He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:25
“We have no better articulation of this pause of gratitude than the hymn of Matthias Claudius:
We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand;
He sends 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;
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love.
He only is the Maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
the winds and waves obey him, by Him the birds are fed;
much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.
We thank thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
the seedtime and the harvest, our life, our health, our food;
the gifts we have to offer are what thy love imparts,
but chiefly thou desirest our humble, thankful hearts.
The hymn begins with recognition of the human work of food production: plowing and scattering seed. But it turns then quickly away from human effort to divine generosity. The refrain affirms that “all good gifts” (surely the gift of food) are solely from God. Our only adequate response is thanks. Imagine production shaped by thanks! And distribution administered with thanks! And consumption paced by gratitude!
The prayers and the hymn constitute pauses that gladly recognize God’s generosity. In our most mature materiality, our gratitude may match God’s generosity. The greed system of accumulation robs food of its sacramental potential. We should not then be surprised that we are left unsatisfied by food that cannot meet our creaturely hunger.”
Matthias Claudius as cited by Walter Brueggemann in Materiality As Resistance: Five Elements for Moral Action in the Real World (Louisville: WJKP, 2020), 38-39.
This hymn serves as a fitting conclusion to our exploration of food production, distribution, and consumption from the perspective of mature materiality.
I have lived on biryani, curry, chana masala, dal bhat, and so other Indian and Nepalese dishes over the past three weeks. I thank God for whatever He supplies.
They have marveled at my capacity to eat whatever they serve, from hot peppers to other interesting flavors. Sharing food has opened the door for relationship.
Join me in treating every meal as a sacred gift from God for enjoyment and sharing with a thankful heart to the God who has supplied it for our good and His glory.
And pray for my safe travel home.
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