Holy Sandwich!
I’m a big fan of sandwiches. But I, like many of you, am plagued by whether or not it’s holy to eat a sandwich! What do I have to do to a sandwich to make it holy? Can it be holy? What about the sandwiches of other cultures, such as gyros or tacos? Are they more holy than ham-on-rye? Less holy? This situation is bewildering.
After all, the world eats sandwiches. Unbelievers eat sandwiches. Should Christians eat sandwiches? Do we want our children eating sandwiches? Maybe it’s okay for mature Christians, say, a pastor of a rural church, to eat sandwiches, but maybe not every Christian can, right? What should we do? Can we eat sandwiches and be holy?
Some time ago I wrote:
If being very holy means being very human, then our idea of what it means to be holy is going to need some touch up. Remember, “the Son of Man came eating and drinking.” (Mat 11:19) …Perhaps nothing greater could be [said about what spiritual transformation involves] than this: we’re learning how to eat and drink again—not to gluttony or drunkenness, but to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)
"Whether you're eating or drinking, or whatever you're doing, do it all for the glory of God." (1Cor 10:31)
Not only can we eat sandwiches but we can eat sandwiches to the glory of God. We can sing songs of praise to glorify God; we can read the Bible to the glory of God; we can share our faith to the glory of God; and we can eat sandwiches to the glory of God.
But eating a sandwich is so… not associated with religiosity! It’s not the sort of thing you expect well-coifed solemn-looking religious folk to be doing.
Why not, though?
The humble sandwich stands in as an example of all that we do that is human—dishwashing, diaper changing, tire-pressure checking, taxes, jogging, fireworks, napping, and so forth—but is not part of our idea of what it means to be holy. “Holy” things are like, sitting in uncomfortable chairs, listening to the Bible being read, asking your waiter if you can pray for anything, finding a way to invite someone to church, praying for the persecuted church, and such things.
But what if all of life could be holy? What if sandwiches and related culinary objects might be eaten in such a way that God is glorified? That’d be a very different kind of idea of holiness than the one most of us roll around with. And… that’d be kind of nice.
Lunch Unto the Lord
How can sandwiches be made holy? Paul answers this question in 1 Timothy 4: 4-5, “Everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
How to Eat a Holy Sandwich:
Recognize that the sandwich is made of things God said were “good.”
To be holy is to belong to God—to be more His and less your own, less not-His. So the first step in eating a sandwich in a holy way is to wrestle it away from utilitarian ingratitude—“It’s just food.” No, that’s worldliness. To His people, this is a “good” gift from our great God. That is, this part of my life is also from and for my Lord; this part too is His.
Thank God for the sandwich.
Now that we know where our meal came from, we can give thanks to God for it. The sandwich, which already belongs to God, now reminds us that we too belong to God—He who created the sandwich created those who delight in sandwiches. “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for [sandwiches]…” (2Cor 9:10)
Give thanks to God directly, in prayer.
We relate directly to God via prayer. Since a relationship really only exists to the extent the two parties “relate” with each other, prayer is, in a practical way, our relationship with God. The sandwich belongs to God, giving thanks reminds us that we belong to God, and prayer is the act that says to God, “I belong to You! Thank You.”
Everywhere we look, friends, God has laced grace through this world. And yes, it can be challenging to slow down and behold it. But it’s there. Everywhere. So let us give thanks for all things. Let us belong to the Giver. That is the essence of holiness.
May all our sandwiches be holy and may we be all the holier for eating them. Amen.
Photo by Sara Cervera Hire on Unsplash
