Who here is an SNL fan? Did you see the “Washington’s Dream” sketches with Nate Bargatze?
⬛ In one of those sketches, he’s in his boat, crossing the Delaware River with some of his soldiers.
Washington says to his soldiers: “Men, we fight to control our own destiny, to create our own nation… and for the freedom to have two different names for animals. One when they are alive, and a different one when they are food. So cows will be beef and pigs will be pork.”
“And chickens, sir?”
[pause] “that one stays… chickens are chicken… And we will create our own foods, and name them what we want. Like the hamburger.”
“Made of ham, sir?”
“Ah, if it were only that simple. A hamburger is made of beef. Just as a buffalo wing is made of chicken. But fear not, men; a hot dog will not be made of dogs.”
“What is it made of, sir?”
“Nobody knows.”
“But sir, shouldn’t we know what’s in a hot dog?”
“Get out. Get out of the boat. A real American would never want to know what’s in a hot dog.”
That sketch makes me laugh, but I didn’t think much more about it, until one day when I was re-reading one of my favorite books: Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
In one of the chapters of that book, the author is describing how important it is to be mindful of the choices she makes, choosing food that not only nourishes her, but is harvested and produced in an honorable way.
She appreciates that her local grocery store has partnered with local farmers to provide organic goods at a reasonable price. She likes that she can walk the aisles “with open eyes, the source of the food mostly evident, although Cheetos and Ding Dongs remain an ecological mystery.”
⬛ Hot dogs. Cheetos. Ding Dongs. What are they made of?
Hot dogs generally have some kind of meat… and a whole bunch of other mysterious ingredients. Cheetos, one would think, would have some sort of cheese in them…and they do… a little bit… along with 20 other ingredients, some of which I can’t pronounce… And Ding Dongs… there’s over 40 different ingredients in a Ding Dong. I don’t know how they find room on the package to list them all.
In one way or another, all these ingredients do come from the earth. But many of them have been so processed and transformed, that they no longer resemble anything natural.
And these products appear on store shelves wrapped in colorful packaging. This colorful packaging, and the modification and transformation of ingredients, all serve to disconnect us from the earth; disconnect us from the source of all that is good and nutritious and wholesome.
⬛ Eating should remind us of our connection to the earth. If anything should remind us of our connection to the earth, it should be eating!
Another book I’ve read mentions that feeling disconnected is one of the biggest causes of depression. Disconnection from other people, and disconnection from the earth, from the creation that we are part of.
Feeling disconnected leaves us feeling discontented.
Feeling disconnected means we forget that we are a part of something much bigger: the whole universe.
If you’re growing your own crops, or harvesting them in the wild as Robin Wall Kimmerer sometimes does, you can’t help but realize how connected you are, how connected your life is, to the earth. If you are hunting your own food, you can’t help but notice how your life depends on the lives of other creatures.
And in both cases, being aware of such things, we feel compelled to offer gratitude. It becomes almost natural.
But if our food comes from the freezer, wrapped in plastic, and filled with unpronounceable ingredients created in a lab somewhere, it becomes easy to lose sight of the connection.
…which leads us to feeling, isolated, alone, and depressed.
And when we feel isolated, alone, and depressed, it’s hard to feel grateful for the food we eat.
In past generations, people were more connected. They were more connected to each other, and they were more connected to the earth.
Biblical writers knew they were connected to the earth. Biblical writers often use imagery from the natural world. Using imagery from the natural world was natural for them, for they knew that they were connected to creation, they were aware that they depended on the earth, on nature.
⬛ In today’s scripture, which is one of the lectionary readings for today, the prophet describes God as the one who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters; the one who makes a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert; the one who is honored and praised by wild animals: jackals and ostriches.
Earlier this year, I preached a sermon from this same chapter in Isaiah; it was from the beginning of Isaiah 43, while today’s scripture is from a little further on in that chapter.
Those earlier verses talked about how God will be with you when you pass through the fire and the waters, and how God will keep you from being overwhelmed.
