A few weeks before I stepped into the somewhat daunting task of preparing a weekly meal for this church body, I had a nightmare. In it, I had forgotten it was my first day of work, and I raced to the church kitchen...only to find empty cupboards and refrigerators! A panicked glance into the fellowship hall showed me the entire congregation quietly sitting at tables, knives and forks in hand, waiting expectantly. No one gave any instruction or stepped forward to help, so there was nothing to do but harvest the potted broccoli and onion plants that had inexplicably appeared by the door. Thankfully, I woke up in a cold sweat before you all had to eat that meal.
As I wind down my seventh year of doing this job, I have never, of course, encountered such a scenario. Most weeks, the meals come and go quietly and predictably. I plan, I shop, and I prepare with the help of a dedicated core of people who have served me (and you) behind the scenes. Even when meals are cancelled last minute due to threats of tornado or snow and we have to decide what to do with twenty-five pounds of cooked rice, or when we are shut down more long term with the arrival of global pandemics, I have always found willing hands and hearts ready to serve in whatever capacity I needed.
Scripture has a lot to say about food and about service. Both are necessary to human existence and these two things go so beautifully hand in hand. What easier way to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ than to feed them? But aside from our Lord, who miraculously produced food for the multitudes with a prayer, this service can’t be done alone. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity, but I am even more grateful for those who help me do it. From the rowdy middle school boys who wipe down trays (and occasionally snap towels at each other), to my dish pit warriors who tackle my mountainous piles of dirty dishes, to those quietly clearing tables, allowing others to fellowship or to give tired moms a night off, I give thanks. And of course, my heartfelt gratitude goes to those faithful few who have shown up every Wednesday for years. They chop your salad bar ingredients, dish your dessert, make your lemonade, scoop your rice, and put up with my (sometimes overly ambitious) meal plans - all the while following me with Lysol and damp rags as I rain clouds of cocoa powder and flour upon all surfaces.
I love food. I love working with it, serving it, and of course, eating it. But I especially love the reminder, as one of my favorite authors has said, that “Food is the daily sacrament of unnecessary goodness from God, ordained for a continual remembrance that the world will always be more delicious than it is useful.”
God is indeed a God of “unnecessary goodness.” He gives us life and breath and far more than we deserve in his extravagant gifts of creation. He also has given us each other - to serve and build one another up with the gifts He has given us, and to enjoy fellowship, worship, and a good weekly meal together. As we contemplate the end of another year of such fellowship, I am reminded that God does require one simple thing in return for these gifts: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10.31).
