- The Diocese
- Beliefs and Practices
- Christian Life
- News and Publications
- For Clergy
- For Parishes
November 16, 2011
In his Thanksgiving letter to the people of the Diocese of New York, Bishop Sisk invites us to join him in exploring our relationship with food, people and the land.
November 16, 2011
Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Diocese of New York,
Thanksgiving is a quintessentially North American holiday. It is a day when we remember the hardships faced by the first immigrants to this great land, and the gracious kindness with which the native people greeted them.
Paradoxically, at a time when we reflect on the richness of the life that God has given us to live, there is a note of poignancy as well. This is inevitably so, as we remember that the benefits that we enjoy now have been paid for by the willing and unwilling sacrifice of so many. I think of the millions who arrived on these shores in shackles to build our nation's wealth. I am also reminded of the native peoples who occupied these lands for millennia before the arrival of Europeans, who received them warmly, and then paid for their hospitality by losing everything.
As those native people and first immigrants gave hearty thanks for the food that they were about to receive, so should we. And like them we need to be sharply attentive to the source of our food-not only because we need clean water and good food to survive, but because we, like they, are largely, if not wholly, dependent on others for our daily bread.
Never before in all of human history have so many been so completely dependent on others-on strangers-for food and water. Never before in human history have so many been so completely cut off from the land upon which they ultimately depend for their sustenance.
As Christians, we affirm the sacredness of all Creation including, of course, the land that nourishes us. Yet we are increasingly separated from that land, and often also from the people who provide us with our food. Consequently, it is easy to forget that both our food choices and food production have a profound impact on God's beloved Creation.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to consider these issues: How does our food get on our table? Where does it come from? Who puts it there? What is the real cost, both short and long term, and who pays the price? And, as importantly, but perhaps less obviously: What is our relationship to the place that feeds us? In the season of abundance, how is that in our country, with its widespread system of food production and distribution, many remain hungry?
Several churches in our diocese have started congregational gardens which connect them to the land while helping to address hunger in their local communities. If your church is interested in this ministry The Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers has a document titled Meeting God in a Faith Garden, which will provide insight into such a program.
In the year ahead, I invite the diocese to join me in exploring our relationship with food, people, the land. It is my hope that this exploration, as it enfolds in the months ahead, will foster a deeper appreciation of the sacred unity of God's Creation.
May God bless you at this time of Thanksgiving.
Faithfully yours,
The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk
