Bon Appetit

We have been placed into the body of Christ, connected by the Spirit and surrendered to Jesus, the Head of the Church. As we grow in our knowledge of Him, we can also grow in our connection to the local church body. 1st Peter chapter 4 states:
9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I believe that we all are gifted in some way, we just have to discover it and put it to use.  Our giftedness is intended by God to be used to reach out to someone else; in that way, according to verse 10 in this chapter, we are being good stewards of what God has provided.  We recognize that our ability to "minister," the word used in verse 11, comes from God and is for the benefit of the body and the glory of God.  We can be sensitive and willing to use what He has given.

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We can look for ways through which God will bring people together, and we can exhibit a desire to see Christian believers connect so that we grow in our spiritual unity. In Romans chapter 12, we can read:
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

There is an innate connection between faith and food.  After all, God placed Adam and Eve in a wonderful Garden, where they were free to eat from any tree - except one.  We know that Jesus described Himself as the "bread of life."  We recognize the social dynamics and satisfaction of believers sharing a meal together.  God has given us food for nourishment and a catalyst for fellowship.

Aarti Sequeira has a deep appreciation for food - and faith in Christ. A recent Movieguide article  described her as "Celebrity chef and Season 6 winner of THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR," who has a new book called, My Family Recipe Journal: With Prayers & Scriptures.

The article focused on a conversation that Aarti had with Kirk Cameron recently.  She related about her cooking experience with her daughters, and said:

“When you’re cooking, whether it’s clams or carrots, God made those things, so we’re touching them, we’re feeling them, we’re experiencing them when we can give it a hundred percent of our attention.”

“It’s such a magical experience so I kind of pull them in that way and that has helped them understand that sometimes you eat for joy and sometimes you eat for function and they’re both really necessary in our lives,” she added.

Locale Magazine, in a feature story, said this:

Long before becoming a Food Network mainstay or a cook, Sequeira had a special relationship with food. Born in India, raised in Dubai and taught in a British school, her palate wove an intricate, multicultural tapestry that celebrated food. “Cooking is such a huge part of my family’s identity,” Sequeira explains. “It was really tied into a reminder of where we came from. [It was] how we lived every day, how we celebrated things, how we went through things and how we stayed connected to our roots.”

She related, "I remember the first time that someone hired me to make cooking videos; there were cameras in my tiny little studio apartment in LA, and [I thought]...I’m getting paid to do this. Maybe this is something that God’s made me to do.’ I think that was the first moment where I thought, ‘It doesn’t matter what I think is the right way to go about things.’ I think that this is something that’s been ordained for me, and I just have to trust that.” 

She believes: "Food is unbelievably powerful. It’s one of the few things that can really connect us across time and space...When we eat together, we are not in our heads at all. It’s a really visceral, soulful experience.”

The Lord has given us so much to enjoy, and the foods we eat can be pleasurable and life-giving.  We can also take great care to either avoid or moderate foods that are not beneficial to us.  There are dietary laws that we find in the Scriptures, which can even provide a pattern for us today, contributing to our physical - and mental and emotional - health.  So, we can pay attention to what we put into our bodies and we can rejoice in the sustenance that God brings.

We can also be reminded about God's desire for His people to fellowship together.  From potlucks to banquets, the art of food has provided a central focus for gathering together.  Community is built as we engage in shared activities, and sharing a meal gives us a perfect opportunity.  

And, we can think together about the importance of hospitality.  We are called to be hospitable, according to Romans chapter 12.  We can seek to be welcoming to other people and in so doing, bring honor to our Lord.  Some are called to help facilitate relationships.  We should be looking for those open doors to connect with each other.