We had a great service at St John’s on Sunday and I just wanted to share some of the stuff I was meant to share during the service but I didn’t really manage too well.
We ate together. It wasn’t a meal after the service. It was the service. Inspired by Deuteronomy 14 where the Israelites are called to tithe their food and things and eat together in the presence of the Lord.
Mealtimes are so important to family life – to community life – you can learn so much about people at mealtimes. Things that can stay hidden behind a well rehearsed act can so easily be broken down by eating together. It’s a bit like the episode of Friends when we found out that Joey doesn’t share food…
Joey is the nicest guy but when it comes to sharing food he draws the line. At mealtimes we find out things about people. Stories can be shared, troubles can be halved, concerns voiced and hurts can be healed by spending time together round the dinner table.
Most cultures in the world recognise this importance but it is something that seems to be slipping away in Western culture. Meal time has become something to rush through, to get over so that we can get back online or back to work or back to whatever it is that is more important than taking time to just stop.
Mealtime is also an amazingly biblical thing to do – so many times in the gospel we hear of Jesus being somewhere eating, or inviting himself round to someone’s house to eat. Example – at a mealtime we see Christ’s attitude to forgiveness. In Luke 7 we read the story of when Jesus is at Simon’s house – Christ’s feet are anointed by a ‘sinful woman’ and we read about forgiveness. Example – in Luke 6 we see Christ declaring his rule over the Sabbath by eating with his disciples and talking about David’s eating of the consecrated bread. Example – in the last supper we see Christ sharing bread with those who are nearest to him. Example – in Luke 19 we read the story of Zacchaeus. Christ calls him to account but goes to his house and shares a meal with him. This simple act speaks of Christ’s love for the ‘least’ and the ‘lost’.
By eating together we grow as community. By sharing our lives, and our food, we become more like Christ.
On Sunday at St John’s we took a step towards that. We worshipped and we shared together. As we search to go deeper with God this year I think it will follow that we also go deeper with each other. As we strive to be more like Christ we will start to see where Christ is among our community.
The challenge, I think, is to look around and see who is missing from our table. And then to show them that there is a place prepared for them.
