Is Foodsharing an Opportunity for the Church?

[Neighbor]

As to opportunity for the church, I think it is opportunity for  the individual saint to do  all that is done to the glory of God. If feeding some one is done to Gods glory  it is  a good thing.

 It also seems to me that  feeding the able body makes a  person lazy crippling them physically and spiritually. so it is best  to follow the principle of leaving the corners of the fields untouched by the master' sworkers so that  the hungry may gather for themseles food to eat. Those of the master's household do need to care for certain widows and for orphans.

 

The opportunity, if there is one, is not evangelistic as much as it is to be practicing eleemosynary sharing, the doing of good in quiet, with the left hand not even knowing what the right hand does... So that your giving may be in secret, therein is a key,in secret and not as opportunity for any present gain, nor any acknowledgement by man. That way all glory is to God and one does all that is done to His Glory alone.

Matthew 6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Giving to the Needy

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

[Neighbor]

additionally: for the poor and for the traveler;

The Feast of Weeks

“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering.  You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.  And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.  And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”

The Feast of Trumpets

 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”

[thomas t]

Hi Neighbor,

 

ok, the corners of the fields, you say...

 

However, nowadays food gets thrown away because the label of its package is damaged. For instance canned food.

Or five apples that are still perfect get thrown away if it is a package of six and the sixth apple looks a bit odd.

There are other examples, I could go on like this.

 

Friends of mine offer these things (I mean the five good apples) to wealthy and other people like me, alike. 

 

On 6/6/2018 at 2:08 PM, Neighbor said:

It also seems to me that  feeding the able body makes a  person lazy crippling them physically and spiritually

I agree. That's the flip side of it.

 

But still, I find it reasonable to share out free food, which is still perfect.

The food that is shared out for free at church is handed out in a quiet corner of the kitchen...  to people that are working.

It is a means of honouring God by avoiding unreasonable dumping of (His) good food, I think.

 

On 6/6/2018 at 1:57 PM, Neighbor said:

Seems to me God has his own environmental plan- it's all going to burn.

Indeed, there are Bible passages that tell about different catastrophes yet to come... but still, the earth is all his:

 

"Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" Isaiah 66:1a.

 

By the way, you mention charity, but foodsharing - like freegans do - isn't necessarily about charity.

It is good food not being thrown away, as I understand it.

 

Best Regards,

Thomas

Edited June 10, 2018 by thomas t
spelling

[Neighbor]

HI THOMAS,

 I AM NOT ARGUING THAT  SHARING IS NOT A GOOD THING.

Sorry about the all caps.

But in truth I would eat the odd looking apple myself and share of the better looking ones.

I have enjoyed being a gleaner of the fields,  some 535 acres, then canning the product, using it, and sharing it. Made for  grand family adventures, fellowship and just neighborliness. I have traveled to pick of the fruit orchards  and canned those as well.

But I have listened to  a man whose very mission  was to work the deep ghetto share of the word of God and encourage others to get above their poverty and dependence on the government dole and Christian charity. He advocated providing gruel ( a porage/porridge with vitamins added) which he did so that the needy had good nourishment, but did not feast without labor. His own church chef would argue  that  more and better could be provided, but he insisted that  would further cripple the already dependent upon hand outs. I found though it seemed a bit of tough love that I agreed. Still if I were to share of what was in my own lunch I would share the better and keep the lesser for myself.

 I have always hated, yes hated, the idea that so many give to the local church what  they do not need anymore, as they buy new for themselves. I think no the church does not need your excess, your waste, your no longer needed junk. Keep it if it is still serviceable and give the new to the church to pass on to another. If one has something God wants them  to share then share the best and not the least. Anyone can give away their excess junk, what Glory to God is there in that?

Edited June 9, 2018 by Neighbor

[thomas t]

just as a little update:

Yesterday, a European court held that Germany does not comply with international standards concerning nitrate pollution.

