Food Course: Days 3 - 4

Days 3 and 4 of the course were entitled "Biblical Foundations and Themes" and we delved into scripture to explore the ideas of Eden, Passover, kosher eating, feasting, fasting, sabbath, hospitality, justice and Eucharist.

Obviously that was a lot to cover, so here are some notes that have got me thinking:
1. Sabbath: In sabbath becoming Sunday, it loses its deep sense of peace...
* setting aside our own agendas
* appreciating what we have
* sharing what we have
* delighting in what we have
Sabbath is not a legalistic duty but linked to the creation narrative (with all its implications), centred on a meal. Any meal can be a mini-sabbath if it helps us slow down and appreciate God's goodness to us.

2. Eden: Genesis 2:15-17 sets God's agenda for creation and humanity. Man participates with God in the full flowering of creation. The garden is life-giving and comes with a prohibition (and consequences). Death is part of creation before humanity is created (think compost and geological findings about fossil fuels!) How is death as a punishment to be seen then? Sin is ultimately about our choice to separate ourselves from God. The immediate death in Eden is the fear, shame and discomfort that Adam & Eve suffer when they eat the forbidden fruit, breaking their communion with God. Alexander Schmemann, an Eastern Orthodox theologian, has more to say about the sacramental nature of life in For the Life of the World.

3. Hospitality: The covenantal relationships God has with humanity and creation are often sealed and celebrated with a meal (sacrifice or feast). In Genesis 18, Abraham welcomes his holy guests with a meal. In 2 Kings 6:8-23 a meal is the setting in which conflicts are solved. In some cultures (ancient & nowadays) a guest is considered 'family' once they have had a meal, or three cups of tea, or eaten bread... Even in the West today, food is used to break down social barriers, to build relationships, and celebrate people and remembered events.

4. Fasting & Kosher: One way show appreciation for God is to feast and be thankful; another is to refrain from eating certain foods, or for a period of time. This acknowledges that while food is a necessity, it can also become a temptation or idol. How and what we eat is important. In recognising our hunger, we recognise our need for and dependence on God.

The quotes I chose for these days are:
"The first, the basic definition of man is that he is the priest. He stands in the center of the world and unifies it in his acts of blessing God, of both receiving the world from God and offering it to God – and by filling the world with this eucharist, he transforms his life, the one he receives from the world, into life in God, into communion with Him. The world was created as the “matter,” the material of one all-embracing eucharist, and man was created as the priest of this cosmic sacrament" (Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World, 15).

This one just tickled my fancy! "Except ye munch the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves" (Aileen Guilding, The Fourth Gospel and Jewish Worship, 59, [quoting John 6:53, my italics]). No wonder the early Christians were thought to be cannabilistic in their worship of Christ! But surely we would gain more life if we really savour our relationship with Jesus.

"In the eucharist the curse is undone and paradise restored. Instead of the eating that brought death there is offered the eating that brings eternal life. The… Eucharistic bread as the antidote to the forbidden fruit of Genesis 3” (Guilding, 63).