Black Friday

First, a confession: I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I have not come even close to that. I am often a traitor to the God I claim, and I further that betrayal by my satisfaction with our paltry efforts to soothe our own conscience, which is all too easily soothed. As part of an ongoing process of repentance, I call us, all of us out on our collective bullshit. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Today is a day to reflect and to repent. Forgive me for the brashness to follow, but I have to do this.

†

An adaptation of Amos 5:21-25, framed in the context of our holiday charity:

"I hate, I despise your token meals,
     and I take no delight in your perfunctory saying of grace.
Even though you feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty
     I will not ascribe treasure in heaven to you;
And the handshakes and hugs with the homeless,
     I will not consider as friendship with the beloved of God.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
     to the jingles and slogans I will not listen.
But let every day that sees the sun rise be your day to feed the needy
     and let them be not "the needy", but rather your friends.

"Did you bring to the hungry good things to eat and drink during the other 364 days of the year, O house of America? You shall align with the politicians, your kings and the celebrities, your gods, and I will send you into exile beyond the third world nations whom you pity, and of whose pity you are not worthy," says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

Do we think that the hungry are impressed with our overflowing of love on the one day a year when it is in keeping with the theme of the day? Is that what they are to us, a token calendar item like the Easter bunny or Valentine's Day decor? How very dehumanizing, thank you so much, God bless, go away. 

Why do we even do this? Do we seriously think that this is helping the hungry or the homeless or the struggling? To show up to help feed people on the one day a year when there are way too many people showing up to help feed people? That's like when a four year old kid helps his mom make breakfast; it's cute, but not at all actually helpful. And we know this, right? I know that you can't always tell just by looking or talking to someone if they're household doesn't have enough food, but as a subtle hint about the state of things, THERE ARE HOMELESS PEOPLE ALL OVER THE PLACE. Or do they only become visible on the one day when we will acknowledge their need, their existence, even? And then the rest of the year they go invisible again? I've heard of the super power of being able to make yourself invisible, but being able to make an entire segment of our city invisible? And without their consent? That's downright incredible.

So who is this for, if it's not really about all of our long-standing and deeply-invested concern for our brothers and sisters across the economic spectrum? Is it for the church folk, that crowd of pseudo-do-gooders that like to make a cute outing of petting the poor? Is it for the cameras and the Instagram pics or the local TV news cameras? Is it for our parents or pastor or boss? In whose eyes are we trying to look good, because God the Father sees right through that shit. I guess that only leaves each of us, doing it for our own sake. We try to feel good by looking good, and we bypass the hard work of doing good, of living good, of embodying good as a way of life. 

Please can we leave the poor out of our vanity? Please do not take advantage of their desperation for a meal to feed our desperation for approval, for appearance, for self-medicating lies. In doing this, we perpetuate token activism and sanctimonious sentimentality.

Do we want to really be a friend to the friendless and a help to those in need? Let us do what we do on Thanksgiving Day the other days of the year. When it's not popular or cool or a public relations opportunity. And on Thanksgiving Day, stay at home, enjoy dinner with your family and friends, and include among them those who have no home in which to celebrate the day. Give someone a living room to doze off in after eating too much. Give someone your ear and your heart, and save your pity for your own soul. 

Virtute enim ipsa non tam multi praediti esse quam videri volunt.

Few are those who wish to be endowed with virtue rather than to seem so.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, Laelius de Amicitia

Thanks & Giving

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

When you ask someone about their favorite holiday memories you might hear about how delicious the meal was but in almost every case you will here "We..." as in "We always got together", "We always ate really good", and if it's me telling the story, "we always watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles together." You see while food is often the first thing we think about when our minds turn to Thanksgiving, it's really family, community and togetherness that are central to the holiday.  

Thanksgiving is next Thursday and many of our friends who live on the streets will have lots of options for getting a holiday meal. One cool thing about Thanksgiving is that it's a time when people do remember the poor and arrange to serve a big meal to those who might otherwise go without. We obviously think that's a pretty great idea since it's what we commit to do throughout the year. We serve dinner with tablecloths and centerpieces every Thursday at The Banquet all year long and one of the only Thursdays we close throughout the year is on Thanksgiving because, well because there are so many other places to get a great meal that day. Here is the thing though, a meal on thanksgiving is not the same if you don't have a family to share it with or a family room to fall asleep in after you stuff your face, and that is what we are excited to offer next week. We will be opening the doors of our home again this year and we will have quite a bit of food to share but it is our home that we are excited to share with those who might not have another family room to chill in. For the last few years we have opened our doors at the Lake House to anyone that wanted to join us for Thanksgiving. Our memories are made by being together and it is together that the central part of every holiday memory and experience is made complete. Our memories should be "we" memories.

If you do not have anywhere else to be or anyone one else to spend Thanksgiving with, please consider this your invite. If you want to just swing by and say hello, you will be welcome. 

Your Presence is requested at 908 E Lake Ave

5:00 pm on Thursday, November 28th

Join us as we give thanks together!

Feel free to bring a side dish or a friend.