Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More
By ANDREW MARTIN
Published: November 15, 2008
The canned meat product has become the emblematic food for hard times as consumers look for ways to stretch their grocery budgets.
Anybody have a spam story, or a favorite spam recipe?
(first of all, I can’t believe September is over halfway through and we are staring straight in the face of the equinox… eek!)
From RevGals: It’s that time of year, at least north of the equator. The windows are still open, but the darned furnace comes on early in the morning. My husband went out for a walk after an early supper and came home in full darkness.
And yes, where we live, leaves are beginning to turn.
As this vivid season begins, tell us five favorite things about fall:
1) A fragrance
I think I would have to go with the smell of pies baking… apple, pumpkin, etc… or maybe even just the smell of nutmeg and cinnamon that seems to flavor everything – hot chai tea, spiced cider… all of it just warms up the whole house.
2) A color
As you can tell by my new color scheme, I’m thinking of fall already! I would have to say a deep vibrant firey orange is probably my favorite.
3) An item of clothing
My tweed pants and my brown pointy toe boots. They are just too warm to wear in the summer and really are too cozy to wear in the spring.
4) An activity
carving pumpkins! My husband and I go all out and make fantastic creations. One year we actually carved GW and then some of our roommates threw the pumpkin head off of the roof of our house (it was college, silly college kids)
5) A special day
I really do love Thanksgiving. I am a food person, and we normally have about 4 meals to attend in a day. I love all of the flavors – especially cranberry sauce and stuffing.
Here are five things to ponder about dates.
1) Datebooks–how do you keep track of your appointments? Electronically? On paper? Month at a glance? Week at a glance?
oh goodness. I am terrible about this. I used to do it through outlook on my computer – but then never had it with me. Then I bought one of those fancy franklin covey planners and it is beautiful, but I don’t really use it like I should and it’s too big to stick in my purse on the go. Right now, I’m using the scheduler in my cell phone. Which at least lets me know when i have something coming up due to the great alarm feature.
2) When was the last time you forgot an important date?
I kind of missed out on my dad’s 50th birthday and my parent’s 25th anniversary. The last few years have been crazy and I wasn’t home that summer and so while I as the eldest daughter should have thrown a HUGE party for both occasions – I totally missed out. I don’t think I even realized it was my dad’s 50th until months later. Bad Katie, Bad.
3) When was the last time you went OUT on a date?
I actually went on a strange sort of triple date a few weeks ago, except, one of the other girls couldn’t end up making it because they had to move. As far as just me and my hubby… It would be sometime in Nashville… I can’t even remember. We have done things like going out with friends to dinner and then a thing (a movie, or to see the Whirling Dervishes!), but I honestly can’t remember the last time just the two of us went out. That’s kind of sad!
4) Name one accessory or item of clothing you love even though it is dated.
I have a bunch of my grandmother’s scarves. Silky ones that would be tied around the neck under a blouse, but is totally out of style. I wore some of them in my hair in a more hippy dippy faze of mine, but now they are just in the closet. My favorite is white with orange images and writing – all spices and herbs!
5) Dates–the fruit–can’t live with ’em? Or can’t live without ’em?
I actually really like dates. At our Maundy Thursday service I recreated a sort of last supper with types of food that might have been around at the time. So we had dates and figs, unleavened bread, olives, etc. And then when we took communion, we did sort of a love feast with it and everyone passed around the food and it was a really moving experience for a lot of people. We moved from that to hand washing (which i thought would be a bit less scary than foot washing since they hadn’t done it.)
1. What is your sweetest summer memory from childhood? Did it involve watermelon or hand cranked ice cream? Or perhaps a teen summer romance. Which stands out for you?
Hmm, I think the closest thing I came to a sweet teen summer romance was on a camping trip my family took around the Wisconsin dells when I was in probably 8th grade. I can’t remember his name, but I do remember how much fun we had in the water park at the campground!!
2. Describe your all time favorite piece of summer clothing. The one thing you could put on in the summer that would seem to insure a cooler, more excellent day.
