shared food.

We used to ask families to sign up for the Sunday evening snack supper, but fewer and fewer people seemed to be able to work it in to their schedules. That was frustrating to me, but then I realized I was just adding another big task to a family's crowded schedule and endless to-do lists. I was close to sending out a guilt-laden letter about priorities, but that just never felt right. So I like that we've figured it out in a positive way. To be clear, there is always room for anyone that wants to host. So if cooking and serving is your thing, just let me know and we will find a date that works.

Jesus did a lot of ministry centered around food and gatherings of people. That's certainly one of my favorite ways to continue his ministry and connect people to faith. Food nourishes and refreshes and satisfies in wonderful ways just like faith does. Putting the two together is a great way to go.

Be Blessed!
Michael

School of Fish?

"There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us we must be committed to protecting the poor and the oppressed... There is no concern of Scripture that is addressed so often and so powerfully as reaching out to the poor" Tony Campolo

This doesn't mean that we are called to just simply hand people stuff.
(though that very well may be what many particular situations call for)

I love the phrase:
"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats forever."

But do we actually do much teaching?

What I hear more often is something along the lines of "They just need to..." or "Why don't they just..."

That's not teaching, that's judging and blaming.

Jesus said we will always have the poor with us. In my experience, they are not always the same group of people who are always in need, but rather particular people in a particular situation. For some of these, giving a fish may be all that is required. For those that find themselves repeatedly in need, the more involved response of teaching is required those of who will teach. Our calling is to help whoever is in need in whatever way we can. Our turn to be helped has either already happened or will happen. No one is an isolated success.

I don't think we will ever eliminate all of the many, many circumstances by which people find themselves in need of help. But if we see similar circumstances occurring again and again, it is also part of our calling to address that.

You don't have to give all your stuff away.
(though it would be very scriptural to do so)
What we at least need to consider is that helping someone IN need is also an opportunity to help someone OUT OF need.

Jesus, give us the courage to live it. Give us the courage.