back at the table

Been a while, huh?

We've been crazy busy with new house excitement and old house responsibilities, applications for loans and D.Min. programs, not to mention work, baby, etc. So my apologies to my devoted followers. I know you've missed me. I've missed you, too...all four of you.

My mom, our (good) friend Amy, Suzy's cousin Jenny, and Suzy, who won't even show her face on my blog.

That being said, I'm on vacation this week and really looking forward to some do-nothing-related-to-anything-I-would-normally-be-doing. That means, no deeply poetic insights on the blogosphere about food theology or delicious eats.

I will throw you a bone, though. As I was going through files on the computer, I came across a sermon-ette I preached five years ago at my home church, way back in the mid-2000s, when I was but a mere intern at United Ministries (which has previously featured on this blog here).

Suzy will hate that I'm posting this, because she says it is pretentious and nobody cares about reading an old sermon. Well, yes and no. Yes, I am very pretentious, but I'm under no illusions that this seven-minute reflection I wrote half-a-decade ago is any good. But no, there might be at least four people may want to read it...right?

Anyway, here it is. The text was Luke's feeding of the five thousand (9:10-17):

A pot-luck dinner with a pot-luck family.  We call it our Sunday Night Family Dinner, and we have it every week.  We rotate who hosts, but everyone brings something to contribute to the meal.  If Emily makes lasagna, then Shawn brings the bread, Bekah brings the salad, and Seth brings dessert.  We’re not technically a “family,” but that’s what we call ourselves.  It’s just our close group of friends at Wake Forest Divinity School.  It began as a way for us to get a home-cooked meal once a week, but it quickly became a time of retreat and fellowship in the midst of our hectic schedules.  It’s interesting:  no matter where people are or in what situation, we create a sense of family with those closest to us.  Like I said, a pot-luck dinner with our pot-luck family. 

But this type of fellowship around a meal is unusual in our society.  Rarely do families sit down to eat dinner together.  Instead, meals often consist of fast food in the car, a protein shake on the way out the door, or a nutrition bar at the office.  And rarely are these meals eaten with others.  We are a “take out” culture, and a square meal is not the only thing that we are losing because of this trend.

Our gospel lesson for today is just one of many instances in the gospel narrative and in the parables of Jesus in which meals are the focus.  In fact, one New Testament scholar wrote that at any given point in Luke’s narrative, “Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal.”  And the feeding of the 5000, found in today’s text, is one of the most prominent of these stories.  It is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that is found in all four gospels—and it centers around a meal.  Clearly it is important, but why?

Part of the reason for this story’s importance is that it is about meeting people’s basic human needs.  The miracle is initiated when the disciples recognize that it is late in the day and the people are hungry.  But they want the people to go into the surrounding villages to eat.  Jesus, however, takes their suggestion and turns it back on them, telling the disciples to feed the crowds.  At this point, the disciples are astonished, as I’m sure many of us would be.  How can they feed so many with so little?  Viewed in this light, the feeding is a story of abundance.  Jesus not only provides enough to feed the crowd, but enough for leftovers!  As the text says, “All ate and were filled.”  This is not “first come, first served,” but rather “all that come will be served.”  It is about abundance in meeting the needs of others.

In my time at United Ministries, I have seen examples of this type of abundance.  Often the food pantry seems extremely low, but somehow we are able to continue providing bags of food for those in need.  In fact, when I first came to United Ministries, the shelves were almost empty.  But soon we had cans arriving and the shelves were full again.  In all honesty, it probably should not work.  But it does, because the staff, the volunteers, and the donors are willing to follow Jesus’ lead.  They have seen the need and are willing to serve the way the disciples do in today’s scripture.

This story is also important because it is a prime example of fellowship around a meal as a metaphor for the commonwealth kingdom of God, a theme that permeates Luke’s gospel.  As with many other instances of Jesus at meals, cultural norms were broken.  There was no seating arrangement according to status.  There was no ritual washing before the meal.  There was no regard for who was supposed to be present and who was not.  There were no requirements, other than to be there and have a desire to hear what Jesus had to say.  That is all.  They did not have to profess a certain theology, they did not have to vote for the correct political party, they did not have to go to the right church.  They simply had to be there, wanting to hear what Jesus was saying. 

Many times in the gospels, meals are an act of community, a way to break down social barriers at the most basic of human levels.  Everybody eats, so what better way to join people from all walks of life than with a meal?  Jesus eats with sinners, tax collectors, Pharisees, the whole lot.  And it gets him in trouble.  To many folks, eating with undesirables and those on the margins of society is a dangerous practice.  It threatens the delicate balance of the status quo.  We might even say that Jesus got himself crucified because of the company he kept at meals.  But as one of my divinity school professors put it, quite bluntly, “You show your love by breaking bread together.  If you can’t do that, then your Christology remains flawed—no matter how many creeds you quote.”  When we honestly and openly share a meal of fellowship with others, we declare the power of reconciliation to our fragmented world.

An important point to recognize, though, is that this is not merely a meal of toleration.  Jesus and the disciples were trying to retreat, but the crowds followed them.  Yet Jesus did not turn them away or accept their presence begrudgingly.  He taught, healed, and welcomed them, providing for their basic needs and creating an atmosphere of community and fellowship.  In the Jewish world in which Jesus lived, to share a meal with others was to share a meal before God.  All who ate the meal partook in the blessing offered by the host.  Thus, Jesus is not merely tolerating the crowds, but welcoming them to His table with open arms, offering His blessings upon them. 