I guess probably just lazing around in a bikini and one of my sarongs from hawaii would have to be on the top of that list. I also have a great new pair of mesh shorts with the heat wicking technology that I love to wear when I disc golf – that and a white tank top totally keeps me cool. But NOT a ribbed tank. I didn’t realize how much that extra ribbing traps in heat until I almost died of heat stroke the other day (okay, I just felt like I was going to die)
3. What summer food fills your mouth with delight and whose flavor stays happily with you long after eaten?
Sweet corn. I LOVE sweet corn. And it stays with you because it gets stuck in your teeth!!!! I also love a great glass of sangria. I have a friend who made white sangria and it was to die for.
4. Tell us about the summer vacation or holiday that holds your dearest memory.
I would have to say the first time we went up to raft on the Menominee and Peshtigo Rivers in Wisconsin. This last time was fun, too, but I love playing cards and being outside and it seemed like that was all we did that first trip. That and drinking wine.
5. Have you had any experience(s) this summer that has drawn you closer to God or perhaps shown you His wonder in a new way?
I think getting myself back into my devotional life has been really good – and I did it on vacation while i could sit outside and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.
Bonus question: When it is really hot, humid and uncomfortable, what do you do to refresh and renew body and spirit?
When i was a kid, the sprinkler would be running. Now as an adult, I just head for the nearest air conditioning… how boring is that?
Last week while on vacation, I got to spend a lot of time with my neice and nephew. My neice is three and my nephew is almost seven years old. And whenever you spend so much time around little ones, you are guaranteed to hear the cutests and darndest things.
As we began to make our long journey back home, our car pulled out onto the highway right behind a logging truck with eight foot, freshly cut logs piled high in the back.
We pointed out the logs to my neice, who immediately wanted to know why the trees broke. We tried to explain that they had been cut down, but her only response was, “tell me the truth, guys!”
We went on to share how those tress would be made into things like toothpicks and tables and paper, but after every explanation, every description that seemed completely logical to our adult minds, she looked at us, with a face of pure unbelieve and shouted back, “That’s not true! Tell me the truth, guys!”
Her little mind hasn’t yet formed the connections between a tree growing in the forest and the paper she colors on every day. The ability for one thing to become another isn’t a concept she can comprehend yet. And so she thought we were all lying to her. Me, her huncle, her father, all of us. And it only got worse the more we laughed and smiled – not because we were fibbing, but because of how adorable she was.
My neice didn’t believe us because she couldn’t yet, but there are times in our lives when we have something deeply true and important to share and when no one believes us it can be very painful and frustrating. As we explore both of our scritpures this morning, we fill find both those who don’t believe and also the longing to include them on this journey of faith.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans this is more obvious. He writes to his fellow Israelites – those who have grown up reading the same scriptures – who understand the same prophecies – to those whom God has chosen – and Paul is in anguish over the fact that his brothers and sisters of Israel don’t believe him. No matter how many times he shares his store, they don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah they have been waiting for. But still, Paul never gives up and keeps writing to them, trying to share what he has found. And he keeps praying and rusting in God’s promises to Israel, to us all.
In our gospel lesson this morning, the unbelieving ones anre a bit harder to find. When Jesus needs some time away – som rest and a space to grieve the death of his friend, John the Baptist, he tries to leave quietly in the morning. But the crowds of followers watch his every move and they all gather together at his destination before he even arrives.
Now – having just been on vacation, I can assure you – as much as I love all of you – if you had journeyed up to Northern Wisconsin and were waiting beside my cabin when I pulled up last week – I might have been pretty upset. I probably would have ordered you all back hom, or I might have hopped back in the car and tried to find a better hiding place.
In any case – I don’t know that I could have mustered up the compassion that Jesus had for all of those men, women and children who had journeyed out to that deserted place to be with him.
So moved was Jesus that he spent all day moving among the crowds and healing those who were sick. He set aside his own plans for the day, his own need to grieve, and he ministered to their needs.
After hours upon hours of these acts of sacrifice, mercy, and compassion, his tired disciples come up to Jesus and begged him to send everybody home.
