THE KIRK OF KILDAIRE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CARY, NC

www.kirkofkildaire.org

A sermon preached by Stephanie Arnold

July 8, 2007

Deuteronomy 10:17-22

For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; 18 who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing them. 19 So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. 20 The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve; hold fast to him and swear by his name. 21 God is your glory and your God, who has done for you those great and terrible things which your own eyes have seen. 22 Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy strong, and now the LORD, your God, has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.

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I love the comments that the children make during the Time With Children. They often make me think, catch me off guard and even set me straight.-(Amanda reminded me that grape juice can't be eaten).

If you were here last Sunday, I had a bunch of grapes in my hand. Innocently, I asked the children "where did these grapes come from?" I'm thinking that they come from vines or seeds or maybe even from California. Quite honestly one of the children answered "you got them from the store" - and that was right-I bought them at the store.

I then asked, "what does it takes to get grapes?" I was thinking sunshine, rain, etc. But a bright child gave me a different answered-- "money, money is what it takes to get grapes." Another right answer that I wasn't expecting. As I was reminded, you do indeed get grapes from the store with money-they certainly set me straight.

But, when we think that money and stores are the only places that our food comes from, we miss a large part of the puzzle.

Most of us in today's society are a few steps removed from where our food begins and what it takes to get it to our plates. Somewhere out there,
the seeds are planted,
they are watered and then harvested,
they are washed,
some are canned and shipped and
sometimes even prepared for us.

Often this happens without our knowledge. Out of sight, out of mind.

It was after a late night-movie in school that I found myself with some friends near a Taco Bell. While we pondered the wisdom and (possible repercussions) of a late night Taco Bell experience, a seminary colleagues explained that she would not eat there. She explained that the PCUSA was boycotting Taco Bell, though she wasn't exactly sure why… something about tomatoes. That was the last I heard about it for a while. I guess I was too busy to find out more information.

Later, I head of another initiative… the PC(USA) along with other denominations and groups helped organize and support the efforts of another boycott-this time cucumbers were the target. As a denomination, we took a stand particularly against Mt. Olive pickles. "The Great Pickle Boycott" was on.

These stands and initiatives were taken not because we don't like tomatoes or cucumbers, though that might make us very popular with many children, and even some adults. Instead we are in favor of protecting those who work to bring us our food.

The decision to support the farm workers was not without a great deal of debate, particularly here in our presbytery. The whole denomination wanted to boycott a corporation that is right here in our own backyard. I'm told it was a heated discussion on our presbytery floor. But in the end, we decided to join the nation-wide effort.

I am proud to say that agreements were made in both cases that were in everyone's best interest-both the farm workers and the corporations. By March 2005, both of the multi-year boycotts were over.

Agreements were made with the business owners and the farm worker coalitions. They increased the wages and improved the living conditions of those who provide the vegetables that are used in making pickles, nachos and tacos were afforded better circumstances. And as a result, at least one church in our presbytery was spurred to action, creating ministries of hospitality for migrants and farm workers.

The increase that was given to the farm workers was certainly not huge. I imagine you haven't even noticed it at the grocery store or restaurant. If you were like me, you may not have even realized that there was a pickle or Taco Bell boycott. But now the farm workers earn about one cent more per bushel. There are not many farm worker who will get rich on that scheme, but it is the first raise in almost 20 years. In fact, here in NC, to earn $50, a person still has to pick over 2 tons of tomatoes or sweet potatoes. That's two tons of vegetables. That's a lot of veggies.

Why would the Presbyterian church get involved-
isn't it a purely political problem?
Isn't it "not our problem"?
Isn't it possibly divisive issue?
Aren't there more important things to do?
What does our treatment of farm workers have to do with the gospel?
Why would we even take a Sunday to even think about farm workers?

I believe that it is a deeply theological issue. The way we treat others- whether they are farm workers, doctors, lawyers, migrant workers, musicians, teachers, business-owners, waitresses or anyone else, and particularly those who serve us is indeed an important theological. The way we treat others is a theological issue.