Today’s scripture uses water imagery a little differently, when it talks about the water in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
It brings to mind other scripture passages that talk about water, about how God leads us beside still waters, waters good for drinking; clear, clean water. Water that quenches our thirst and gives us life.
God gives us the water, and God gives us the fruit of the earth: all that we need for nourishment.
Which is why we often say grace before meals. God has gifted us with a world filled with abundance. That abundance nourishes us and gives us life. Whether we’re eating hamburgers or buffalo wings or crops from the field, we are dependent upon the earth, and we become one with the earth everytime we eat or drink.
And it’s easy to be aware of this connection when what we eat still bears a resemblance to its original form. An apple in our hand looks the same as an apple in the tree. A drumstick in our hand doesn’t look quite the same as the chicken it once was, but we’re still aware of the source of our food.
But a hot dog; a cheeto; a ding dong… not so much.
Now, eating hot dogs, or cheetos, or ding dongs once in a while is not a sin. If you enjoy those foods, it’s OK!
But if our habit is to always engage in practices that do not honor our connection with the earth, with creation, then I think we will find ourselves lost in a spiritual wilderness in which there is no river or stream to quench our spiritual thirst.
Two weeks ago, our scripture was from Isaiah 55, which began: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water, and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”
Notice how the prophet asks: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread? Come on, eat what is good! Eat the good stuff!”
And when the prophet says “eat the good stuff,” I don't think he’s talking about hot dogs, cheetos, and ding dongs.
I think he’s talking about good, wholesome, nourishing food. Food that tastes good, but is also good for you. Food that is good for your body as well as your soul. Food that is good for you, as well as the earth.
Food that is good all around.
Food that makes you aware of your sacred connection with creation.
⬛ What do you do to be aware of your sacred connection with creation? What practices do you engage in, to connect with nature?
Lent is a good time to talk about such things, because many of the practices we engage in during Lent are meant to help us reconnect: reconnect with God, reconnect with ourselves.
Too many things in our lives disconnect us from God. The food we eat can certainly be one of those things.
In the days we have remaining in this holy season of Lent, can you think of some practices you can engage in, that will help you reconnect with nature, with creation?
Some of you garden. You’ve been planting and tending to flowers. That’s a good practice, one that can be sacred when it helps you connect to God’s creation.
Some of you like to go for walks in nature, as I do. I’ll never understand why the fitness centers are full of people running on treadmills on days when the weather is nice, when they could be running among the flowers and trees of Constitution Trail instead.
Some of you like to watch nature documentaries. In my house, we’ve been watching The Americas, a television series narrated by Tom Hanks. It doesn’t provide a whole lot of information, but it does feature some amazing cinematography, with a stirring, emotional musical soundtrack, all designed to help viewers feel that connection to nature.
Something else that you can do, that some of you may do, is pause for just a moment before you eat, and remember where your food came from. Remember that beef and pork, though their names have been changed, were once living creatures, and that our lives depend directly on the lives of other beings.
Remember that the plants you eat depend on clean soil, clean water, and clean air, as well as on human labor it takes to plant and harvest them.
Remember that they also depend on the energy of the sun, for without sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur and plants cannot grow; remember that every bite you take contains within it the energy of the sun.
Let that moment of reflection, of remembering, make you aware of your connection to the earth, and your connection to God, the one who gives water in the wilderness, the one who makes the sun to shine and the rain to fall.
Then, as you eat, enjoy your meal. Be aware of the taste. Savor it. “Delight in the rich food,” as Isaiah says.
Sometimes I eat my meals in such a state of distraction, that I don’t actually taste what’s going into my mouth. My mind is focused on other things. And when I’m finished with my meal, I look down at my empty plate and I think, “Huh. I bet that tasted good…”
Is such mindlessness any way to thank the God who gave you that food?
Enjoy the taste of the food. Delight in it. Be mindful as you eat.
And then: knowing where your food comes from, commit to doing all you can to protect the earth, to protect the climate, to protect the soil, water, and air.
Only when we learn to protect the earth can it be said that we, along with the jackals and the ostriches, are truly honoring the God of creation.
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