“There is no food here,” they cried.
“It’s hours past supper time”
“My blood sugar is running low,” they chimed in.
“My tummy is rumbling.”
“Send everyone back to the towns so that they – and we – can get some food!”
I can just picture the mischevious, knowing smile that comes across Jesus’ face as he responds, “No need to send them away – you give them something to eat!”
Because, you see, Jesus already knows the disciples are thinking about scaricty – about how little they have -the few loaves of bread and fishes they brought with them that morning for a meager lunch they didn’t have time to eat. And Jesus knew that what sometimes looks tiny and insignificant can be full of life and life abundant.
So in front of all of those people, all of those faithful crowds who followed Christ into the wilderness, he took the bread of his disciples, blessed the bread and broke it, then gave it to his closest followers so that they could serve the many.
All of those who gathered to see Jesus – to hear him speak and maybe ever tho be healed – got so much more than they were bargaining for that day. They didn’t just catch a glimpse of Christ and spend some time at his feet… they caught a glimpse of the last supper. They got a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. They witnessed a radical outpouring of life and generosity and abundance like hadn’t been seen since the days of the prophets or since Israel journeyed in the wilderness and the people were fed by manna from heaven.
All who were gathered there ate and were filled. Filled with life, filled with hope, filled with the love of Christ, who shared himself with them in the breaking of the bread.
Now all of that is well and good, but like Paul Harvey – I want to know “the rest of the story.” You see, in the “rest of the story” my mind sees unbelieers. In the rest of the story, I feel my heart breaking like Paul’s because I think about all of those people who didn’t show up, who stayed home to mow the lawn, who didn’t think they were worthy or welcome, who were too sick to come.
I think about all of those people today who don’t believe God is real, who can’t understand that God loves them and who live their lives empty of that reality. I think about them and I understand Paul’s frustration.
And you know what, I re-live that feeling each month when we gather around this communion table. I re-live that pain and longing because I know that there is enough here:
enough bread and enough juice
enough love and enough grace
for all to come and be filled.
There is more than enough here, and yet there are many who won’t taste this meal today.
Maybe they are family members who are too busy for church. Maybe they are co-workers that you have never thought to invite. Maybe it’s the person down the street who lives along and longs for a place to belong… but who doesn’t know we exist.
Each time we gather around the communion table, I have asked you to look around and notice who is not with us. It is not a typical part of the litany – but something that one of my pastor’s shared with me that really rocked my world.
Before that, the communion table was about my own personal relationship with God – it was a private act done in a public place. But then, I realiced that this is a table set not just for me, or even just for those in this room, but this is a table set for all. Everyone is welcome here. Everyone will be fed here – if only they are able to gather around the table.
I want us to take a few minutes this morning to think about “who is missing” more seriously. Who in your life, who in this community, is NOT gathered with us or other people of faith around the table?
Here are some slips of paper and I want to invite you to prayerfully write down the name of someone you know, someone you want to invite to join us on this journey. I also ask you to include your name, so that together you and I can reach out to that person or family. When we take the offering after the message, place those names in the offering plate.
My prayer is that when we gather agian around this table next month, that some of those people for whom our hearts break might be able to share in this amazing feast with us.
Over the next few weks we will explore ways to share the love we have experienced with each of these people. Some may simply come and are eager for the invitation. But we might find that there are others to which we have to go – to take the church to them – to gather around other tables in other places. But let us remember that Paul never gave up on his message – and while people may not believe us or won’t come at first, God does and through his power others will too.
i LOVE sunday afternoons. they are one of my favorite times in the week. the time when I really feel like i have nothing to do, nothing waiting for me, and often when I can relax with family (and a glass of wine).
we often go to my inlaws for sunday afternoons for a casual dinner of burgers and chicken, and whatever else gets whipped up for the day. There are usually about 10 of us over there, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the day. And especially during the three warmer seasons, we sit on the deck or on the swing and just talk. let go of everything and just be. it is wonderful. the kids play, the grown-ups talk, and everything seems right with the world.
