by James Amadon

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.” The truth of this maxim becomes more complete if we add, “You are how you eat.” Food and mealtimes may seem like peripheral issues for theological examination, but if we are looking for ways to live out justice in our everyday lives, the first place to turn just may be the dinner table.

Food and mealtimes play a major role throughout the Bible. From the dangerous fruit of Eden shared by the first couple to the fruit in the center of the New Jerusalem designed for the healing of the nations, food and its consumption teach us valuable lessons about God, creation, and ourselves. Negative-ly, we see the Tempter enticing humans to eat harmful produce, Esau selling his birthright for a pot of stew, the newly freed Hebrews rejecting God’s manna and pining for Egyp-tian delicacies, Amos crying out against rich Israelites trampling on the poor and then ask-ing for grain, Pharisees closing ranks around the table, and a growing Pentecost church overlooking widows in the daily distribution of food. Positively, we witness God constantly providing for Israel and setting aside time for harvest gleaning and the Year of Jubilee; Jesus making radical statements of inclusiveness, love, and grace by choosing his dinner guests without discretion; and Peter being moved to new levels of faith and fellowship in his vision of ‘clean’ food.

The Scriptures teach us that what and how we eat affects the way communities are formed and strengthened, how we set and tear down social boundaries, and how time is lost or redeemed. A central part of our wor-ship life is a reenactment of Jesus’ final meal with his disciples, in which we remember what Jesus has done and become part of it, share in the Body of Christ, and declare who God is, who we are, and how we are to live.

These lessons are in danger of being for-gotten in the midst of our fast-food culture. Life in modern America has little time for shared meals, rejecting healthy, intentional, corporate eating in favor of processed, quick, individualized consuming. In the name of efficiency and ease we actually lose our sense of true time, allowing the myth of instancy to swallow the slow, deep, redemptive experi-ence of shared meals and conversation. With the loss of true time comes the fracturing of relationships and the closing in of social boundaries. Underneath it all lies a disrespect for God’s creation as we uphold a system that taxes the land as well as our bodies.

To see this in action we need to look no further than the explosion of fast-food franchises and profits over the last few decades. Providing swift, inexpensive, processed, tasty food to American consumers has come at a hefty price. Profits have become more important than values, and food has been reduced to a product. This has led to unjust worker practices and pay, a beef industry that consumes enough grain to feed millions of people, questionable marketing practices targeting children and teenagers, a pend-ing health crisis, and a disturbing strategy to spread this phenomenon globally.

In the midst of this we have the opportu-nity to redeem mealtime. Our choices each day of what we eat, how we eat, and with whom we eat offer a chance to live justly inour daily lives and provide a witness to the world of an alternative way to live and be. We can help build and protect our families, churches, and communities by setting aside time for good meals, upbuilding conversa-tion, and mutual support. In doing this we will also stand against destructive practices that harm ourselves, our neighbors, and God’s creation.

Covenanters have always understood strong relationships to be at the center of our shared faith. As we continue to form these bonds and ask each other the age-old ques-tion, “How is your walk with Jesus?”, perhaps we might find that a good place to answer this question in words and deeds is at the table.