October 16 | Everyday Spirituality Part 9: Food Prep
Group Guide
This Week’s Invitation
Instead of a formal sermon discussion or scripture exercise this week, you are invited to prepare and eat a meal with your small group. Rather than bringing already-prepared food to your gathering, bring the ingredients and spend the time washing, chopping, boiling, searing, and so on… together. This is an opportunity to slow down and enjoy: food, stories, one another.
Before you gather
Watch the sermon from Sunday and/or read the short synopsis below.
Determine who in your group will be the “chef.” This person will choose a recipe, create an ingredients list, and be in charge in the kitchen.
Communicate the plan and divide up the ingredients list among group members
Tips for the Chef
As much as possible, pick a recipe that can be prepared and eaten within the timeframe of your gathering.
Try to pick a recipe that is simple but allows as many people to participate and help out.
If you have kids in your group
They may be able to help prepare dinner, or you may need a few group members to help with the kids while others prepare.
As You Come to the Table
Before you eat:
Read the Sermon Summary
We are, with plants and animals, part of a membership—a connected and interdependent relationship with the other members, and together with God. And this membership mysteriously lives by the biological death of its own members. Life requires the giving up of other life.
But this is how creation mimics God. God creates and redeems through his own self-sacrifice, and likewise the membership of creation portrays Gods character as it gives itself up for other members.
When we grow, shop for, prepare, or eat food we have an opportunity to remember the membership that we are a part of with creation. And we have an opportunity to reflect the self-giving love of God.
Give thanks for the food
Have someone in your group pray their own prayer or read this prayer:
Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe, for you give us food to sustain our lives and make our hearts glad; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
During the meal:
Go around and share highs/lows from the week, or go around sharing what you love about the meal, or have no formal conversation at all!
At the end of the meal:
If there is still time and energy, take a few minutes to share prayer requests and pray for each other.
After prayer, don’t forget to clean up together!
