Food and Prayer

FOOD AND PRAYER

Food and prayer. How often do we allow them to go together; to exist side by side? The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Jesus gave thanks for the bread and wine at the Last Supper. Matthew, Mark, and John say that Jesus gave thanks for the loaves and fish before his disciples distributed them to the multitude. Before a meal do we remember to give thanks for the food God has allowed to be provided for us from His good Earth? I must confess that sometimes I just dive right into the meal. But when my better self remembers the source of the food, at a minimum, I close my eyes and say thank you.

Have you ever been in a restaurant with someone and they want to say grace before the meal? I have, quite recently as a matter of fact. Mary Anne and I were gathering with some friends at a local restaurant. It was the occasion of a 50^th high school reunion, and we were gathering with three others (and spouses) who had been members of the same youth group at a United Methodist church. As the conversation revolved around the table it, of course, came around to religion given our original common background. Two were very quiet; one was vocal and excited to tell us all that she had been doing in her church setting; while Mary Anne and I were some where in between with how much we had to relate. Of course, when our meals were delivered by the waitress, our vocal friend asked if she could say grace out loud no less. It has been my experience that the person asking is always polite and will say something like, “Would you mind if I said grace?” Well , what is one to say; especially if you are not bashful about talking about your faith? My reaction, inside my head only, is usually, “Well OK if you must.” I feel, I think for no good reason, uncomfortable. Are other people looking at me at us? Do they think, “Look at those religious fanatics?” Those are at least some of the sources of my discomfort. Have you ever felt that way? But is that reasonable? If we profess to be Christians shouldn’t we unashamedly give thanks to God for the food we are privileged to have? That is not really a question for the answer is a resounding yes. The next time I’m in a restaurant and the food is served I think I will at least close my eyes and say a silent prayer of thanks for the abundance that God has allowed me to share in. And if I’m feeling particularly brave I may even make the sign of the cross at the end of my prayer (quite a leap for a former United Methodist where such formal gestures were at best seen as unusual).

But prayer and food have yet another dimension, I think.  Unfortunately, the abundance that I mentioned is not equally shared by everyone in our society, as it should be. After all we live in the richest society on the face of the Earth. No one should want for his or her “daily bread”. Although one church or probably even a group of churches can not solve this problem, we can at least ameliorate the problem. We need to be creative in how we ask for and provide food for those in need. Recently while I was trolling with one of those wonderful inter-web machines I happened upon a story about a church that was creative and that had encouraged people to contribute canned food for a local food bank. But instead of simply collecting the food, the people at the church constructed a prayer labyrinth using the cans of food that were contributed. People were then invited to walk and pray the labyrinth. This was a brilliant idea because it had the possibility of connecting those who walked with an opportunity to remember the real source of the food and that when we provide food for, “… one of the least of these…” we are providing food for Jesus. “Truly I say to you as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me.” (See Matthew 25: 40 b. KJV)

Food and prayer are possibly a more intimate connection than we might have at first imagined.