"A Plate of Food”

Are you hungry? Well, where would you like to eat? Most of us have a memory of a food that takes us back to childhood. It can be as simple as french-fries in a brown bag with hot sauce that we used to get as a treat during our youth, or more involved like a lemon bar recalling your first baking disaster. No matter the importance, memories involving food are vivid ― and they sometimes feel more evocative than other types of memories. As Vacation end my thoughts are eager to stoke a fire with the title based on the ‘word’ The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live! with some constant discussion of passage, like Isaiah 55:1-3, which is that God is a very inviting God. The following questions come to mind:

1.     
      Who are invited? “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters”

2.     What are they offered?God tells us what the reality is behind all this imagery (Worldly things can never satisfy the heart, not even the heart of the worldly.)
       What are they told to do in order to get it? Come, buy, eat, enjoy. And this is what the bible means by faith.

Vacations often mean eating out, and our options are plentiful! If you’ve driving to a vacation spot, there’s a good chance that you’ve made several stops at fast-food restaurants or places you remember as a child. IT is my fondness to eat with memories of Faith in mind. God is so good in making sure we have food to eat in our various circumstances. Sometimes it might not be a lot, but he still provides it for us. 

Heaps of transformative taste, whether it’s of a perfectly stacked five-way chili in Cincinnati, an elaborate Hickory- Park menu in Ames, Iowa full of Ribs and deserts; a visit with friends at Gateway hotel in Ames at a great Breakfast Buffet as we share social issues; sharing a cookie and cocktail moment with a dear friend on her quiet deck as we watch the birds, in Indianapolis. An intellectual discussion with my brother-in-law about life and faith awaiting the birth of a grandniece or a visit to old school ways at Gates Barbeque in Kansas City, can linger far longer in the mind than it does on the tongue. As anyone who remembers a sacred sandwich ( Maid-Rite )or a stack of pancakes made by my grandmother from childhood can attest, food memories rarely exist in a vacuum; they are intimately tied to where you were when you had that unforgettable bite with the help of the Holy Spirit!

“and all ate the same spiritual food”1 Corinthians 10:3

As my wife and I traveled to visit family in different states every time we got out of the car to refuel and stretch, the question lingers in mind, “Are you hungry for everyday discipleship?” which gives me images of family, friends and strangers gatherings with festive foods with a catalyst for lasting imprints of joy, love and sharing the gospel truth “Breaking bread with my entire neighborhood of family, eating that I had clutched as a remembrance of thought, with tons of laughter all around— those meals made a huge impression on myself.” This was our God’s Neighborhood, especially as the theme song of Mr. Roger’s runs/rings through my head:

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

 A beautiful day for a neighbor, 

Would you be mine? 

Could you be mine?

“Always reminding me who I belong to, whom I am and What my Purpose is”.

Remembrance is one of the strongest messages in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. God wanted his people to remember what he did for them in the past. He wanted them to remember that he had saved them from difficult situations, that he had been faithful to them since the beginning of time, and that he had given them special blessings even while they traveled from place to place. As they recalled his goodness, God’s people would know that they could go into every day with confidence, knowing their Lord would be with them. “I will remember the deeds of the Lord.” -Psalm 77:11

As a Christian, my deepest aspiration is to praise God. Even as the bags are packed for vacation. The car has been serviced…you’re taking a family fun visit to some of your relative’s home. Before considering this travel there, is a query that comes to mind, have you considered a plan for worship or how to praise God with your eating while you are away from home? As a Christian living in this world, that desire is often buried under my everyday life. I am not sure what it is for you, but for me, I often forget to remember to seek to glorify God in every area of my life. It’s not that I don’t want to but… you get it, I’m sure. (boy that five-way tasted so good!)

But, what does it mean to praise God with our eating? Does it mean we should eat kale every day, fast once a week or commit to eating “clean”? Rather than make conjectures, let’s see what the Word of God has to say about it! 

“One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet”.

Proverbs 27:7

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing”? Matthew 6:25

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity- all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. 

Acts 2:46-47

Here’s the point, my immediate next-door memory environment started with food travel but the bigger questions are, how do we get to know the people with whom God has put us in proximity with? My voluminous suggestions begin with easy going time, plus immediacy, plus activity or pastime (food), over time which is on a par with a family/friend relationship between acquaintance of love. Meaning Jesus helps us do more with neighbors who are friends than he can with neighbors who are strangers. Begin planning your Plate of Food Event today. As you pray for them and have opportunities to meet and talk with them think about this, “What will your Vacation Food Story Be?  That juxtaposition(connection) based on:

 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” Hebrews 10:24-25

Glorifying God with our eating may look different than we expected. It’s not “eat this”, “don’t eat that”. No, glorifying God with our food choices is all about the heart. This may surprise us as our inner workings don’t seem visible to others but let me assure you- they are! There is something different about a man or woman who eats in a way to magnify the Lord. A big piece of this is because obedience brings true joy. A joy that becomes a light to those around us.

“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father”. Matthew 5:16 Finally, if you have eaten these memories, delight yourself in the Lord. And say with the psalmist, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

God Bless You and This Ministry!

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