Unpacked: Giving spiritual meaning to food during Lent

Phineas Pope:  Tracy Simmons is the Executive Director of Favs News, a digital journalism startup covering religion. She joins me now to talk about the week’s news.

This past week, Favs reported on a pastor at a Methodist church in Spokane who’s taking an interesting approach to Lent.

 Tracy Simmons: As you said, we’re in the Lenten season right now which is traditionally when you give up something for 40 days to make room for Christ in your life. But some congregations like this one are doing something a little more creative. 

Spokane’s Fowler United Methodist Church, for example, is offering what’s called a Lent Food Messages series, and that focuses on giving spiritual meaning to food rather than just removing it through fasting.

Pope: And why do this? Besides being creative?

Simmons: The series transforms lenten worship into a multi-sensory experience. It’s really neat. They started with water and talked about the symbolism of that, and they actually handed out water. And then they talked about bread, you know, Jesus is the bread of life. The pastor toasted bread and then used fans to circulate the smell throughout the sanctuary. 

They’ve also had a grape themed sermon where the reverend emphasized Jesus as the vine and the congregants as the fruit, which reinforces a spiritual connection through tangible experiences.

Pope: And you reported that this approach is accessible to everyone. Talk about that. 

Simmons: Yeah – it includes those with disabilities who might, you know, get lost in the words. And so it’s really making it a tangible experience. And the pastor has a concept of what he calls thin places, which are moments when the divine feels especially close. And so he connects, lends, traditional purpose to a time of heightened spiritual awareness. 

Note: This transcript has been edited for clarity.