today, we have one of the few days in recent time where there is no where to be. and that feels good too. no obligations. no commitments. just me and my hubby and our computers =)
weekends are a time for us to play computer games together. he is a big fan of world of warcraft and I like to play with him. and i’m working on getting better gear for my character, so this is a good weekend to play and veg out on the couch earning honor points =)
in no particular order:
1) no one notices if you skip the Lord’s Prayer during communion – it was printed in the bulletin… it should have been in my script… but since I switched to a special Epiphany litany, the one with just the great thanksgiving and not the whole shebang, I totally missed it. But… no one seemed to notice, or at least no one said anything.
2) sometimes it’s better to just let someone talk than try to respond – during one of my pastoral conversations with a parishoner they became passionately angry about evolution being taught in the schools and then quoted genesis 1. I couldn’t figure out what to do next. Should I announce my theological differences? Should I point out that Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 tell differing stories and so it’s hard to take them both (or either) literally? Should I say something like “wow, you really seem angry about that… can you tell me why you feel that way?”… Since I couldn’t figure out what to say, I just listened. intently listened. And preceeded to find out that this really kind and sweet old man (and he really was!) was so angry about evolution being taught that he swore he would go after anyone who tried to teach his kids about evolution with a shotgun! While this probably isn’t true, I felt like if I had opened my mouth I would have been run out of town. I think our congregation is a really interesting mix of biblical literalists, fundamentalists (in the early 20th century understanding of the word), people who just want to understand what the text means, and others who could care less. And I desperately want to be honest and authentic about who I am and what I believe. But I’m glad that I just listened to him right then. He got the anger out of his system and we preceeded to discuss whether or not “Deal or No Deal” was gambling.
3) food will be provided at every gathering – YAY! food for bible study, food for youth group, food for sunday morning fellowship. I love being Methodist.
4) when i’m on the internet, no one can call the church office – an interesting consequence of previous pastors not keeping office hours is that the office doesn’t get used much. So they have dial-up and one phone line. But now that I have set office hours (M-Th 9-12), someone is there! And while I’m there, I’m likely to do things like correspond by email to other district and conference pastors, work on my sermon and the bulletin using textweek.com, begin working on a church website… all of which means, no incoming calls. I started to wonder why the phone wasn’t ringing. LUCKILY, no one desperately needed me and we figured this out before any damage has been done. (it’s not like anyone is expecting to get someone at the church… they haven’t for a while). I discussed upgrading to DSL so that we can talk and surf at the same time… it’s in the works.
5) homebound members LOVE IT when the pastor visits – I have been fairly nervous about visiting people. I’m not the most outgoing person in the world and my only experience so far has been making cold calls in a hospital. But there is a huge difference when you are now someone’s pastor and when they haven’t been visited for a long time. A congregation member came with me to begin making visits and it was so good to meet all of these wonderful people! They have so many stories to tell, so much life that they have seen. Each circumstance is different. Some are retired farmers who have moved into town. Others have lived in Marengo their whole lives. Some moved to Iowa later in life. All that I visited were widowers, but some for as few as 9 months and others for 35 years. Each desperately missed their spouses. I think that a significant ministry that our church can offer is ministry to these people. Evidently the church used to tape services for them, which can be done again. And we definately need to start a communion ministry. Maybe we can get some funding from somewhere to invest in a church bus… for quite a few of these people they either can’t drive or the weather keeps them away… all they need is a ride.
6) no matter how long they have been doing without, when the pastor arrives they are expected to lead – My first day in the office, before I even had set down my stuff, I was invited to join in the bible study happening in the next room. I accepted because I wanted to see what they were doing and introduce myself, etc. but EVERY TIME there was a pause or a question, I was supposed to have the answers. As the week has gone on, it hasn’t been quite as bad, but there is an expectation/hope that I’ll be the one who prays, who has the answer, that I’ll come join all the civic groups and participate in each of their outside bible studies. I think the part that is difficult for me is that I really value and want to embody a communal ethic of church leadership… one in which power is shared and we are all ministers in the Body of Christ. They really want a pastor. They really want a shepherd. This doesn’t mean that I want to shirk my responsibilities… it means that I want to help them fully claim theirs. And I think that it will take a little while before we get to that place. I have to admit, I’m tempted at times just to take things over and do them my way… but that’s not how I feel that God has called me to lead, nor do I believe that it embodies the ministry of Christ. So… while it may be slow going… together we will learn how to be the church.