So, Germans could help by fostering food sharing, for example. This is why (again): nitrate pollution is caused by stock farming, too much of it results in too high levels of nitrate in soils.

If Germans wouldn't throw away good food, there would be less nitrate pollution.

The Bible says we should comply with rules from public authorities in Titus 3:1 - if it's EU law, this passage is still valid, I think - so I conclude foodsharing can be seen as biblical.

 

Regards,

Thomas

 

 

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, Titus 3:1 ESV

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by thomas t
"by" instead of "in" + "with" for "to"

[Neighbor]

Gee, don't think so, nitrates are in inorganic fertilizer.  I would guess it just doesn't matter what one eats or throws away, it matters how one fertilizes crops and handles run off water. To each his own, as for me if I don't want it,  don't like it, I'm not eating it just because some crop grower has used inorganic fertilizer in the field to grow it.

Edited June 22, 2018 by Neighbor

[thomas t]

Hi Neighbor,

 

On 6/22/2018 at 7:41 PM, Neighbor said:

it matters how one fertilizes crops

I agree with you. Farmers choose to use fertilizers containing nitrate for their crops in quantity so that it gets too much.

 

Actually, nitrate can be found in animal manure, also. Click here for more information.

In an Greenpeace article, animal manure is blamed for Germany's problem concerning nitrate (this link is in German language, feel free to ask me for translation; I'd be happy to translate) alone. So there might be a difference between US and EU farming .

On 6/22/2018 at 7:41 PM, Neighbor said:

I would guess it just doesn't matter what one eats or throws away

My personal stance on that one:

Regardless of which fertilizer the nitrate pollution is coming from, Germany is getting punished for it.

But throwing away food means you need to rebuy it. So, farmers produce more. However, more food production results in an increase in the use of that fertilizer.

 

Regards,

Thomas

[Neighbor]

2 minutes ago, thomas t said:

Hi Neighbor,

 

I agree with you. Farmers choose to use fertilizers containing nitrate for their crops in quantity so that it gets too much.

 

Actually, nitrate can be found in animal manure, also. Click here for more information.

In an Greenpeace article, animal manure is blamed for Germany's problem concerning nitrate (this link is in German language, feel free to ask me for translation; I'd be happy to translate) alone. So there might be a difference between US and EU farming .

My personal stance on that one:

Regardless of which fertilizer the nitrate pollution is coming from, Germany is getting punished for it.

But throwing away food means you need to rebuy it. So, farmers produce more. However, more food production results in an increase in the use of that fertilizer.

 

Regards,

Thomas

Thank you Thomas. I am sure I am wasteful when it comes to food.

Food is abundant here and available in excess to almost everyone, even the very poor. Though some of the free insane and or mentaly incapacitated do not receive the food they should be able to have, as they are allowed the freedom to wander aimlessly about here at the USA. The result of a supreme court decision many decades ago that perhibits locking up  the insane against their will.

There is so much food and programs to get free food that many  use their welfare food coupons to buy Maine lobsters and then resell them to the richer individuals at a discount. That way they have cash to spend on whatever they want. Our supermarkets nearest the poor order extra Maine lobsters each month on the week the coupons come out for the poor on welfare.

Locally we can no longer buy nitrate fertilizers for our lawns and flowers and shrubs. The stores cannot carry it. But  we can hire a service to fertilize and they can use nitrates being professionals at spreading fertilizer. Go figure. It's all manure to me. My neighbor picked up  truck loads of aged horse manure for his new bushes plantings. Now every time it rains, it smells like I am  out in the country, horse country. And the nitrates run  of into the water sewer system to go to the sewer treatment plant to gather  out the nitrates so that the water can be recycled to irrigate yards and likely those very bushes yet again.  

It all seems a load to me. The cycle seems a money making scheme  for some selling solutions to problems. Problems created for the sake of having solutions to sell. Anyway, it is fascinating to hear of Germany and your own local issues. Thanks for sharing. May God bless you and your family and circle of brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus.