Food that endures for eternal life
You may have noticed that St Clement’s is an animal-friendly church. Since it is our annual pet blessing today, I thought it might be a good day not only to celebrate our companion animals but also to recall the “best practices for dogs in church” that the Parish Council put together a few years ago—as a refresher. The best practices recognize two things: 1) the growing number of people in our neighbourhood for whom having a companion animal with them enables them to come to church and to worship (this is a very good thing); and 2) how welcoming companion animals into our worship space might affect the whole of the community, particularly those who are afraid or uneasy around animals.
Our best practices at St Clement’s include: keeping your companion animal on a leash at all times when on the St Clement’s premises (indoors and outdoors); meeting the rector to ensure the companion animal interacts well with people (children in particular); a willingness to remove your companion animal from the church if and when they’re giving you those signals that they’re becoming distressed (barking, whining, that sort of thing—today is a bit of an exception); and when your companion animal is interacting with someone, checking first to make sure that person is okay with dogs.
For the most part, we’re doing a really good job upholding these practices. Where there’s room for improvement, let’s make it all of our responsibility to gently remind ourselves and one another of these practices for the safety and well-being of our whole community.
Now, turning to the gospel for this Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday. Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.” I wonder what that means in the context of a harvest? I think of the farmers who work around the clock during harvest time to ensure they get the best possible yield from their crops. I think of the devastation when those crops are spoiled because of drought or disease or an illness in the family that prevents the farmer from bringing in the harvest that year.
A farmer’s job is quite literally to work for food that perishes and thank God they do, because perishable food is what nourishes and keeps our bodies healthy. We know that a diet of solely or predominantly processed foods leads to an increased risk of chronic disease. “Food deserts” is a term that’s used when describing “geographic areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance.”
Food deserts aren’t just about proximity to food providers, though, they’re also about “factors such as racism, cost of living, people being time poor and cash poor, cultural appropriateness of available foods, [and] the ability of people to grow their own foods.” Some advocates suggest “food apartheid” or “food oppression” to be a better term when talking about food deserts.
“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.” Jesus says this to his disciples on the heels of his feeding the 5000—the feeding of people with fish and bread, with perishable food. I wonder how we might see that story differently if we were to imagine the abundance that Jesus demonstrates not solely as a literal abundance of 5000 loaves and fish, but as an abundant goods news for the food oppressed? As a miraculous bringing to an end of food apartheid in areas starved of affordable, culturally appropriate access to fresh and nourishing food? What if we were to consider Jesus’ use of “eternal” as a synonym for “systemic”?—meaning something that has persisted and will continue to persist? Perhaps that was what Jesus was suggesting when he said “work for the food that endures for eternal life”—that the disciples, that we scratch below the surface of these perishable food deserts to see the systemic, ongoing barriers that enable them to exist?
With last week’s barnyard blessing in the parking lot and this week’s pet blessing, we’ve stretched our celebration of St Francis this year over two Sundays. I’ve been thinking of it as “St Francistide.” The Reverend Laurel Dykstra suggested in the sermon last Sunday that even as we’re drawn to celebrations like a barnyard blessing or a pet blessing because of our sentimental attachments to animals (they are pretty darn cute), that we keep front of mind the Christian values that were of utmost importance to saints like Francis. Francis’s chief concern was for the poor, so much so that he took a vow of poverty. He preached good news for the poor and freedom for the oppressed. He spoke truth to power and spoke up when he saw Christianity colluding with empire.
About a year ago, I don’t know if you remember this, there was a groundswell of anti-trans protests in the lower mainland, people protesting the provincial sex and gender curriculum in schools. There were, sadly, a number of Christian churches who were at the forefront of the protests. There was a Saturday where the protesters were gathering in downtown Vancouver and there had been a call among progressive churches to come and pray and to keep vigil with trans advocates who were going downtown to counter-protest.
Pastor Vida from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church invited me to go with her. We met downtown and almost immediately these teenagers gathered behind us in what I can only describe as a raft of ducklings. Vida was wearing her clerical collar and I had put on my chasuble as this visible sign of pastoral support. Apparently it was working! No sooner had we arrived when two men carrying signs with Bible verses scrawled across them began screaming in our faces. Vida calmly repeated “We’re here to pray. We’re here to pray,” while these youth, some of them now literally under the wings of my chasuble, huddled around us, terrified, but brave. I remember thinking (naively) how on earth could such hatred come out of the mouths of people who claim to follow Jesus? And, what on earth was such hatred doing in my lovely liberal city of Vancouver?
When I came back to St Clement’s later that day to return my chasuble to the vestry, I saw Olivia and Cas the dog out in the garden. I think Olivia must have been working in the memorial garden. I remember Cas almost intuitively sitting down next to me and the enormous comfort this companion animal was after this incredibly gruelling day. I think, maybe I caught a glimpse that day, just a glimpse, of St Francis the patron saint of animals who knew what it was to stand up on behalf of the poor, to defend the most vulnerable in our midst, to speak the truth about the versions of Christianity which feast on fear and death rather than the Bread of Life.
Which reminds me of a book that’s just come out by the American comedian and broadcaster John Fugelsang. It’s called Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds. Talk about a title for our times! The book jacket summary reads: “For more than two centuries, the United States Constitution has given us the right to a society where church and state exist independently. But Christianity has been hijacked by far-right groups and politicians who seek to impose their narrow views on government, often to justify oppressive and unequal policies. The extremists who weaponize the Bible for earthly power aren’t actually on the side of Jesus—and historically they never have been. How do we fight back against those acting—literally—in bad faith?”
It’ll be no surprise to learn that John Fugelsang is the son of a one-time Carmelite nun and a one-time Franciscan brother.
In Canada, our Constitution is not the American Constitution. Our Christianity is not American Christianity. But, I think we can safely say that as a next-door neighbour to the US we are similarly influenced—particularly when it comes to Christianity—by the “extremists who weaponize the Bible for earthly power [and] aren’t actually on the side of Jesus.” This Harvest Thanksgiving, how might we follow the example of St Francis and the farmers who work to bring real nourishing food into the poorest of communities? How might we separate church from hate and harvest the words of Jesus, the Bread of Life?
I know not all of us are the kind of activists ready to don a chasuble and join a counter-protest downtown. Some of us flex our St Francis muscles by bringing companion animals to church for a blessing or bringing food donations that will fill the cupboards of hungry households in North Vancouver while grocery prices continue to soar. I wonder, though, before I conclude, if you might consider one more act of harvest thanksgiving?
Last week, Richard Sewell, the dean of St George’s College in Jerusalem, which is the Anglican Centre in the Holy Land, wrote in a Facebook post the following urgent message: “the cautious relief evoked by the good news of a ceasefire deal for Gaza has been immediately shattered by news today that following a court appearance that Layan Nasir has been taken immediately to prison. Layan and her family must now endure a further eight month sentence in the brutal Israeli prison system. The timing is a particularly cruel blow but it’s a stark reminder of what Palestinians are truly up against in the continuing struggle which is not impacted by the agreement for Gaza.”
Layan is a Palestinian Christian. She is 25 years old. She and her family need our prayers. I wonder if you would join me this week in writing a letter addressed to Layan and her family with your prayers and words of encouragement. Letters can be dropped off at the St Clement’s Office or in the offering plate next Sunday. I will collect the letters and send them by registered mail to St George’s College where they will be delivered to Layan and her family from there.
Let us pray:
Holy God, gracious and merciful, you bring forth food from the earth and nourish your whole creation. Turn our hearts toward those who hunger in any way, so that all may know your care; and prepare us now to feast on the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.