Widen the Lenten soup-and-supper experience

By Beth Ann Johnson, chairwoman, Synod Hunger Committee
 
One of the wonderful things about Lent is that each Wednesday evening I am greeted by a warm bowl of soup. It is such a comfort food, particularly this time of year when the evenings are cold, dark and damp.

But it can be good to get out of your comfort zone. Two years ago, the members of Mountain View Lutheran Church of Edgewood did just that, eating food from Nicaragua, the West Bank and Tanzania. How? By taking part in the Lenten Meal Project from ELCA World Hunger has put together a Lenten Meal Project.  Instead of soup and bread, imagine eating a meal of tandoori chicken or finding out what kind of meal a family using food stamps can afford.

This isn’t just about a meal — there are traditional prayers from each country, placemats with information about the country and the hunger and poverty issues they face, and discussion questions.

Lent can be a time of great introspection. But it can also be a great time to talk over dinner with your friends about our neighbors in need. There are 18 meals your congregation can chose from, from Columbia to Nepal. Go to ELCA World Hunger, click on resources, then look at the meals listed under Lenten Meals on the left side of the page. The resulting meals may be a bit uncomfortable, but it is the quiet discomfort we feel when we are called by Christ to care for our neighbor.