Providence

Providence is not a word we often use in our daily vocabulary. Divine providence rings more familiar. From within providence emerges the verb provide, a word with which we can associate…to provide, to provide for.

Food is intimately related to providence. The many hands that work to provide the food that graces our tables. The food over which we say “grace.” Is it not Grace itself that provides life and its sustenance?

In his look at the spirituality and ethics of eating, Shannon Jung suggests two poles around which biblical themes of food and eating concentrate: delighting and sharing. I offer a few reflections about the first of these two and will save a deeper look at sharing for another post.

Until a few days ago I had never seen a group of grown men delight over the beauty of squash blossoms. It is truly a joy to be able to work in the kitchen of Highlands Bar and Grill and to see a passion for food seldom experienced. We regularly receive fresh seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. “What beautiful shrimp!” “Did you see this Mahi Mahi?” From local farmers we receive elegant squash blossoms, bold arugula and tender baby leeks. Marbled pork shoulders and creamy goat cheese from North Alabama grace our kitchen. Providence.

From where does your food come? Ultimately from Divine Providence, and along the way many hands and hearts join to carry your sustenance from field to table. Perhaps we should start with recognizing and appreciating all those who make our daily bread possible. Then, how can we become more local with our food and at the same time more aware of our role in the international food economy? Read about Slow Food here in our country. Get involved by supporting local and regional farmers and producers.

Food is big business, and not just in terms of dollars and cents. We are experiencing the rise of an international food crisis about which as Christians we can’t be complacent. Table was central to Christ’s ministry. Images of feasting are pervasive in Scripture. I’ll leave you with one to consider God’s intention for humankind and our sustenance. An image of Divine Providence…

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:6-9)

Peace...

Back in Birmingham

Everything is so green! While in Mendoza, Tamara and I often commented on the vegetation. It was beautiful, yet so different. Mendoza is arid and dry, and it was fall there. When we returned to Alabama a week ago, it was anything but arid and dry, and it is spring here. Our yard was approaching a jungle-like character, and the greens are varied and lush.

This past week has been one of many transitions - fall to spring, Argentina to Alabama, Spanish to English, South to North, just to name a few. Tamara had to dive right back into her residency at the hospital less than 24 hours after our arrival. The kids are back in school now, and they've both enjoyed reuniting with friends here in Birmingham.

I've begun this second stage of my sabbatical journey and am in my first week in the kitchen at Highlands Bar and Grill. They have a wonderful team assembled, and everyone has been so gracious to make room for me there. I'm learning a lot, on my feet a lot and hope I can help at least a little.

I've also begun my second stage of sabbatical reading, and I had no idea how pertinent these readings would be at this time. The international food situation was a pressing topic in Argentina, and the morning we returned it was fodder for conversation here also. The first in my reads about food is Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating by L. Shannon Jung.

Jung contends (and I agree) that "food and eating are important avenues toward understanding God's presence in the world." He talks about our hunger, our bodies, the gift of food and the importance of both enjoying and sharing it. Might be worth the read.

I'll end with a couple of thoughts from Jung's opening chapter (before I head off to the kitchen). "My fear is that the foundational meaning of eating and drinking may be lost, both the experience of eating and also what Christians understand about food when they say grace or celebrate the Eucharist... Celebrating the Lord's Supper is an invitation into Jesus' death and resurrection. It is no coincidence that this invitation comes at the table that meets our deepest hunger. This table also celebrates our ability to give - to live out to some extent the gracious giving-ness of God - and thus express hope for the world."

Peace...

Una nueva mirada – A new perspective

Things look different. When we arrived a month ago, the first signs of fall were just beginning to appear. This morning a blanket of yellow leaves covers the ground under the Alamo trees. The vines which were once green are well on their way to becoming bare. The vineyards, and we, commence a new stage on this journey of beginnings and endings, of hellos and goodbyes. Tomorrow we embark on our return to Alabama.

Mendoza has been a wonderful place. This has been a wonderful time. Santiago and Francisco have flourished in their new school and surroundings. Perhaps they are not yet bilingual, however the culture here is now more a part of who they are and who they are becoming. Tamara’s work in the Fundacion Conin has been meaningful, and she has learned things she could not have learned back home. My understanding of vineyards and the vine has undergone a transformation. I now have a whole new appreciation of all the work that goes into bringing the fruit from the vine to our table.

The Anglican Church was my home while I lived in Argentina. While in Mendoza, I have been worshiping at the local congregation, the Lord of the Vine. I wanted to take communion here before I left, and yesterday morning an old acquaintance from Buenos Aires was here to share in the sacrament. I was struck by the readings for the day.

Mendoza is an arid, desert land. Through an intimate connection between creation and human creativity, water from the Andes mountains in channeled down to bring life to this region. An intricate system of irrigation provides the necessary support here for the abundant growth of trees, flowers, grass, and yes, vineyards. The Old Testament reading yesterday was from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 41, verses 17-20.

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive; I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, so that all may see and know, all may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

With eyes wide open, this image is a living, daily reality here in Mendoza.

My participation in worship this month has been as one of the congregation. Yesterday I was invited to read the Gospel. Before doing so I thanked them for their friendship and brought them greetings from their Presbyterian brothers and sisters in Alabama. I then remarked how powerful it was to hear these words from Isaiah with them here in Mendoza and to then read these opening verses from the 15th chapter of John:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

I came to Mendoza with the hope of a new understanding of Biblical images like these. In a month’s time the pruning for next years crop will begin. The growers have told me how once the leaves have fallen they will take note of how the vines produced this last season. The pruning will be determined by this past harvest’s fruit. Once the branches are cut, they will be piled high and left to dry, and yes, we have used these dried branches all month to light fires to keep us warm and to cook asado (the typical Argentine manner of grilling meat).

I trust much fruit will come from this time in Mendoza. The harvest will be seen in years to come. Today my reflection is in the “abide in me.” Truly there is no life in the vineyard without the vine. Its roots are deep. Its life long-lasting. Even for a pastor it is easy to abide in other preoccupations amidst the daily constraints of life. Perhaps the challenge is to remember first the promise – "You have already been cleansed by the word I have spoken to you"; then the invitation – "Abide in me as I abide in you." Even here too there is a word of promise – "I abide in you."

As I worked in the harvest picking the grapes, I kept re-membering these words, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” As we abide in the one who abides in us, may we bear much fruit and become Christ’s disciples, and in doing so, give glory to God.

Peace be with you my friends…