There are a couple of big questions on the minds of many people: Do I or don't I get the vaccination? And if I am going to get the vaccination, when? The question becomes more complex when a person is frail for one reason or another. Then there is the matter of believing in the science and the medical practitioners offering the cure. Do I wait for a while to see what the issues/side effects are or do I trust in the science and go ahead?
While fear is at the root of these questions, whether you accept the solution offered or not, your fate is ultimately determined by your personal choice. In much the same way, the deadliest virus of all time has but one cure and your fate is determined by your choice.
The good news is we have a vaccination. A vaccination which, like the ones offered for COVID, allows the user to experience some aspects of the disease without the fatal consequences. The vaccination is the repenting of your old lifestyle and the acceptance of the new one with Jesus. A process for some is like the sting of the needle of the other vaccinations that soon fades and requires only a regular booster to keep someone protected. These vaccination boosters are what we call our Christian values.
The second booster comes in the form Eating with others. By eating with others in Christ's name we not only demonstrate God’s love, we stave off the potential effects of the virus of this life: namely sin.
Psychiatrist Carl Jung said, “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Therefore, we need to conscientiously develop our way of interacting with the world so as to to alert others to the vaccination that comes from recognizing the universal reign of God through Jesus. In applying the rhythms of Christian life, we are propelled outward, beyond ourselves, into the lives of others so we get to share the benefits of the vaccination with others.
Confession time: I’m a foodie. I come from a long line of foodies. People who love to go out to dinner or eat new places. I remember judging my parents when they were alive about the number of times they went out to dinner in a given week. I can remember them boasting that they had been to every restaurant in a 20 mile radius of the house. Eating out is one of great luxuries of our time. We don’t just eat chicken and rice everyday but we get to try new dishes from different backgrounds. What a blessing.
However, when we use the vaccination booster word ‘EAT’ it’s not about the food (although important) but the company or people at the meal. It’s about the relationships formed over the food.
Dinner in Mediterranean countries such as Italy or Greece is usually a big affair that is taken seriously. In some countries it is usual to start quite late in the evening. For example, in Greece, appetizers often begin around 8 or 9pm with dinner at 10pm. Having meals in this slow and relaxed manner amplifies the social nature of the meal, and its associated benefits.
In Italy, lunch is seen as the social meal of the day, as children do not go to school in the afternoon and many small businesses close in the early afternoon. Therefore there is plenty of time to relax and enjoy the luxury of several courses.
Japan is widely known for its tea ceremony, the Chado. Drinking tea together symbolises intimacy, equality and tranquillity. Importantly, it calms the mind. In Japan, people also tend to share a number of dishes rather than eating only from their own plate, which makes the meal a more social affair.
An article in the Washing Post (2017) claims eating together improves a person's health by: reducing stress, improving problem solving, increasing cognitive ability and enhancing memory function. With all this evidence, I think we should all just eat more. How about you? Do you believe it? https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/14/health-benefits-eating-together/
It was Jesus who told us that when we gather we should eat together. His foes would often criticize him because of who he ate with. He was accused of being a drunkard and glutton. Obviously Jesus was none of those but it didn’t stop him from engaging with people over some food.
In Luke's accounts of Jesus life, its been said He was either going to, participating in,, or coming from a meal when the bulk of His ministry took place.
So it should come as no surprise to us that one of Jesus commands was to remember him at meal time. Luke 22:19 - “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them, saying,’This is my body given for you, do this in remembrance of me.’”
I’ve always been perplexed by churches that don’t celebrate the ritual of the Lord’s supper weekly. I would understand if they didn’t have the money for the bread and juice. But I don’t get not sharing a meal or the table together weekly because it takes too much time or it's just a remembrance.
Simon Cary Holt, the theologian said, “It is through the daily practice of the table that we live a life worth living. Through the table we know who we are, where we come from, what we value and what we believe. At the table we learn what it means to be family and how to live responsible, loving relationships. Through the table we live our neighborliness, and citizenship, express our allegiance to particular places and communities, and claim our sense of home and belonging. At the table we celebrate beauty and express solidarity with those who are broken and hungry.”
The invitation to share a table is profoundly meaningful in every culture. The table is the great equalizer in relationships. When we eat together we discover the humanity in us all. We hear stories. We hear hopes. We share disappointments. People open up. They become real. We understand we all are dealing with life on life’s terms.
Imagine if we shared a meal once a week with a person you barely know or a poor person, how would our prospective change and how would the world change through our hospitality?
Eating together is a sacred in every Christian tribe for this reason. It’s why the apostle Paul gets all over one of the early churches in a place called Corinth. Listen to this from 1 Corinthians 11:17-22.
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
Paul isn’t describing some Sunday morning gathering where we hand out a piece of bread and some juice. This tradition began 100 plus years after Christ's ascension and would be refined over the next 200 to become the ritual we know today. He is talking about the power of the table being used to continue the Roman ranking system where some people are thought to be more important than others. This is an affront to a faith in a God who values all equally. God created each soul and therefore each is worthy. Paul goes on:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat the bread and drink from the cup.
1 Cor 11:23-28
So Paul has scolded them for their actions of making the communal meal of Christians who value one another into just another Roman networking event - where the guest of honor is the person everyone can benefit from knowing. He will go on to challenge them to look at their motives in the next few verses then smack them in verse 33:
So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.
Paul is being clear. The weekly rhythm is more about relationship building with everyone. Paul was reinforcing Jesus’ actions of eating not only with Christians but non-Christians. Social order and cultural divides are shattered in authentic gatherings when we share a meal. Jesus proved conversion comes from these times of communion. The story of Zacchaeus comes to mind (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus went to the house of a tax collector and people were talking. BUT Zach was changed so much he made amends with all he could.
There’s a story theologian Hugh Halter shares about being invited by the guys in the neighborhood to the monthly poker game. It was held in a neighbor's garage because the man’s wife wouldn’t allow men to smoke cigars in the house. He declines at first and then ends up going. Inevitably, a man asks what he does for a living. Hugh shares he’s a pastor opening a coffee shop. The man is intrigued and asks about the coffee shop, the tattoos and the Halter family. They never discussed the pastor comment. It would take a few more lawn chair garage sitting nights but eventually the crew would ask questions about the 3 ‘s: spirituality, sexuality and spirits. Hugh would handle all the questions authentically. They would jab the drinking, smoking and occasional swearing pastor over the chips and dip but in the end they would all become friends. His example made its mark though. It would take almost a year for one of the men to come to Hugh with a life issue. Afterward, one by one the group would open up.
The truth is communion leads to conversion because relationships lead to redemption, transformation and restoration.
This week, I am challenging you to add to boost your vaccination against the virus of sin by choosing to eat with three people this week (one of whom should be a non-Christian). Don’t judge the person’s lifestyle but see the opportunity to understand, more than being understood; to give versus get; lo love rather than be loved.
To learn more about the author of this message, look to www.communitycenter.life/rev-robert-butler-info
