By Wendy Steger (2018)
Pastor, Connect
During these cold winter days, I think wistfully about lazy days at the lake, relaxing in the warm summer sun. One of my favorite times in the summer is July 4. I have fabulous memories of gathering with family for food and fun at the lake. We grill, eat watermelon and salads, and always end with a red velvet cake. Family dinners, especially holiday family dinners, are a pretty special thing. This is where we create traditions together.
Think about your favorite family meal, maybe it’s a special holiday meal. Perhaps it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. What is it about the meal that is so special? Is it the food, smells, conversation, or the company? Does the meal include special recipes that have been handed down through the generations?
Part of the reason family dinners are so special is that they feed much more than the physical body. They feed the soul. A joyful family dinner feeds our needs for connection, relationship, identity, and so much more. Just as the body needs to be fed in order to function properly, our souls yearn for nourishment as well. A well-fed spirit breathes life into the rest of our being.
Jesus knew that the body’s need for food and the spirit’s need for nourishment are intricately woven together. When he broke the bread on that Thursday evening, he said, “This is my body, given for you.” Whenever we celebrate holy communion, we are receiving physical and spiritual nourishment intertwined in a mystery we call the Lord’s Supper. It’s the ultimate family dinner as we celebrate a meal with Jesus as the host.
This Lenten season, we’re focusing on hunger. On Ash Wednesday, we’re launching a huge food drive in support of Our Daily Bread, our on-site food shelf. We’ve set a lofty goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of food between Ash Wednesday and Easter! Keep your eye out for our “Packing the Pews” visual display in the narthex, and let’s see if we can achieve this goal together.
This Lent, we will also address more than simply physical hunger. On Sunday evenings at 5:00 pm and Wednesdays at 12:00 and 7:00 pm, we will explore the soul’s need for nourishment as well. In our sermon series, “Hungry for…,” we address our very human needs for self-worth, calm in the storm, purpose, connections, and the Holy Spirit.
Join us for worship this Lent on Sundays and Wednesdays as we gather together to nourish the body and soul, and remember to bring a donation for the food shelf as we “Pack the Pews.” Join us as we explore the question, “What are you hungry for?”