A Place at the Table - 12 - Feast #2
A Place at the Table - 12 - Feast #2
First off, still catching up from the weekend. We had our church men’s retreat and wifi was non existent and I wanted to unplug at least a little bit. So, this is what would have been posted on Sunday. :-)
As is the case throughout his book, Seay focuses this chapter on food - focusing on especially those who work to bring food to our tables and a process of how to eat thankfully and gracefully. I truly loved what he wrote, especially this part…
Now sit together and pray over the food: Pray for the farmers who grew it. Pray for the workers who picked it. Pray for the truck drivers and sailors who transported it. Pray for those who inspected it, and for laws and customs that keep us safe and healthy. Pray for those who own the business from which you bought it, and for their employees. Pray for the one( s) who cooked it, and give thanks for the people who taught him or her to cook. And, as always, thank God for the blessing of the food. Now, sit quietly for a moment, and look at your plate. Notice the smells (hopefully delicious). Notice the colors. Notice how hungry you are, and how your body feels. All together, take one bite of something. Just one. Savor it. Chew slowly. Be mindful of the texture, the heat or cold, the explosion of taste, especially if you’re really hungry. (You may have to explain this part ahead of time.) After the first bite together, everyone may eat closer to their own natural pace. (Slow down if you can, but if you have kids, this will probably be impossible.) Talk about the ways God has blessed you in the past week. Talk about the things that were delightful. Talk about the things your children did that you were proud of. Tell your loved ones that you love them. And remember that God loves you more than you can imagine.
This is definitely a beautiful practice, but Sunday was a feast of a different kind for me. It was a feast of community, worship, and growth at our men’s retreat this weekend. It was tremendous to see the ways that God has worked through the lives of the men who shared during our group times and seeing the visible working of God in the lives of each man who attended. It was tremendous, inspiring, and beautiful. This image is one that I took on Saturday morning. I was hoping for one of those big vista sunrises and was initially disappointed as I went out only to see a bunch of clouds. But as I hiked around, this gap appeared in the clouds and it felt like it was a vista of God looking down upon us. It was really awesome to see. It was a feast of beauty and wonder as I watched that sunrise.