Comfort Food

7 Easter, May 24, 2020

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

The Collect for the Day:

Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

We look to you, the God of all grace (Creator, Savior, and Spirit), for comfort and strength.

I’m sure that you, like me, have been looking for multiple ways to comfort yourselves these days. Comfort food is my main “go to” response in times of stress. I get nervous and then I eat. When returning from a difficult hospital visit, I would often stop at McDonald’s on my way home. I would get my “usual” - a cheeseburger and a diet Pepsi. “You want fries with that?” she would ask, and I would answer in the affirmative. During these recent times, I’ve changed some of my habits. I’m not making hospital visits anymore but I’m still looking for comfort food. Now, it’s Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets and Cape Cod potato chips that bring comfort.

Discipline yourself, I say to myself, as I eat my fish and chips, girding my loins for action. My fish isn’t quite like the ones that Jesus grilled for his disciples, but close enough. I hear that the mediterranean diet is good for you, so I dip my carrots into hummus, eschewing my Cape Cod potato chips. Resist those donuts and ice cream, I caution myself, thinking that I really shouldn’t be complaining about my intake or my choices. My “brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering” and so much more! Be grateful and humble yourself!

I miss going to the gym, and my hair has grown long like a Nazarite. If it gave Samson some strength, why not me? Like the disciples, right before He ascended into heaven, and some of us now, I ask Jesus, “Is this the time when God will restore us? When we can reopen?” Will this long green season, the season after the Pentecost, be the time when God will restore not only Israel but all the people of God? Will we see the tower of Babel being rebuilt? And will we hear each other speaking in one global language of love?

As my body reserves grow with my food indulgences, I look for new ways to strengthen my spirit and comfort my soul.  After Jesus ascended, the disciples returned to the upper room in Jerusalem to pray. So why not me? It appears that they had expanded their ranks from the 11 men, who had once huddled in fear after the crucifixion, to several women and family members as well. Apparently, they found prayer and being in community sources of comfort and strength. Perhaps, they were also preparing themselves for their mission and ministries ahead. So why not us?

I noticed, however, that not all of them returned, that is if you don’t think Batholomew was also Nathaniel. Did the disciple Nathaniel go back to his day job, now that the dangerous times were over? Was he on the road to another region, bearing witness to what he had experienced, seen, and known? Or was he still huddled up in his own room, strengthening his spirit through prayer, reflecting upon what had happened, and imagining a new way of life? Was he waiting for that green light too?

Unfortunately, at first, the followers of Jesus had to maintain their secret identities, always afraid that an “unmasking” would follow. Maybe that’s why Nathaniel changed his name to Batholomew? They knew that former members of their community were whistle-blowers, telling the authorities that the disciples of Jesus were engaged in illegal activities. Like cannibalism; they ate bodies and drank blood. Or insurgency; they were worshipping Jesus rather than hailing Caesar. So, at first, they huddled fearfully. Then, after they met the risen Christ, they began to huddle faithfully. Fish signs pointed to the Way of Love.

“Yeah, we know about the wages of sin, sickness, and death,” I say to Peter today. “I know you faced stoning, inprisonment, and crucifixion. Today it’s bullets, lynching, and the electric chair.”  We know about that devil too, not Caesar but COVID-19, prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. “Holy Father, protect us,” we pray, as Jesus once prayed for his disciples. Trusting that He is now sitting at the right hand of His Father in heaven, we think, “We’ve got his ear! We know He’s got the Power!”

Remain steadfast in your faith, the Spirit whispers into my ear. Cast your anxiety on God, with those nets that are filled with worry and heartache. The great Holy Comforter is packing her bags now, and She’s arriving from heaven soon. She is bringing you comfort and strength. And news flash! Jesus has joined forces with His Father; it’s a “two-for-one” kind of gift; they deliver straight to your room. No need to get out of your PJ’s and put on your Sunday best!

“Send us your vaccines to protect us,” I ask my Creator. “Put your loving arms, once extended upon the cross, around us for comfort,” I tell my Savior. And “send forth your Spirit to renew the face of your earth,” I beg them both.

Acts of the Apostles: 1:6-14

When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.