I grew up in a rural area, where the norm was breakfast, A Little Lunch, dinner, A Little Lunch, and supper, followed by some ice cream or cookies or both as a bedtime snack. We are the original foodies, with some coffee and dessert to finish up every meal. It's a wonder we are ranked one of the healthiest states in the country, because we don't starve here. (Lutefisk might also have something to do with that, but that's another blog post, and whether you love it or hate it, we won't get into that here.)
I had a dearly loved aunt (how I miss her) who didn't even let you get out of the car in front of the house without pulling treats out of thin air so she would be ready to feed you the instant you got in the door. She was legendary for it, and for her generous hospitality. I don't miss the food, I miss the love that went into making it, and the love she showed in sharing her delicacies.
My mother's best friend would learn you were coming, and she would whip up a little "nothing special" to be sure she had something to feed you when you arrived, even if it was just a five minute run by. I ate many a treat sitting at her kitchen table while she hovered anxiously, waiting to hear the praise she knew would be coming. Helen's "I love you" was to serve you delicious food, and she rarely failed in her offerings.
Food figured prominently in the life of Jesus. If you read through the gospels, you will see many of the stories revolve around meal time, or eating. Whether it was the wedding at Cana, the feeding of the 5000, or the Last Supper, food is important in the ministry of Jesus. He was human, and he had to eat. But in addition, he showed his love for others by the way he shared that time with all and sundry. The social structure of acceptable society precluded eating with those of a lower class, a tradition Jesus broke with regularity. Food was a love language for him, I think, and Jesus used it to break the ice as much as for breaking bread.
In Ecclesiastes 2:24 we read,
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God....My favorite food is hot dish, I think. There is something so warm and comforting about hot dish. (In other parts of the country, they use the fancy term casserole, but I will stick with hot dish, because that is precisely what it is.) It is a steaming hot combination of ingredients which, when baked for an hour and sprinkled with crushed corn flakes or bread crumbs on top to dress it up, sits in your tummy and warms you from the inside out. Nothing says love like a hot dish, and we have an endless variety to choose from.
Best of all, hot dish can be made in advance. Some of them are quite putzy, requiring a lot of time and work to put together. But when the guests come, the food is already in the oven, bubbling and baking, giving you nothing more to do than pull it out and set it on the table when it's done, so you can spend your time with your guests. It is the perfect dinner food, providing nourishment for both body and mind at the same time!
Today I am grateful for hot dish, because in good times and bad times, it is one way I know I am loved and cared for. Just as Jesus valued his meal times with his friends, I too value the time I spend over a meal with those I love. We feed the soul through the Word of God, but Jesus understood, on a human level, the importance of feeding the body, as well, and showed us how he valued that time throughout his life.
Dear Lord, thank you for the food that sustains us each day. I am grateful that you worry about our bodies as well as our minds and souls, and provide for us in every way. Amen.
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