Sharing a Meal
Last weekend, our church shared dinner together for the first time this year. It is something we do on the first Sunday of every month. With a beautiful and warm late afternoon, we dragged out the tables and chairs and laid out the picnic rugs so we could enjoy the summer evening. It is always a great time together.
It’s very much a bring-whatever affair so you can pile your plate with salads, sushi, pizza, lasagne, and sausages. But what makes these evenings so special?
Something happens when you share a meal with someone. Food is the great equaliser. When you sit down for a meal with people, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, or where you are from. Around the table we are all equal.
Something we enjoy doing as a family, is inviting people over for dinner. Around the table we can talk openly. Around the table we can share stories. We can laugh, cry, and hope together. Practicing hospitality used to be something that happened all the time. I remember hearing about how my grandmother would always set an extra place at the table just in case someone needed a meal. When was the last time you shared a meal with someone? When was the last time you invited someone over for a meal?
When was the last time you shared a meal with someone?
When was the last time you invited someone over for a meal?
Often, we find that the stress of making sure the food is perfect or hoping that we have enough of everything or that the house is tidy, is enough to turn us off having people around for a meal. But that should not put us off opening our homes to others and sharing a meal. Despite the sometimes-stressful lead up, we always end the evening feeling encouraged by the time we have spent with people, hearing stories and learning more about them.
When you read through the Gospel’s in the New Testament, Jesus seems to be always at a meal, leaving a meal or going to a meal. In fact, in Luke 7:34a it says:
‘The Son of Man came eating and drinking,’
which for the religious leaders at the time was something to complain about because they took issue with the fact that Jesus was eating with people they didn’t think deserved to be in his company. But why did Jesus make a big deal about sharing meals with people from all walks of life? He wanted to show who he was. He wanted to demonstrate that he cared for all people. That he came for all people.
When we share a meal with others, we are in a way doing the same thing. Maybe there are people you know, friends, co-workers, neighbours, that you can invite around for a meal sometime. Organise a street party to hang out with your neighbours. This has been something we have do with our neighbours a few times a year and it is always a great time to catch up and hear how we’re all going. Even a simple gesture of inviting someone in for a cuppa goes a long way.
And if you do this, you may be surprised what you learn.
This reflection was first published by Orange City Life.
More Reflections.
Often, we build something up so much in our minds, that the experience we want becomes almost unattainable. We romanticise what we think it will be like and we think “If I can just do this one thing or tick this one experience off my bucket list, then I will be able to feel a sense of fulfilment that I wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise”.