Daily Bread: A Liturgical and Narrative Guide to Good Eating

Abstract

This thesis examines the ways Christians might view and interact with daily bread differently than those operating under secular modern frameworks. In it, I examine certain Christian liturgical practices of fasting and feasting as interactions with food which can serve as correctives for two poles of problematic eating in the modern world: over-eating and under- or not-eating. I argue that the liturgy sanctifies body and soul by inviting participants into a particularly Christian narrative about creatures and Creator, one in which God is ultimately responsible for the provision and redemption of His creation. By contrasting the humility and gratitude of these liturgical practices with the pride and distrust of what will be described as wrong eating, I demonstrate how scriptural and liturgical narratives of divine provision, abundance, and salvation both affect and reflect one’s relationship with food and empower individuals towards more holy relationships with God.