Study guide Food: A means to living the faith J
By Robert C. Blezard
esus said, “One does not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4), thus underscoring the universal neces- sity of food. We don’t live by bread alone, but we can’t live without it. No wonder food figures prominently in our church ministry—the Lord’s Sup- per, pantries, potlucks, soup kitchens, coffee hours, nutrition programs, environmental awareness and more.
Exercise 1: Feed the hungry Whose problem is it when people are hungry? In dozens of passages the Bible makes it clear: It’s the problem of God’s people who have more than enough.
Read one or more of the follow- ing passages and discuss what it says about who is responsible for feed- ing the hungry: Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:15-16; Isaiah 58:10; Deu- teronomy 24:19-22. • Why is God so concerned with the poor and hungry? • Why does God want people with more than enough to share? • What do these passages say about the blessings God will give to those who feed the hungry? • How does your congregation help? • What could it do differently?
Exercise 2: Think globally, eat locally
Blezard is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Arendtsville, Pa. He has a master of divinity degree from Boston University and did subsequent study at the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.) and the Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia.
Where does your food come from? Look at your latest grocery receipt and list the state or country from which each item came. Coffee from Colom- bia, grapes from Chile, apples from Washington,
oranges from Florida—we fill our pantry from around the globe. What about milk, bread, cereal, rice, flour and other staples? By and large, the closer to your home the item was produced, the fewer resources it takes to produce and bring it to market. For produce and other perishables, the closer it was produced the fresher and more nutritious it’s likely to be. Ask study group members to complete a shopping-list analysis at home, and then gather to discuss the results. • How many items were from your neighborhood, community, state, region and country? From foreign countries? • Is it possible to buy more of your food from closer sources? What would be the benefits for nutrition, resource conservation and the local economy?
Exercise 3: Keep a ‘food diary’ The old maxim says, “You are what you eat.” Does this help explain why the U.S. is No. 1 in obesity and weight-related diseases? Experts point to the abundance of processed foods in the American diet—those high in calories, fat, sugar and salt, but low in nutrition. Ask study group members to keep a “food diary” that lists the approximate quantities of everything they eat for a week. Using the nutrition data on each package and other tools, ask them to calculate the approximate calorie intake. Then as a group discuss: • What did you learn? How do you feel about the results? • How much processed food is in your diet? How much fresh or prepared-from-scratch? How much restaurant food?
• If you had to cut down your calories, which items would you avoid?
Exercise 4: Food spending Examine your household budget for the last month. What did you spend on food from stores or restaurants? What is it in percentage of total monthly spending? If you had to spend half as much, how would you do it? Ask each person in your study group to save grocery and restaurant receipts for one or two weeks (mem- bers decide), then bring them to class. Exchange the receipts with another member and consider: • How does your neighbor manage his or her food spending? • Which items seem expendable? • For which could a cheaper, still nutritious, substitute suffice? • Which restaurant meals could be eliminated? • What are some ideas for healthy meals when you are short on time or energy?
Exercise 5: Food, glorious food! At an ordinary meal Jesus broke bread with his apostles and instituted the eucharist. In doing so, he also established ordinary table fellowship as a common and holy way for Chris- tians to gather and share. Lutherans have gotten the message. Over meals (and beverages!) Martin Luther held many “Table Talk” discussions with friends and students. Modern-day Lutherans enjoy eating too. • In your congregation, what special events center around food? Which is your favorite and why? • How does food serve your mem- bers, your greater community and your church’s mission?
This study guide is offered as one example of the more than 370 that are currently available on The Lutheran’s website. Download guides—free to print and Web subscribers—at
www.thelutheran.org (click “study guides”).
26 The Lutheran •
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