In Matthew 6:16 it says “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.” Jane Larsen-Wigger, preached on this last week noting: I don’t know if you caught it or not, but in these words of Jesus that we just heard, the one little word that catches me up is his use of the word ‘when.’ Jesus says “WHEN you fast . . .” Not “IF you fast . . .” but WHEN.

Food Sovereignty here there and everywhere

Why are we so concerned with what God looks like? In the Christian tradition, we have always sought some rendition of God: think of all the museums with religious art depicting different visions of God through the Middle Ages, especially….

A few years back, when standing for my Candidacy for Ministry of the Word and Sacrament Examination1 , I started talking about the over-the-top exuberant goodness of God that can be found in a bite of simply grilled salmon on…

Agribusiness and modern, industrial farming is destroying the ecological integrity of this beautiful planet, and so many people are being exploited along the food supply chain! God’s Creation is groaning under the strain of fossil fueled agriculture with its pesticide poisoning, chemical fertilizers, unjust labor practices, and the carbon and methane pollution heating the atmosphere. FROM FOOD CRISIS TO FOOD JUSTICE!

Yes, we have a lot of cows. Thus the cheese, and cheeseheads. We also see a lot of beef. Hamburgers, meatloaf, casserole, steak. Grain-fed, industrial-raised beef. It’s delicious, I know. But I don’t eat it. I can’t afford it. And…

Wisconsinites are proud of their milk. I didn’t realize until I moved away that Wisconsin really has the best dairy products – fresh milk, cheddar cheese, ice cream and frozen custards… But this industry is in serious distress. “Dairy giants”…

Sure, buying local is getting big, but even I didn’t think corporations would begin attempts to profit off it so soon. Call me naive. Here is a section from an excellent article about the co-optation of local. Even Wal-Mart is getting in on the act, hanging bright green banners over its produce aisles that simply say, “Local.”

South African farmers suffered million of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of GMO maize failed to produce hardly any seeds. “Monsanto says they just made a mistake in the laboratory ; but we are saying that is (a general) biotechnology failure. You cannot make a mistake with three different varieties of corn”, those were the words of Mariam Mayet.

This coming Sunday, the lectionary brings us round to one of the most important teachings about Jesus that we can find in the Gospels: When hungry people are around Jesus, they get to eat till they are full. They also…