When it comes to forming community, eating is one of the most important things we do, and it usually comes with a certain expectation for how we comport ourselves before, during and after the meal. My father had an interesting rule when we were seated at table for a meal: No singing at the table. These years later, I find this interesting, because he loved to sing. A lot. But somewhere he had picked up that it was bad form to sing when seated with others for a meal. As I am writing, I wonder what were some of the rules of sharing meals that you have heard or, for that matter, enforced with your own family. I can imagine things like, “Eat your vegetables if you want dessert, “ “Let others go first,” “No throwing your peas on the floor.” What are some of the rules, useful or not, that you have heard?
In the Gospel of Luke, when noticing that folks tended to choose the seats of honor for themselves, suggested that his disciples would willingly give up those seats for others. And he further suggested that when planning a dinner party, the disciples should give careful consideration to the guest list, to make sure that you are inviting those who often are overlooked, and whom you might assume have little means of paying you back.
Like many of the world faiths, Christianity has a meal at the center of its community life. And for centuries, Christians have struggled to define just how that meal (Communion) should be understood, including drawing on complicated philosophy to do so. But what if the meal is to be more simply understood? And what if that meal is to teach us lessons that should shape all of our other meals, and for that matter, all of our living?
We’ll unpack this in Sunday morning worship, as the sermon is titled, “No Singing at the Table and Other Questionable Rules for Dining,” arising from Luke 14:1-14. And we will celebrate Holy Communion Together. We look forward to seeing you on this holiday weekend.