Happy Wednesday friends,
One of the goals I have in mind for our Lenten fast is engaging with issues of hunger in our nation and worldwide. To that end I'm including a link to a PDF from the Presbyterian Church on the world food crisis. It's more cerebral than our previous reflections, and I'm hesitant about throwing a big piece of reading at you. At the same time food is such a part of our everyday lives that we often don't think about it beyond what to eat for dinner or what we shouldn't be eating if we want to watch our diets. But whether we think about it or not, we are part of a global economy in which some (especially in the US) struggle with too much food while others (40% of the world's population lives on $2 or less per day) struggle to have enough to eat. At the same time more of the world's food in controlled by large corporation making ever growing profits. It's easy to think that the problem is too big to tackle, and it is alone. But God never leaves us alone and even small steps together by the Spirit's guidance can make a difference. So take a look at this link: http://www.pcusa.org/foodcrisis/global-food-crisis0908.pdf and let us consider what God might be saying to us in this moment.
Let's pray together:
Loving God we thank you for the abundance of the earth and the joy of sharing food. In this time of fasting let us listen to your voice in the growling of our stomachs. Let us hear you in the emptiness of the fast. Help us remember our sisters and brothers around the world for whom this is everyday life, for those whose fast is seldom broken. Guide us to be grateful and thoughtful about what you have given us and show us how to reach out to others with your abundant love. In Christ's name we pray, amen
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There is an important book in the Resource Center titled "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats". It's a photographic study of families from around the world, revealing what people eat during the course of one week. The difference between the American family of 4 with their mounds of packaged, processed foods and the Mali family of 15 with their (what appears to be) meager grains, fruits and vegetables is a stunning visual wake-up call to that which you describe in your blog. At a time when hundreds of millions of people do not have enough to eat, hundreds of millions more are eating too much. It's hard to ignore when one looks at the pictures in this book.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to recognize how internationally connected the food system is. For example, some "emergency" food aid programs have made the local situation worse in the long run by undermining the economics of local farmers' markets for their locally grown products. Often farmers in developing countries are themselves struggling to produce enough for their families and some extra to sell. Let us pray for wisdom, as we support hunger relief efforts, that these contribute to sustainable local agriculture as well as meeting immediate needs.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments, thanks. Anonymous raises a great point that is touched on in several of the PCUSA resources as well. The food aid and subsidies to farmers in the developed world often make it impossible for farmers in the developing world to compete. Simple solutions won't fix this problem.
ReplyDeletethanks for enriching the discussion.