Lenten Devotional (17): Pennsylvania, D.C. Bound

Post-Scripts: The Strawbridge Forum and Politics in D.C.

On this 17th day of Lent, we are called to eat the right things. The Bible itself is consumed with the topic of food. It appears 225 times. God could have created us with no desire for food. He could have made us self-fulfilling creatures without dependence on anything from the outside to make us whole or give us pleasure. But this is not how he made us. In fact, on day one, he creates light so we can see his creation; on day two, he separates earth and sky, and God’s first creative work is food: “Let the land produce vegetation and trees that bear fruit.” Before God created man, he already had a table of food prepared for him. I can only imagine that the first thing Adam did was eat from the land and trees.

But man becomes quickly enamored by foreign tables on his first day. Like a devilish dish, the meal of the wicked is often served with delicious appetizers. Sometimes, we salivate over it because our flesh seeks a table outside our Father’s house. But in the end, we become what we eat, and we will be more thoroughly equipped to fight sin when we remember that the table of evil is never ultimately satisfying.

In C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, Edmund was easily seduced to betrayal because he could not control his appetite. He chose a gift from the evil one over protecting his own family. Lutheran writer, Marva Dawn, summarizes brilliantly: “Always its pleasure will turn to dust in our mouths.” The biblical poet David says, “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.”

The Season of Lent is a call to eat at God’s table and to turn away all worldly delicacies. Lent is a call to fast from the wrong foods and eat the delicacies of Yahweh’s garden.

Prayer: O, Lord, may I increase in love for those things that flourish in my heart and soul rather than destroy the body and soul. Place in me an appetite for the bread and wine from heaven which gives life eternal through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Hymn of the Day: Bread of the World in Mercy Broken

Notation

• I have done between 10-15 podcasts related to the book. My 30 days post-publication have ended, but I was thrilled to introduce my writing to several new audiences. I was grateful to interview with a podcast from the island of Cyprus, which I believe will go LIVE sometime this week. Even more interesting was organizing several interviews in one day with different time zones.

  But one of the more relaxed interviews was with the guys at In The Garden Podcast in Moscow, ID. The whole thing was pleasant and even somewhat autobiographical. They dug into the book, but then dug deeper in my calling as a pastor. Here is the link to the episode. Also, this quote may or may not have been taken out of context: