In our recent sermon series on the Globe’s values, one sermon helpfully reminded us of the call to be sacrificially generous as a church. This is follows the teaching from Jesus in Acts 20:35 that ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’. When we fix our eyes on Christ, we learn more of the beauty of God’s character and his sacrificial love and generosity towards us.

Jesus teaches that the act of giving is an invitation to join in the blessing. It turns our hearts from an inward-looking, self-dependent posture, and frees us from coveting and a scarcity mindset. It pushes us to be dependent on the Lord and therefore seek his glory. This is the blessing, as we grow in our dependence and lean on God when we are generous, we can grow in our joy of the Lord.

But when I was asked to help out on a meal train recently, in full transparency, my first thought was I’m not sure if I can do this. A meal train involves providing dinner to a person or family who are in a season of life where they need extra support. This looks like dropping off ready-made food to their home, home-made or picked up on the way. 

Whilst I believe this teaching on generosity to be true, in the midst of the busyness of my own life, I found it easy to get caught up in my own feelings of both weariness and self-dependency. However, since being reminded of this teaching of Christ, I was aware of the conviction in my heart. Therefore, despite my initial resistance, I signed up to help.

I cooked some food after work and took it round and what a blessing it was indeed, to love the church family in this way in this moment! Not only could I recognise the joy of a need being met from the family, but it offered the opportunity for me to grow in friendship with people I didn’t know too well. It is such a gift to love each other in this way. My heart felt so filled with gratitude to the Lord for this opportunity to truly understand what Jesus meant! I was thankful for the strength to do it when my own heart felt weak. This is what Christ is inviting us into, as we sacrificially love those around us. 

So, let me encourage to sacrificially give of your time, finances, capacity or a dinner! The Lord is invites you into the blessing of giving, just as Christ gave, and he is walking with you giving you strength. Especially when we’re caught up in the busyness of London life and our own worries, let the Lord be your help and guide.

Meal trains are just one of the many wonderful ways in which we can serve our brothers and sisters at Globe, but if meal trains is something you want to get more involved with speak with your Focus Leader or reach out to care@globe.church.

Recipe ideas

Super Veggie Fried Rice (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 400g firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
• 200g frozen peas
• 2 red peppers, cut into 1cm cubes
• 2 large handfuls of spinach (about 100g)
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 500g freshly cooked rice
• Salt and pepper
• Sriracha or hot sauce, to serve

Method

1. Sauté the aromatics: Place a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat and add the sesame oil. Once warm, add the red onion, spring onions, garlic, turmeric, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Coat the tofu: Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the cubed tofu. Mix well to ensure the tofu is evenly coated in the yellow turmeric.
3. Fry the rice and veg: Add the peas, red peppers, spinach, tamari, and cooked rice to the pan.
4. Heat through and serve: Cook for another 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted and the rice is piping hot all the way through. Serve immediately with sriracha or hot sauce if you like a bit of heat.

Spinach and chickpea curry (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 250g spinach (100g for blending, 150g to stir in later)
• 1 x 400g tin of coconut milk (½ tin for blending, ½ tin to stir in later)
• 2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon medium curry powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 24 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ lemon
• 2 tablespoons plain yoghurt
• Big pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Sauté the aromatics: Put the coconut oil into a medium saucepan with the onion, garlic, and celery. Season with a little salt and pepper, and cook on a medium heat for 5–10 minutes until the celery and onion have softened.
2. Make the spinach base: In a separate pan, wilt 100g of the spinach with a splash of boiling water. Once wilted, add half the tin of coconut milk and use a hand blender to blitz the spinach until completely smooth.
3. Toast the spices: Once the celery and onion have softened, add the ginger, mustard seeds, ground coriander, curry powder, and ground cumin. Let the spices toast for a minute or until fragrant.
4. Simmer the curry: Stir in the puréed spinach, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, and the remaining half tin of coconut milk. Add a big sprinkling of salt and lots of pepper. Turn the heat up to a bubble, then reduce to a low simmer for 15–20 minutes.
5. Finish and serve: Fold in the remaining 150g of fresh spinach for the final few minutes of simmering until wilted. Remove from the heat, stir in a squeeze of the lemon juice, the yoghurt, and a sprinkling of chilli flakes if using.

Easy bolognese

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbsp oil
• 400g/14oz beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 400ml beef stock
• salt and pepper
• oregano or mixed herbs

Method

1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the beef mince and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mince until well browned over a medium-high heat (don’t rush this step but be careful not to burn the mince. It needs to be a dark brown colour with some crispy caramelised bits). Once browned, transfer the mince to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add another tablespoon of oil to the saucepan you browned the mince in and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and fry gently for 5–6 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the grated carrot. Return the mince (and any juices in the bowl) back to the saucepan.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir well to mix. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and rich. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
4. You can also add any vegetables you have. For example, peppers or courgette. Serve with pasta.

Top tip: if you’ve made a meal at home, deliver it in a container you don’t need back! This helps the person in need of support not have an extra task to do. You could use foil trays or an old ice cream tub.