By Rev. James Findlay
For those of us who seek to follow Christ by doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly before God, the sacred season of the Forty Days and Forty Nights of Lent is a wonderful opportunity provided by two millennia of faith tradition to savor our lives anew. And if we take up this gracious opportunity, we can see our work, our relationships, our ministries, and the deeper aspects of our existence in the light of God’s divine love.
One fruitful form of Lenten meditation, especially for those of us touched by A Just Harvest’s ministry, is to consider our sacred connection to food. In fact, food is the ideal focus for our exploration, since bread is vital to life, to ministry, and to traditions of Lenten paths of spiritual growth.
In the past, many have seen Lent as a time for “giving up something.” By refraining from some activity or not eating a certain type of food, the change in our habits was intended to move us from the limitations of “the usual” to greater open-ness and awareness. And many Lenten disciplines, including restraint, contemplation, devotion, or even fasting, can provide us with “empty space” – which we then leave open, to be “filled up with God.” In addition, we can see Lent as a time of growth; though winter lingers, the days lengthen and the Light increases. By pruning our busy-ness and doing a bit less, we open ourselves to God’s care, our perception of God grows – and we can see and sense more of the sacred, in ourselves, in others, and in the world.
If we choose a path of open and perceptive discernment for Lent, rather than “giving up” food for Lent, we might instead lift into God’s hand our relationships to food. When we consider food from a spiritual point of view, we know that it sustains all life. Without food, our relationships, work, and growth are not possible. Truly, our Food is Our Life. In addition, we also know that our food and our life come from “the Earth and everything in it,” which is “the Lord’s.” [Ps 24:1] But where on the Earth does come from? Near our homes or far away? Was the Soil which birthed it nurtured in producing this food before us? Or was the food manufactured, packaged, marketed, and processed? As the world’s systems shift in our times, we can also see with a spiritual eye that the politics of food production and consumption can be the politics of human empowerment – or the power of corporately-produced food. As we eat, we can ponder how the food on our table came forth from the bosom of God, and which hands (or machines!) blessed it and carried it on its path to becoming a blessing for us.
Thus, as our food nurtures each of our bodies, we do not receive it in solitude, but as a gift from God and a host of God’s people. In addition, most of us rarely eat alone. In fact, what we do when we eat and the times and place of our meals are among the most holy experiences of our lives. Many of our most wondrous moments, whether as lovers, families, or communities, are times of preparing and sharing food. When we eat together, we create sacred space as we gather. Are we side by side at the table? Are we face to face? Is the table a circle, a square, a long rectangle, or a small and intimate space? As followers of Jesus, we find the greatest holiness in the most human act of sharing: the Mighty Acts of God are clearest to us in eating and drinking, breaking bread together and sharing a cup filled with the fruit of the vine.
As we continue our Life Journey, may we savor Lent as God’s gift of time and space, with food at its center. Not so much a “renouncing” of food, as attentiveness to the health we receive and the blessed quality of our food. Perhaps it can also be a time of questions and discernment. How is community and family shaped by the food we eat and the rituals surrounding it? Is the food before us the fruit of justice, or injustice? Did it reach us fresh from Mother Earth – or by mechanical and managed means? Is it shared in love? Are we experiencing God’s grace as we eat and drink?
May all of us have a Holy Lent – fed by God’s love and care, blessed by the beauty and life in the food which gives us life, nurtured by the food we eat and the fellowship it creates for us.
Rev. Dr. James D. Findlay has his doctoral training in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, but his skills and interests are wide ranging. He has taught college and graduate level courses in the History of Christianity, both Testaments of the Bible, World Religions, Mysticism, and Logic and Critical Thinking, as well as courses in methodology related to the study of Religion. In addition he has led retreats and provided spiritual support for persons and groups of various ages and backgrounds.
Editor’s Note: You’re invited to attend The Genesis Project’s Open House on Saturday, February 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn about our work to create internships and leadership development opportunities for young adults via sustainable food production in Rogers Park. RSVP to Anthony@ajustharvest.org.
