World Food Sunday

 

                                                                       World Food Sunday logo 

1 We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,

but it is fed and watered by your almighty hand;

you send the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,

the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;

we thank you, God, O holy God, for all your love.

Voices United 520

We won't be in worship this morning  at Trenton United Church when the Rev. Ed Bentley is guest presider. I am intrigued that Ed will be addressing World Food Sunday which falls on the third Sunday of October every year and in 2021 folllows immediately on October 16th, World Food Day. I know Ed will be thoughtful and faith-full. 

The bible is full of food stories, the scarcity and abundance of it, the celebration of harvests as a regular part of religious life, the importance of breaking bread together in ways that are fair and equitable. In the gospels Jesus is criticized when his hungry followers pluck some grains  gets in trouble for harvesting grains of wheat on the Sabbath. He challenges religious prohibitions by pointing out that compassion for the hungry overrides religiosity. 

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests.But if you had known what this means,  ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” Matthew 12 NRSV

The provision of our daily bread is both a spiritual and practical issue which affects all of us, wherever we live. Food prices are rising in North America, affecting the poor more than those of us who have the financial means to absorb the increased costs. 

During the pandemic migrant workers who work in agriculture in Canada were mistreated in many instances and some died of COVID-19 because of lousy living conditions. 

Those who are attempting to make a living on smaller farms find that the pressures of debt can be overwhelming and lots of younger people are electing to leave family operations for work which pays a living wage. 

We know that there are huge famine and hunger issues in Afghanistan, and Ethiopia, and Yemen, brought about by conflict and the weaponization of food.

The United Church of Canada began in 1925 as a largely rural denomination with congregations in smaller communities where food production and harvest was a part of everyday life. So many of those congregations have closed or amalgamated and those enterig ministry are often from urban settings.Are we as aware as we once were about food issues and expressing gratitude to the Creator? Thanksgiving Sunday is no longer the celebration of provision and the harvest it once was. 

I'm impressed that Princeton Theological Seminary now offers what is called The Farminary, which is "a place where theological education is integrated with small-scale regeneratie agriculture to train faith leaders who are conversant in the areas of ecology, sustainability and food justice."  There is so much to ponder this World Food Sunday, and again, 

I'm grateful that Rev. Ed will be offering his perspective today. Here are a couple of links which might help in your understanding. 

https://www.ptsem.edu/academics/departments/farminary 

https://united-church.ca/worship-special-days/world-food-sunday