Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ~Matthew 25:45 (NRSV)
I want to take this opportunity to talk about Thanksgiving for a moment; not in the sense where I remind you to be grateful for what you have (because we should all be doing that daily), but about the great pie debate.
Let’s assume you like pumpkin pie. It’s a staple in my family for Thanksgiving dessert but there is a debate about how to eat said pie. Some people eat it as it is- they cut a slice, pull it out of the tin, put it on their plate, and dive in. Others take that pie on their plate and add some “Cool Whip.”
Now to me, it’s not a slice of pumpkin pie unless it’s a slice of white pie, AKA smothered in “Cool Whip.” And I love it. I would eat the whole pie that way if I could. But not only is that not very healthy or fair to my family, my stomach is normally stuffed already from the wonderful food we have prepared together. And thinking about the Hamilfamil feast this year, it leads me to think about something the bible warns us about… gluttony.
According to some Christian traditions, gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, which realistically are just things that might lead us away from God. Gluttony itself is an overindulgence or an overconsumption of anything really and often leads to waste. It can signify a focus on earthly pleasures rather than Godly things. And the reason gluttony is on this list of sins is because when those who have are taking in more than they should, it often means there are more who don’t have anything. And those who do have, are engaged in a debate about how to eat a sweet dessert after their stomachs are already more than full.
Please don’t hear this as me telling you that you and your family should not enjoy your holiday. But I wonder what it might look like if we who can, purchased a little extra and took it to place that help those who are hungry. Generally we are really good about making sure people have good and healthy food to eat around the holidays, but what about the rest of the year? Are there only people who are hungry when the weather starts to turn cold? Absolutely not.
Can we be a people who share? Can we be a people who reach out to the least, the last, and the lost, the sick, the hungry, the naked, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners? If each of us who had just a little bit extra shared with those who didn’t have enough, maybe we could eliminate the need.
Isn’t this what Jesus asks us to do?
Comment your thoughts below
Blessings friends,
Pastor Nicole