I know that today the issue of immigration is huge in our country. Immigration issues have been discussed in the halls of Congress, all of the media outlets, some of the water-coolers, many Sunday school classes and in quite a few homes across the nation. I admit that I do not envy our political leaders. The issue is extremely complex. I wish I could tell you "the" answer-- the one that extends hospitality, justice, legalism and grace. If you've come today hoping to find "the" answer, I'm afraid I can't give it.

I do believe that there are faithful Christians who take a wide variety of positions on the issues. If I surveyed the congregation, I am convinced that if there are 362 people in this sanctuary, I'll find that there are at least 425 different understandings and opinions on this issue. Wherever you stand on the immigration debate is beside the point.

What I do know is what Christ has called us to do-and that is to love our neighbors. -the guest workers, farm workers, the strangers, those in our midst, we are to care for them and about them. While not all farm workers are immigrants, we are called to care for and offer hospitality those who harvest our food.

Our Christian story is deeply rooted in the story of both migrants and, of course, food. Ours is a story of a people without a home, seeking an identity. For the Israelites, the most pivotal story was that of liberation from slavery in Egypt. The people had been enslaved, making bricks, working in the fields for over 400 years. They were strangers in a strange land, wanting a different life.

But God heard the cries of the people and empowered Moses to lead the people from bondage. For 40 years after that they wandered-a people without a home. God led them to the Promised Land. During their time in the Promised Land, there were many ups and downs. They lived, sometimes in prosperity and sometimes in want. Sometimes they followed God's laws and sometimes they forgot to listen to God. Sometimes they treated strangers with hospitality and they treated strangers with contempt.

Eventually, they were invaded and enslaved by the Babylonians. Yet again, they were a people without a home, longing to go home. Yet again they were strangers in a strange land.

They were ultimately released from bondage from the Babylonians and returned back to Jerusalem.

Throughout it all, God continued to remind them - over 30 times throughout the Old Testament, that they were to have compassion and hospitality for the strangers among them. In today's text we hear God reminding them again, "So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt." This is a refrain that is heard over and over again. It is by the grace of God that you are where you are-don't forget that. "There but by the grace of God go I."

Similarly, food plays a huge part in the story of our faith. Jesus, himself, was not a farmer, but he lived in an arid, struggling land, a rural nation. He understood the daily life of the ones who toiled hard to provide enough food for family tables. He saw the essence of life in the basic physical elements necessary to support life.

Jesus also knew the importance of food-food nourishes, but more than that, it creates hospitality and welcome. Jesus uses food as an example or context over 80 times in the gospel stories. Food is the second most talked about topic by Jesus-second only to money.
We hear stories with fish,
loaves of bread,
grapes and vineyards,
mustard seeds,
fruit trees and fig trees,
elaborate wedding feasts
and, of course, sharing private Passover meals in upper rooms with his disciples.

Today, it's easy to tell the health of a church by the way it eats. By those standards, we're doing really well around here!

On a mission trip in rural Maine, many years ago, I was charged with supplying the evening devotion/lesson. Instead of making them listen to me rattling on for a while, I thought it would be fun to play a game. The whole group was divided into 3 smaller groups by tables. I pointed to some of the corn on the serving line that we would be eating later.

I told them that Martin Luther King said, "Before you finish eating breakfast this morning, you depended on half the world." In 5 minutes, they had to list as many people who were involved in getting the corn to the table. The group with the longest list got to eat first-nothing like a little motivation to get the creative juices flowing. In the end, they listed 115 different people involved in getting the corn to their plates….
The farmer who owns the land
The cook who prepared it
The farm worker who picked the corn
The person at the canning factory who ran the labeling machine
The person who made the tractor that tilled the land
The person who sold the gas to power the tractor
The factory worker who made the tires for the tractor
The factory worker who made the car that got the person to the factory in order to make the tractor-(I'm pretty sure I didn't count that one.)

Perhaps it was the reward at the end, but I was impressed with the list of people that they came up with. One of the girls said, "you know, with all of those people touching my food, it almost seems dirty. It's amazing how many people are involved in getting my food to the table. I'd never thought of that-it really is a big world." I prayed and blessed the food and gave thanks for the many hands involved in the preparation.

I encourage you to do the same.