
Food and Food Waste
Second Sunday in Lent to Saturday (March 17-23, 2019)
Creation Care as a Hopeful Spiritual Practice for Lent
Lenten devotional by Lynne Baab and Janette Plunkett. Illustration by Dave Baab
Food production, food waste, and the production of packaging for food are major contributors to climate change.Food waste has been in the news recently because of the significance of wasting something that requires precious resources and contributes to climate change. God is present in every aspect of the food we eat: the soil where it grew, the sun and rain, the seeds and their sprouting, the animals and their birth and growth, the fruit-growing process. God cares about the people who plant, grow and harvest our food.
Walking with Jesus
This week, when you eat, and when you say grace before eating, imagine Jesus sitting with you at the table. Share your food with him, and as you share, imagine that he becomes host of the table. Ponder the difference it makes at mealtime to experience Jesus as the host.
When you do any food shopping or preparation this week, imagine Jesus with you in the store and in the kitchen. Relish his companionship and rest in the fact that he knows everything about the seeds that your fruits and vegetables came from, the animals who contributed to your food, and the people who tended the crops and animals. Enjoy a sense of oneness with all those plants, animals and people, since God created and cares for all of us.
Scripture
Read Psalm 147:7-20, noticing where food is mentioned. In addition, notice the connections between God’s provision of food and God’s other gifts and commands.
Read Psalm 104, paying specific attention to all the ways God provides food for the animals.
Prayer
This week, try to be consistent in thanking God every time you eat, whether alone or with others. When you eat, look at the food. Thank God for the colors, textures, and tastes. Thank God for the generous gift of having food at every meal.
Pray for wise use of food in your own life – quantities that are appropriate for your body and kinds of food that put as little strain as possible on the earth. Pray that you will grow in gratitude for food and that you will grow in wisdom in purchasing and eating food.
Pray for people who do not have enough to eat. Pray for people who make decisions about chemicals for agriculture and set other farm policies. Pray for protection of the soil that grows our food. Pray for rain in places where water is scarce.
For Families
Help your children pay attention to the food they eat this week, noticing the colors, textures, flavors and shapes and thanking God for each aspect.
Make a piece of art out of green leaves.
Additional Resources
Learning:
- Read this analysis of food as a contributor to climate change. If cattle were a nation, they would be the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Transitioning to a plant rich diet can also have significant health benefits. Meatless Mondays and Fish Fridays would be a great way to start. There are many vegetarian cookbooks like this classic.
- To reduce food waste, buy local, seasonal foods (e.g., at year round farmer’s marketsand at restaurants), or buy from the “bruised” shelf at your market or subscribe to Imperfect Product. Buy as many unprocessed foods and items with the least packaging as you can.
- An article from the Seattle Times about a pantry purge with some helpful information from a food-waste expert
- Some articles from PCC about food waste:
Quotation:
- “I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of birds in our backyards, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth.” —John Wesley
Music:
Poem:
- All these breads By Eugene Warren (used with permission)