First Wednesday in Advent

First Wednesday in Advent

Isaiah 25:6-9; Matthew 15:29-39; Psalm 23

Food, glorious food!

Today is Advent banquet day.  Isaiah promises a feast, the psalmist declares that the table is spread, and Jesus feeds 4000 men, plus a multitude of women and children.  Come to the table, all you who hunger!

I can get a little nervous with all this food talk.  Left to my own devices, I will eat way too much.  Point me to a buffet, and I’m in trouble.  I need to plan my food each day to ensure I don’t eat more than I need.  

This is not a problem for most people.  Most people in the world, including many Americans, struggle just to get enough for the next day.  My overeating - and that of so many Americans - represents a real distortion of the earth’s resources, in a way that harms those with too much as well as those without enough.  Diabetes, heart disease, all sorts of troubles are diseases of too muchness.

But I am convinced that my trouble with food, our trouble with food, is not really about having too much.  It’s about the scarcity in my soul that keeps looking in all the wrong places to get fed.  For years I used food, or alcohol, or drugs, or sex (yes, my dears, I said sex) to feed the need in me.  As I encountered God, I could let go of a lot.  When I fell for Jesus, more of me got fed.  But there’s still a place in there that’s scared, a place that thinks I won't get enough.

Jesus comes to show us abundant life.  The miracles are signs of that abundance, but they are just the tip of the iceberg (lettuce).  The real abundance is when our hearts fill, when we open to the abundance of love within and around us.

These days, every meal at our house is a feast.  That’s not because of the rich foods or the wine.  It’s because of the gratitude we bring to the table.  It’s because we come with empty stomachs and open hearts.  We don’t take our food for granted.  Every meal is a miracle.

Who needs feeding today?  Look around.  As you feed others, you will be fed.  If you feel empty or lacking, ask God to fill you with joy and peace.  Thank you for all you do today!