What does it look like to steward the gift of this Holy Meal?

I recently read an article, titled, "Eating with Reverence", that looked at food production from our perspective as Christians. It talked about the history of agriculture, and how all our farm land was once just "wild" land like that garden in Genesis. We know the local history of the Great Black Swamp, a wild land with rich soil. Our forefathers cleared and drained, tiled and planted, until and still within God's grace, it now sustains many. We give thanks each fall for the harvest that comes from the interplay of the rich land and the skilled farmer. We also still walk the woods looking for morel mushrooms, comb the ditch banks for asparagus, and compete with the critters to find wild berries. It's good to remember that this world began with the abundant possibility of both forest and field to provide nourishment for God's creatures. When we gather around God's table (symbolized by the alter) we are part of a Holy Meal, for God is our host. We can see God's hand offering multiple layers of nourishment--rich soil of the earth, work for our hands, harvest from field and vine -and also forgiveness for when we fail to acknowledge that this is of God, not of us. And, so we are called to eat with reverence and see our nourishment of food and forgiveness as pure gift of a God who loves us.

What does it look like to steward the gift of this Holy Meal? While there are local food pantries for the hungry that we support as a way to manage the abundance of food, how do we steward the gift of God's forgiveness:

Jesus appears to the disciples after Easter, showing them his scars and breathing on them the Holy Spirit. Then he sends them out into the world saying "the sins of any you forgive are forgiven and the sins of any you retain, are retained..." (John 20:19-23). Like the One with scars on his hands and feet, we best steward the gift of forgiveness--the gift that nourishes the soul--when we are ready to suffer the scars that come with caring for others and offer them relationship. You can't forgive those you don't have a relationship with! And, it all starts at the table in communion with God and each other. It is there that we clearly see how God is the prime provider--of forest, field, all food, forgiveness, and faith. We clearly see our need to eat the meal not just as strength for our body, but for the faithful way God continues to forgive us through the relationship we have with Jesus.

Just as God doesn't provide food so that we can horde it, so we are to bear God's forgiveness to a world that is hungry for it. That's as simple and as hard as making sure there is room at the table for all people. And being open to having a relationship with all who seek Jesus. When we do that, we eat with reverence and great thanksgiving!

Serving Christ,
SAM Jeanine