Wednesday, September 4, 2024

“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”  (James 2: 15 – 17, The Message Bible)

                 Pardon me while I rant for a bit, even though it is probably spitting in the wind. Perhaps, you will disagree and that’s OK.

                On the weekend, Joey Chestnut crammed 83 hot dogs and buns down his gullet in a mere ten minutes. Apparently, it is a world record – whoopee-doo! His opponent could only scarf down a mere 66 hot dogs. Mind you, I am full after just two hot dogs, so if you are impressed by such things, be my guest.  

Here is my rant. For one thing, it looks absolutely disgusting to see a man stuff hot dog after hot dog into his mouth, barely chewing, cheeks bulging, food falling out of his mouth.  Gluttony is one of seven deadly sins and this seems to be a perfect example of piggishness – excess in eating and drinking for pleasure and profit.

But what really offends me more is that we live in a day and age where food security is a very real thing. This gluttonous display of hot dog eating is a wasteful exhibition of self-indulgence in the face of the real and imminent hunger issues in our world. People all over the world are living in famine; hundreds of thousands don’t have enough to eat. Children are starving. Even here in Canada, food banks are over-taxed and running out of food. Some folk have to choose between paying rent or buying food. We run breakfast programs for school children. We live in a land of plenty but there are families who go without food everyday and would welcome a few hot dogs.  Over 900 million tons of food is thrown away every year. A third of all food for human use is lost or wasted. This hot dog eating contest, despite its good intentions as something light-hearted and fun, comes across to me as a mockery and scorn for what is a very serious issue, that of hunger and food security. It is symbolic of our wastefulness, greed and selfishness.

I get it - if you canceled this event tomorrow, it won’t feed one single person in the Sudan, for example. Perhaps, the promoters of this nonsense could, at least, make some real contributions to a local food bank. That is what the food vendors at the recent Canadian National Exhibition did. After the CNE was over on Monday, many food vendors donated all their extra, unused provisions to Second Harvest, a Toronto food bank. Over 25,000 tons of food was gathered and donated. Now that is newsworthy and praiseworthy!

James, the epistle writer, shoves a different truth down our throats, it takes more than good intentions to feed someone. It takes our personal initiative, generosity and action to be involved in our response to hunger. Even this blog becomes meaningless without my action or unless I spur my readers into action. When I was lead pastor at Murray St, Baptist Church, we had several meal programmes, Sunday breakfasts, a monthly hot supper, food vouchers and meals for those we sheltered on a cold winter’s night. I take no credit for it. We had an army of volunteers who saw this is a way of making a difference, as an expression of their faith.

James is echoing that well-known and oft-used parable in Matthew’s gospel. “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.” (Matthew 25: 35 -36, New Living Translation) When asked how that was possible, Jesus replies, “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” (v.40)

Or this: “Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.’ The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.”  (Matthew 22: 8 -10)

Please, just pass the mustard and relish to all those who are sitting at the table!

Dale