Questions People Ask:
Giving thanks and asking God to bless a meal.
"Would you ask grace for this meal?"
"Sure. Hey Grace, where's the food?"
Q. "Why do we say, Would you please ask the grace for this meal?"
Answer: We have also smiled at the various ways we hear this thought expressed:
"Would you return grace?"
Grace is priceless and is a free gift. Why would we want to give it back? Wouldn't that be rejecting salvation?"Would you return thanks?"
"Thank you." "No. Thank YOU!"
"Would you give the blessing?"
"I didn't take it! I haven't seen it! I want a lawyer!""Would you give the blessing?"
"What do you want me to give it?""Would you return the blessing?"
"You want me to give it back!?!""Would you ask grace?"
"Ask her what?""Would you say grace?"
"Okay." (Bows head) "Grace!""Would you ask the grace for this meal?"
"Okay, but which one is Grace?"
"Grace, please give us this meal."
"Your Grace, is dinner served?"
Grace is unmerited pardon. If we are asking that the meal be pardoned, shall the turkey go free and shall we go hungry?
Is the cooking so bad that we need to call for the Governor's intervention before the cook is executed?
"Father in heaven. Please forgive the cook for what she/he did to this food."
"Father in heaven. Please forgive us for what we are about to eat."
"Father in heaven, pardon us while we eat."
"Father, pardon us for eating."
Perhaps the confusion comes from what the apostle Paul wrote:
"For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:30-31).
There are several possibilities as to why we often hear confusing phrasing in reference to giving thanks for a meal.
1. This can be another case of colloquial abuse of our language. For example, gay previously only meant happy. Now even the dictionary lists grace as both "unmerited pardon" and as "a short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks".
2. People know what they mean, but they speak without thinking. Which can mean that it has become a meaningless ritual. Or that people are embarassed or feel so awkward about it that they refuse to give it enough thought to speak coherently.
3. People are confused on what the terms mean. Which means that some do not actually understand what they are doing or why.
The simplest expression would be "to give thanks", or "to ask God's blessing" or a combination of the two, any of which clearly demonstrates what is being done.
"Would you ask the blessing?"
"Father in heaven. Are you gonna bless this food?"
Copyright 2002, M.H. and G.H. All rights reserved.