15th Sunday after Pentecost (B), Liz Gibson

Lectionary reflections

15th Sunday after Pentecost (B)

Reading

If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

(James 2:15–17, NRSV)

Reflection

This isn’t about ‘earning salvation’, an impossible task. It’s about showing how our faith and belief affect our behaviour. We are following Jesus and trying to put what he taught into practice, not hoping a supernatural hand will fix everything. Praying and then trying to be part of the answer to prayer. Grateful that God loves us unconditionally but wanting to do our best for the one who knows what we are capable of and understands our limitations. Loving our neighbour as ourselves.

Most in the UK are used to seeing shop shelves full of food. Whether we can afford what we need or want is an important but separate issue. Whether the food is good for us isn’t always the point, although of course it matters. We assume the food will be there and complain if it isn’t. How long would it take for complaint to turn to understandable panic?

In spring 2020 the island of Mull off the west coast of Scotland received a one-off large delivery of food from FareShare, the charity which redistributes surplus food via other charities. The non-perishable food was destined for the newly established foodbank. But there was enough fresh fruit and veg that a high proportion of households received a good-sized bag; nothing to do with whether we could or couldn’t afford it but because, in the early days of lockdown when more people were trying to shop without leaving the island, most shops were struggling to source enough fresh produce.

Mull has lots of green space, some of which is wild and could appropriately be wilder, some of which is grazed by sheep, cows and deer. A few people keep poultry but none on a big enough scale to supply the shops. Local meat, fish, seafood, cheese, biscuits, jams, honey, wool, etc. are available at a fair

18 Living Faithfully in the Time of Creation

price for what it takes to produce them, but with some exceptions more expensive than many can afford as a norm. And not in enough quantity if everyone did want to buy them. Many ingredients need to come from elsewhere. A little local veg is available for sale in season and a good number grow some of their own. Home-growing increased a fair bit during 2020. The potential for growing in unused and underused spaces is big in cities; it is huge in the countryside. Around the country, box schemes are getting more popular. Various commendable initiatives are growing food specifically to supply foodbanks. It would be even better if more were to be grown to sell at affordable prices. Tackling the need for foodbanks is a separate issue.

It’s not that long ago since most rural residents would have been growing a high proportion of their staple food. It was often a struggle and nobody would choose to go back to the hardship involved. But we’re at the other extreme. With the increased knowledge and support available we could turn the proportions around and produce most of our own food, while importing and exporting some treats. Why are we importing herbs from Africa which can be grown all year round in this country? Why are we exporting seafood which could be eaten closer to home? It’s a system which has served some well and provided employment. Systems can change and still do both these things. The result: drastic reduction in carbon footprint, in pesticides and fertiliser, in waste, in packaging and pollution. Drastic increase in healthy soil, biodiversity, local composting, animal welfare, human health, satisfying work, planetary hope. Have faith and sow some seeds.

Question

Which countries does your food come from? Could any of it be produced closer to home? If yes, why isn’t it?

Action

Plan a meal with ingredients all sourced from the country you live in. Share the meal plan more widely, along with any particular challenges it posed or surprises it contained.

Lectionary reflections

Prayer

God of all the world, we give thanks for the variety of food and drink we have enjoyed in our lives, grateful for the hard work which has fed so many for so long, acknowledging the cost to people and planet of unsustainable production. Inspire vision and grant courage to find different ways forward, learning from the past, excited for the future, caring in the present. Combine our faith and works to bring life in its fullness for all the world.

Liz Gibson

Liz Gibson and her husband, Martyn, have lived on a croft on Mull, now certified organic, since 2013. With the help of volunteers, they have planted native hedging, fruit trees, herbs and annual vegetables, as well as establishing Isle of Mull Tea. Liz is a minister ordained in the Church of Scotland and a member of the Iona Community. She is now parish minister for North Mull.