In this way, the feeding of the 5000 not only anticipates the Last Supper, but the kingdom of God.  This miracle prefigures the banquet described by Isaiah in which people from all ends of the earth will be gathered together at the return of the Messiah.  And that is what the kingdom is all about.  All are welcome at God’s table, regardless of race, social status, income, or education.  It is a kingdom and a banquet of radical equality among the human family.  And when we share the fellowship of a meal with persons different from us, we get a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is like, and understand more fully who Jesus is. 

It is no coincidence that Luke places this story where he does.  Peter’s confession immediately follows the feeding of the 5000 in the narrative.  This confession occurs when Peter, responding to Jesus’ question of who the disciples say He is, answers “The Christ.”  It is a turning point in Luke’s gospel.  The disciples are finally starting to get it!  After observing Jesus feeding the multitude, and serving alongside with him, they understand.  Serving in the presence of Jesus, following His example, has given them insight into who Jesus is.

I know that with all this talk of food and meals, you’re probably getting hungry.  But as you eat your lunch at the Country Club, or at home, or at the Ham House, remember that God is present.  God is present wherever an open invitation to the table is extended to others.  When we look past trivial differences and past the arbitrary boundaries that our culture puts between people, we fulfill our Christian calling in the extension of God’s grace and love to others.  And it is in these times that we get a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is like.  It is the pot-luck family of God.  But when, as a family, we come together in fellowship, God can do amazing things—even turn five loaves and two fish into enough for 5000. 

day thirty-five: the homestretch

The straightaway on a track after the last curve, or the final stages of an undertaking, is called the "homestretch," as racers (or whomever) "stretch towards home."

I feel like our Lenten journey has entered the homestretch. We rounded the last turn. We're tired, but the finish line is ahead. We're in the homestretch.

This morning I volunteered at a place that feels like a home to me. I have two summers worth of memories there, walking the halls and working in the food pantry as an intern. And today, two of my former co-workers - Davida and Roz - played babysitter while I volunteered.

The packing list for each bag

The food pantry.
As you can see, there's plenty more room for donations (*cough* Donate food! *cough*)

I was a slow day and Suzy had to stay home this morning (not feeling well), so I only ended up staying for about an hour and a half. While there, I packed paper bags full of food for people in need. Our son, on the other hand, who had gone with me, never had the chance to do much of anything. The entire time he was held, played with, and loved by these two ladies.

Davida and Roz are special to Suzy and me. I told them when I was going to propose. We went by to show them the ring after we were engaged. They even came to our wedding! And now, the newest member of our family is as precious to them as they are to us.

It was a good reminder that I need to "stretch" my imagination of what "home" is. It is not just a building or a place to sleep. It is a community where you are loved and accepted, where you always feel welcomed and safe...and there are many more "homeless" in our world than just those who live on the streets.

Today, "home" for our son was in the arms of two middle-aged black women who work at a non-profit. "Home" for me was in an un-air conditioned room amidst thousands of non-perishable food items.

I know this idea of "home" seems like a stretch...

...it is.

third sunday in lent

Friday was my birthday.

After our morning delivering Meals on Wheels (which you can read about here), Suzy gave me my present:

A framed collage of photos of family members holding Happy Birthday signs, posing in food pantries with their donations.

She had planned this for weeks, getting my family and hers to take the money they would have spent on a gift that I didn't really need, and instead to donate food to United Ministries and other food pantries. And not just donate food, but deliver the food, see the facilities, meet the people. Even Suzy's German sister, who's only in the country for a couple of weeks, participated.

I know it sounds overly pious and cheesy to say this, but I did not care one bit that this was my only present. It was all I needed, to know that about 100 people could be given a bag of food, and all because the people that closest to me care enough to care for others.

Fast forward to that night...

Suzy knows that to show how much she cares for me, all she has to do is take me out to eat at a fancy restaurant (I'm easy like that). I've eaten some amazing meals at some really nice restaurants in major cities in the US, but my birthday dinner Friday night topped 'em all.

Suzy and I went to American Grocery, my favorite restaurant in town. It's a farm-to-table restaurant serving American seasonal cuisine, owned by a husband (the chef) and wife (the sommelier). The food is outstanding, and the atmosphere was made for me. The exposed brick walls, unfinished woods, and dish-towel linens, balanced with the industrial-style ceiling and contemporary accents, give the place a modern-rustic feel I love. And when I heard Ray LaMontagne, Coldplay, and Ryan Adams on the playlist, I knew this was my kind of place.

So here's what we had:

Negro Tinto, a Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina.  Dark, flavorful, and smooth, it was a great pairing with our meal.

Starter: Flash-fried pork belly and grilled apple slices over creamy grits with a pecan-bourbon maple syrup.  Perfect combo of savory, fatty, tart, nutty, and sweet.

Suzy's entree: Wild striped bass, green garlic (mild) risotto, fiddleheads (taste like asparagus), chanterelle mushrooms, lobster nage (cream sauce). Light but rich flavors.

My entree: Braised beef tongue (don't be grossed out...it's delicious, super tender and juicy), black pepper gnocchi, arugula, smoked tomato cream sauce. Meaty, peppery goodness.

Dessert: seasonal fruit (apple) cobbler. The cobbled part had to be 2 inches thick, the top covered with packed raw sugar. Served hot with two scoops of melting cinnamon-vanilla ice cream.

I'm aware how hypocritical it is for me to advocate giving food for people in poverty and going out to one of Greenville's best (and more expensive) restaurants. Believe me, I know. But it does make me feel a little bit better that the restaurant helps to support local farms and farmers, since almost every ingredient comes from farms and artisan food producers in South Carolina. Even as we enjoyed this delicious, extravagant, and completely unnecessary meal, I was reminded that food justice does not only concern how it is consumed or distributed, but also how it is produced - with care for the environment, the food itself, and the consumer in mind.

Care. Food. Culinary care. This day had it all.