Much of what Sara Miles writes and much of who she is will irritate, annoy, inspire, upset, and in general, make you rethink a good deal of your Christian faith. She manages to tread on toes and hold your hand at the same time.
Miles was the child of atheists who'd each reacted against their own mission-minded and often radical parents. She grew up knowing next to nothing about Christianity, became a restaurant cook (along with her brother), then turned to journalism and spent some time in South America reporting on wars and nearly getting herself killed. On returning to California, she gave birth to a child she'd had by a man who not long after left her, and later she "came out" as a lesbian, living with her female partner in an ongoing relationship.
One day, when she was 46, for no particular reason, she walked into a rather unusual Episcopal church where they were celebrating communion. Somebody “put a piece of fresh, crumbly bread into my hands, saying "the Body of Christ," and handing me a goblet of sweet wine, saying, "the Blood of Christ," and then something outrageous and terrifying happened. Jesus happened to me.”
There was no turning back. Within a year she'd begun a "pantry", where each week they would give away food to poor people. More than 200 would come regularly. Eventually she began several other pantries around the city, and they continue to this day.
Jesus himself was notorious amongst the "righteous" for dining with sinners. Miles' book is full of sinners, prostitutes, gays and lesbians, addicts of every sort, crazy people, and the whole world of Californian barminess. Some of these people become volunteers in the pantries, finding that giving away food to others somehow saves them too.
And though Miles continues to go to the church where Jesus found her, she never becomes committed to anything traditional. She gets in people's hair, splits "nice" congregations, annoys even her own volunteers and family. And still remains someone we know has got hold of an aspect of Christianity most of us miss.
Food is the constant theme throughout the book, whether it's sharing the last meal in a Nicaraguan jungle, cooking until exhausted in a restaurant run by a mobster, or giving it away by the ton to people who aren't necessarily grateful. The communion bread becomes a metaphor for giving out Christ to the world, but so does the free food.
You'll find this book stirring your soul, making you wonder how you can change the world too. Miles is something of an entrepreneurial spirit, but equally she's not doing anything that most of us couldn't do. You may not like her sometimes loose theology, but I guarantee you'll find her a warm and wild companion for the spiritual journey.
