Hi Everyone,
Late Thursday night, actually early Friday morning, 13 of us from Highlands returned from a sojourn in the Highlands of Guatemala. It was Highlands in the Highlands for 12 days, and it was amazing.
Travelling in Guatemala takes a certain care if you are from Canada, and one of the things you have to pay meticulous attention to is what you put in your mouth. Don’t use the tap water. Don’t eat uncooked vegetables. Don’t drink something out of a glass or with ice in it. Be very careful what goes into you. Ask any of the travelers how wonderful it is to rinse your toothbrush under a tap, how much of a relief it is to let your consumption guard down now that they are home.
Today we read Jesus’ words: “there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” It is not your diet that matters but your behavior.
Oh Jesus, I beg to differ. There are all kinds of things that, “by going in” can cause all manner of grief. We had two weeks of paying close attention to what “goes in,” and are thankful for careful dietary practices.
In Jesus’ world though, the traditions around food were not just “food safe” rules. They were cultural traditions and spiritual practices. They were practiced in order to cleanse and nourish the soul as well as the body. Jesus was critical of those who paid meticulous attention to food practices and paid lip service to the love practices- care for the outcast, love of neighbor and stranger alike.
I look forward to gathering with you around the communion table, and exploring how we what we eat and how we live are connected. Come be nourished at the table, and be nourishment for the world.
Blessings, Will