(Praying before a meal is one of my favorite subjects to write about on SCL. I’ve covered it a few times, but never in the way Some Guy did today. I continue to be a huge fan of his writing and the funny approach he takes to things. Enjoy.)
Debating why we pray before a meal. – by Some Guy
One of the secrets of Christianity is that this behavior is an unwritten rule. Don’t tell anyone, but nowhere is it written that meals must be blessed before being consumed. Look it up if you want. Dare I say, “Google it.”
Among Christians though, there seem to be three philosophies about praying for a meal:
1. The prayer is unnecessary
These people don’t even bother. Sure, Jesus blessed the bread before serving at his meals, but did He tell His disciples to do it too? Nope. We’re under grace, not under the law. All things are clean, right? If they’re already clean, why do you need to pray?
2. The prayer applies only to those who hear it
This group believes you must be present to win …umm, I mean must be present for it to count. The strict interpretation of this is “in the same room” and the looser interpretation of this is “within earshot”.
A default exemption applies to people working in the kitchen. But just in case people aren’t aware of this clause, the pray-er usually inserts a mention in the prayer “bless this food and the hands that prepared it”.
3. The prayer applies to the food
What, really, are you praying for at the mealtime? The people there? or the food? You pray for the food, so it shouldn’t matter who is there. In this group, you’re allowed to show up after the meal has started and you’re not expected to pray your own prayer before you start eating.
Back to the main question: why pray for food?
You won’t learn the answer from any sermon or from Bible college. I heard it from a pastor’s wife, strictly off the record so her husband won’t get in trouble.
“Any unprayed-for food that you eat goes straight to your hips.”
I don’t care what my hips look like, so it seems that my unblessed food forms love handles. Now I know why some people pray for the dessert too. (Although this begs the question, “Does ‘the Situation’ on the Jersey Shore, who has made a career out of the possession of six pack abs, pray better than anyone else on the planet before he eats?”)
So how strict are you with your mealtime prayers?
(For more great stuff from Some Guy, check out his blog www.someblogsite.com.)
