Save your Soul: Bring a Can of Food to Church

The expression "touching base" refers to returning to a fixed point which reorients a person to a trusted point of reference. If we are busy running through the routines of a busy life, for instance, it might refer to checking in to reorient ourselves to a trusted, stable, "still point" around which the busy world revolves. Judaism called the Temple where God was known to be Present the "axis mundi" -- the center of the world, such a still point, and the Temple rituals kept one centered upon a right relationship with God. Judaism created "touching base" opportunities with Him who gave material blessings --"the fruits of the earth" -- at the time of the late summer harvest, and other festivals in the Fall season. We are now in that time of harvest, and it is good to touch base with the most stable of all realities, the seasons of nature.

This Sunday, October 4, St. George's celebrates the Harvest Festival, and, with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and the Blessing of the Animals, these observances are good chances for us to "touch base" with an undeniable part of who we are: we are animals (creatures, to use a theological term) and we are rooted and grounded in the world of nature. Children understand this very well--they love to dress up as animals, for example; it's up to us adults to foster and encourage this connection with the created world.

In the Jewish "Feast of Booths," or "Sukkot," the people eat their meals for seven days in a hut, sometimes in their back yard in modern times, remniscent of the temporary shelters they lived in during their wanderings in the wilderness. It teaches, now as then, that we are dependent upon the providence of God for our survival. The celebration takes place the last week of September, usually, when the harvest has been taken in, and sumptuous feasts are a part of it.

Consider what a tonic this observance might be for us, how this is a reminder to us who, by means of technology, have very little touch with the world of nature. We measure distance not by miles, but by how long it takes us to get somewhere; we are in instant communication with no down time at all, no longer waiting for a letter to be delivered and a reply received. We wake up too early and go to bed too late, and, with no rest during the day, usually go to bed fatigued. We overschedule ourselves and our families so that not even the weekend is a time of rest. We consume recreation, but in the pursuit of more and more exotic experiences "recreation" no longer re-creates. The Sabbath, given for humanity's good, no longer serves a purpose. If we think of the harvest at all (the grocery stores don't go by the seasons much), it's in connection with Thanksgiving, which is only a marker in the Christmas shopping season (although it is one of my favorite holidays because in itself, it is a "transit point," not a commercial "destination").

What might help us touch base again with the reality of our need for rest and reflection, and our reliance upon God for our sustenance? Bringing a can of food to church this Sunday is a possible step. By actually tieing ourselves to the concreteness of such an exercise, more than helping provide food for others, we do at least as much good for ourselves, and teach our children valuable lessons. We remind ourselves, like Sukkot reminds the Jews, that we are dependent upon a bountiful God. Seeing the church full of gords, cornstalks, pumpkins and cans of food, we are reminded of God's favor to us and his generosity. We can then be moved to a real generosity, not just an occasional act of charity, realizing all humanity is in the same glorious boat of the children of a loving, generous God. We can relax, deeply, only in the knowledge that it's not our efforts that ensure our security, but that a loving generous Father cares for his creation. Resting confidently in God is what is known as "saving your soul." ~GKS