7) croutons of christ just aren’t as full of grace as hawaiian sweet bread – This is for all of you Vanderbilt and West End people… I’m a big fan of intinction… the good old “rip and dip”… especially when you are feasting on a hunk of Hawaiian sweet bread. Yeah, I know Jesus was probably eating unleavened bread in the upper room, but a tender chunk of bread, with all of its texture and the smells… it just really conveys the fact that you are sharing part of a meal with one another. I grew fond of gathering at the table after the worship service was over to eat the communion “leftovers.” Things just are not the same when you have cubed, crustless white bread (especially when you have no loaf to break and when you take the cloth off the plate bread cubes stick to it and go flying off the table) Note to self: have a meeting with the communion committee.
In the last e-word, I shared that there are two kinds of good news: the news that Jesus brings to us, and the news about Jesus the Christ. But what do you do with that good news? How do you even begin to share it with the world?
You may have noticed that West End has a new ministry called “Water at the Well.” It is an eclectic mix of events designed to help us experience God in new ways, but it comes with a commission as well: to take those experiences and share them with others. I was able to participate in the “prayer for the city” event on July 2, and in the spirit of those experiences and in the spirit of this column, I want to share with you my experience.
As a few of us sat in the Church Street Park downtown, I have to admit that I felt awkward. We had come into the heart of the city to pray for whatever we saw and experienced, and yet, in such a public place, it was also a very overt form of witness. I kept asking myself, do I have good news for these people? And how do I share it with them?
Interestingly, the park we sat in was filled with beautiful foliage, green grass, a flowing fountain; and yet the only people who took the time to stop and rest inside this space were the homeless of downtown (and the occasional dog walker). Everyone else rushed by on their lunch breaks on the hot pavement just outside the park. Which group needed the good news?
I felt incredibly voyeuristic and out of place. Who was I to bring good news to these people? Who was I to assume that they didn’t have a bit of good news already? Who is to say that they didn’t have good news to share with me!
Sensing we all felt that way, our little group simply sat on the bench in the park for about 15 minutes soaking it all in. One of us led a simple prayer – praying that we might experience God in the city during our time in that place. Almost immediately, people around us began to interact with us. We had been present for long enough that we became safe and approachable. We had been present long enough to not be a strange element in this community’s midst.
All of the recent stuff I have been reading about evangelism talks about building relationships and in the process sharing good news. We really need to get to know someone, know where they are at, and be honest about where we are as well, in order to share our stories. And we need to be a real presence in someone’s life. That is not to say that there isn’t a time and a place for random encounters with people, and that’s not to say that we can’t share the good news of God with complete strangers. But to really know what to say, you need names, you need stories and you need to be vulnerable yourself.
So what did we share with this group of people? We stopped for long enough to hear their stories and to share a bit about ourselves. We listened for long enough to hear that the good news that Christ brings to the world is needed in this community: there is addiction and mental illness and broken relationships that need healing. Yet we also listened for long enough to hear that the good news of God was present in their midst. They were a community that loved and cared for one another, and in the spirit of water at the well, they shared what they had received with one another and were able to tell another hungry beggar where to find food.
And that is precisely how Daniel Niles describes evangelism: “Evangelism is witness. It is one beggar telling another beggar where to get food. The Christian does not offer out of his bounty. He has no bounty. He is simply guest at his Master’s table and, as evangelist, he calls others too.” The good news that I gained from being present in this community was realizing that the good news God gives us to share is a gift. It does not come from our abundance or knowledge or higher moral standing. It comes in spite of us and it is meant for everyone, including ourselves. We are all hungry, and when we find a morsel of food, we should share it with others.