sometimes, when i see a plate of sausage and potato salad before me, i ask for the miracle of nourishment. but most other times...you're right - it's just a reflex.
Pentecostals usually say, "Please eliminate all caloric values from this food..." ...A LOT.It works, hoepfully. I actually encourage the statement "Bless the hands that prepared it.." because Im ususally the one who had to make it! I always did wonder about "the nourishment phrase". I just figured it originated from church pot lucks with food that didnt go together--imagining spaghetti and meatballs sitting on a table with chorizo and eggs....lol--Brigitte Holland-Luna
Why do we ‘bless’ food anyways? What does that even mean? Protestants don’t believe in transubstantiation. I understand saying ‘thanks’ but this is a great example of unreflective subculture.
If you're extra spiritual, you go with, "Bless this food to our bodies, and our bodies to your service." That way, it's not just about the food... by eating this Volcano Taco from Taco Bell, I'm actually serving the Lord.
haha, I heard that once when I was eating at a friend's house. In fact, almost everything I recognize on this blog reminds me of that particular friend. Probably because out of all my Christian friends, she's the epitomy of everything this evangelical movement is. But anyway, I thought that phrase sounded really funny at the time. I was accustomed to the "Come Lord Jesus, Be our guest, Let these gifts to us be blessed." But of course her family didn't believe in non-extemporaneous prayer. Which brings up the question: Has anyone ever seen evangelicals pray the Lord's Prayer together? I haven't.
phrases like that and that fact that Christains abuse the word "just" in their prayers (Father, I just pray that we will just have a blessed night, Father and I just come to you to ask a blessing on our time, please just...) are two reasons why I chose not to pray out loud. If prayer is conversing with God, then why don't we converse in normal conversation.
My step-sons would always say "Bless this food through the bounty (or body - even they didn't know what the word was) of Christ our Lord, Amen." They could say it in 2.8 seconds flat. If we prayed a different prayer or (heaven forbid), prayed ad lib, the children would HAVE to mutter this under their breath before partaking of the food per their mother. Who also believes that isn't the real sin...remarriage is...until she got remarried. Gotta love it!
Thanks so much for this Blog, it cracks me up to no end and reminds me to keep it all in good balance...Although, I will snort cappuccino out my nose next week at the coffee bar IN my church, next to my Bible cover toting church lady friends, getting reading to listen to my relevant pastor who is now wearing vests like the Jonas Brothers, but thankfully no frosted tips yet. We just got our postcards in the mail about our upcoming Sermon Series. I laughed at that too.
It was always "Bless this food to our bodies and our hearts to your service, amen" in our family, but that's mostly because my sisters and I could spit that out in ten seconds flat. :)
Our church youth group would pray this before ingesting ANYTHING and I always found it ridiculous when we were getting ready to eat Dorritos and Twinkies and swill down Mountain Dew.
Whenever my family eats with my grandma, we go through "fwotwia." This is when, just before eating, my grandma quickly mumbles "for what we are about to receive Lord make us truly grateful for Christ's sake amen."
In our (extended) it was always a prayer song: Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below, praise him above ye heavenly host, praise father son and holy ghost, Amen
Or
Morning has come the board is spread thanks be to God who gives us bread,
etc, etc.
And for my progressive mother she would replace any mention of God being male and say "God" or if she were feeling especially rebellious, "she"
I'm enjoying this blog as a Christian who was raised in the Church of the Brethren, by Progressive parents, a conservative extended family in a small VERY conservative town...
17 comments:
"bless the hands that prepared it"
sometimes, when i see a plate of sausage and potato salad before me, i ask for the miracle of nourishment. but most other times...you're right - it's just a reflex.
Pentecostals usually say, "Please eliminate all caloric values from this food..." ...A LOT.It works, hoepfully. I actually encourage the statement "Bless the hands that prepared it.." because Im ususally the one who had to make it! I always did wonder about "the nourishment phrase". I just figured it originated from church pot lucks with food that didnt go together--imagining spaghetti and meatballs sitting on a table with chorizo and eggs....lol--Brigitte Holland-Luna
Why do we ‘bless’ food anyways? What does that even mean? Protestants don’t believe in transubstantiation. I understand saying ‘thanks’ but this is a great example of unreflective subculture.
If you're extra spiritual, you go with, "Bless this food to our bodies, and our bodies to your service." That way, it's not just about the food... by eating this Volcano Taco from Taco Bell, I'm actually serving the Lord.
Thank you for the soda that is now sprayed across my computer monitor. I had no idea that any one outside of church I used to attend said that.
HAHAHAHA
GUILTY!
"Thank you for this food and your mercy. Amen."
haha, I heard that once when I was eating at a friend's house. In fact, almost everything I recognize on this blog reminds me of that particular friend. Probably because out of all my Christian friends, she's the epitomy of everything this evangelical movement is. But anyway, I thought that phrase sounded really funny at the time. I was accustomed to the "Come Lord Jesus, Be our guest, Let these gifts to us be blessed." But of course her family didn't believe in non-extemporaneous prayer. Which brings up the question: Has anyone ever seen evangelicals pray the Lord's Prayer together? I haven't.
phrases like that and that fact that Christains abuse the word "just" in their prayers (Father, I just pray that we will just have a blessed night, Father and I just come to you to ask a blessing on our time, please just...) are two reasons why I chose not to pray out loud. If prayer is conversing with God, then why don't we converse in normal conversation.
Thank you. This is so true. Bless this nourishment apparently applied at McDonalds and Pizza Hut growing up.
Thanks for the saturated and trans fat.
I LOVE this blog!! Just had to say that.
My step-sons would always say "Bless this food through the bounty (or body - even they didn't know what the word was) of Christ our Lord, Amen." They could say it in 2.8 seconds flat. If we prayed a different prayer or (heaven forbid), prayed ad lib, the children would HAVE to mutter this under their breath before partaking of the food per their mother. Who also believes that isn't the real sin...remarriage is...until she got remarried. Gotta love it!
Thanks so much for this Blog, it cracks me up to no end and reminds me to keep it all in good balance...Although, I will snort cappuccino out my nose next week at the coffee bar IN my church, next to my Bible cover toting church lady friends, getting reading to listen to my relevant pastor who is now wearing vests like the Jonas Brothers, but thankfully no frosted tips yet. We just got our postcards in the mail about our upcoming Sermon Series. I laughed at that too.
It was always "Bless this food to our bodies and our hearts to your service, amen" in our family, but that's mostly because my sisters and I could spit that out in ten seconds flat. :)
Our church youth group would pray this before ingesting ANYTHING and I always found it ridiculous when we were getting ready to eat Dorritos and Twinkies and swill down Mountain Dew.
Whenever my family eats with my grandma, we go through "fwotwia."
This is when, just before eating, my grandma quickly mumbles "for what we are about to receive Lord make us truly grateful for Christ's sake amen."
Hahahaha! This is so true I love this blog. We said Brain V.' s prayer when we were older but when we were younger it was:
God is great, God is good, let us thank him our food. Amen
In our (extended) it was always a prayer song: Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below, praise him above ye heavenly host, praise father son and holy ghost, Amen
Or
Morning has come the board is spread thanks be to God who gives us bread,
etc, etc.
And for my progressive mother she would replace any mention of God being male and say "God" or if she were feeling especially rebellious, "she"
I'm enjoying this blog as a Christian who was raised in the Church of the Brethren, by Progressive parents, a conservative extended family in a small VERY conservative town...
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