Sandwich Theology
When I was in seminary, I had a professor who spoke about popcorn theology. It was about finding the spiritual in everyday moments like watching popcorn pop. It is one of those experiences I have had numerous times in my life and have written about them before. I have written about food such as cupcakes, waffles and spaghetti, and kitchen utensils such as Pampered Chef’s silicone basting brush and adjustable measuring spoons. Tonight, as I was preparing my wife’s vegan philly cheesesteak, I had a similar epiphany.
On the one hand, it is just a sandwich filled with vegan steak, vegan provolone, caramelized onions and peppers layered inside a bun. But tonight, as I put together this sandwich for her, I realized it was more than just a sandwich. It was an offering to her that was nutritious, one I hoped would be pleasurable, and something I had made for her with love. I not only made it for her with love, I thought loving thoughts about her as I had planned it, shopped for it, served it to her and watched her eat it.
It wasn’t just a sandwich, it was a gift of my love for her. Not only was my love in that sandwich, but the Ultimate’s love for her was in it too. There were all those gifts that the Ultimate had led to the creation of, guided us to, blessed us with the funds to get, and given me the hands and creativity to bring to fruition. All of this was wrapped in the bread which held it all together. Isn’t this how the Ultimate is in our life?
It doesn’t matter what kind of sandwich you are making, even if the bread you are using is lettuce because you are on a low carb diet. There is still something which wraps around all the fillings and holds things together. The fillings are what gives us nutrition and pleasure, but it is the bread which holds the sandwich together while we eat it.
Some sandwiches are neater than others to eat, but the same is true of our lives. Some days are neat er then others. Some sandwiches we enjoy more than others. Some seem more nutritious than others. Yet despite the variations, our faith in our Higher Power, however, we define that, is what holds all the ingredients in place and enables us to eat and enjoy the gift we have been given.
Tonight was philly cheesesteak and tomorrow may be a vegan reuben. It is not about the type of sandwich I make, it is about the love that goes into it, through it, and with which it is served.
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