What's in a Meal?
Do you like eating alone or would you rather have a meal with someone or some others? With whom do you like to commune?
Commune: / verb / share one's intimate thoughts or feelings with (someone or something), especially when the exchange is on a spiritual level.
I personally think it to be the pits to have to eat by myself… it seems as if something is wrong. Sure, we sometimes can’t always have our friends or family with us for each and every single meal, but think about some of the best conversations ( whether humorous or insightful ) you’ve had over a meal. It seems like people lay their guard down ( or are more open and easy ) when having a meal with others. What for some may seem like just another ‘must do’ or ‘routine’ in this life of ours, I think there is something much deeper going on when breaking bread with others.
For the business-minded, an initial lunch meeting or dinner meeting is of great significance and can mean you may be doing business with the person(s) across the table. Your best manners and putting your best face forward may mean the difference between a lucrative and longtime business relationship or just another tax write-off meal for your accountant / tax preparer.
Did you grow up having to be sitting at the dinner table at a certain time so everyone can begin?
I did. I thought it was a drag growing up because I would be missing a favorite teevee program or couldn't wait to get back to my toys, but now as an adult with an adult's perspective, I see the enormous value in looking at your loved ones in the eyes, hearing about their day and everyone gauging the state of the family over a meal. This is such a fundamental anchor to a family unit that I wonder how others can easily let it slip away… or the sad notion that some never had the fortunate experience enjoying this in the first place. It was at the dinner table where I learned manners like not speaking with your mouth full of food, serving or passing a plate of food to others, taking turns in speaking and other basics of etiquette. I would always have much to say that my biggest faux pas was letting my food get cold, so at times I was restricted from talking until my plate was cleared... and then they couldn't escape my stories! ( lol )
Have you noticed that sometimes people are invited to a meal to have some bad news or something quite emotionally charged told to them?
Something about the entire experience of a meal can bring an air of calm and ease to a tough conversation. So what is it about a meal with others?
It is within this contextual reality and basic experience of breaking bread with others that is the core to some cultures past and present: their entire day is centered around eventually gathering together for a meal, sometimes the entire tribe, sometimes the immediate family, sometimes the couple, sometimes whoever has become your family ( your closest friends )... the time available after working for some and preparing the meal for others when you get to see your loved ones again. Yet even with most of mankind stemming from this one basic principle and anchor of eating together, for some cultures of busy people, it seems to be a dying phenomenon… and I dare say the collapse of something very fundamental to the human experience and people the world over.
The reality of eating together is sometimes taken for granted and for some, it is something they simply need to get out of the way so they can continue working on whatever has captured or demanded their attention. When I'm behind the wheel, I see people all the time gulping down their lunch as they are behind the wheel. When I'm outside the Laundromat waiting for my clothes to dry, I see the droves of people stopping at the convenience store to grab a quick bite to eat… and most do not eat in the parking lot, no, they drive off with food in one hand going into mouth and the other hand on the wheel. Sure, in times past the travel system was much slower like the days of horse and buggy or camel and caravan and I'm sure some of those people would eat atop their animals / carriages... or maybe they would stop for a few minutes to enjoy the meal and the company... perhaps?
For dinner, some people in the 'modern' world eat in front of the teevee and seem to have their communion with the people they see on teevee. Those who do sit down to eat together ( with teevee and radio off ), may quickly shovel the food into their mouths, exchange some small talk that is not too intrusive or revealing just to back to their programming on teevee or the internet or whatever they do aside from touching others on a deeper level while at the dinner table.
What has happened to communion? What is communion?
Communion: / noun / the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
Maybe it's just me, but I've grown to love the experience of eating with others and talking about our lives. It is an opportunity to really get to know someone, to hear about their triumphs or failures, to share good or bad news... to simply grow the relationship / friendship / acquaintance / etc.. It is an opportunity to grow.
There was someone who established the mealtime with quite remarkable results, for among the dinner guests were people who wouldn't typically eat together... and this is what was said:
While they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
- Matthew 26:26-28
Now, we know by all accounts ( secular as well ) that the disciples didn't become cannibals or drinkers of blood from one day to the next... nor that it was in fact flesh and blood they were consuming or going to consume in times to come, no. There is a deeper meaning and sense to what was done here just the same as when having a meal with others, there is a more profound and more sensitive ambiance.
Today, the 'church' ( people of all walks of life who believe ) is called the "body of Christ." Could Yeshua be showing that the body mentioned when He broke bread is the corporeal body of believers coming together to enjoy communion and commemorate Him? ( thus being comprised as being His body? )
Today, there is no blood sacrifice or other similar religious ritual like there existed prior to Christ... so could the participation of people eating and drinking together ( communing ), as a family ( like a typical family would do at the dinner table ), be the anchor of the new family Yeshua was establishing in His Name?
Yeshua was criticized for eating and drinking with tax collectors and all kinds of 'sinful' people ( or people who would otherwise be ostracized from mainstream society )... and it reads that He loved them and called them into His fellowship too. This is historically quite remarkable.
It seems like Yeshua broke the trend of people only eating with their particular tribe, their family, their friends and their loved ones and, still being centered on the basic necessity of eating a meal and that experience, surrounded Himself with those who society would deem unlovable, unfashionable, unworthy and unwanted... and made them all to be family. This was centered on the breaking of bread or communion. And it was at this table of feasting we see the rest of the new testament grow from and many people converted to this new Life of faith, hope and love.
Is something missing at your dinner table?
Is something missing at your 'communion' when the believers gather together?
Commune: / verb / share one's intimate thoughts or feelings with (someone or something), especially when the exchange is on a spiritual level.
I personally think it to be the pits to have to eat by myself… it seems as if something is wrong. Sure, we sometimes can’t always have our friends or family with us for each and every single meal, but think about some of the best conversations ( whether humorous or insightful ) you’ve had over a meal. It seems like people lay their guard down ( or are more open and easy ) when having a meal with others. What for some may seem like just another ‘must do’ or ‘routine’ in this life of ours, I think there is something much deeper going on when breaking bread with others.
For the business-minded, an initial lunch meeting or dinner meeting is of great significance and can mean you may be doing business with the person(s) across the table. Your best manners and putting your best face forward may mean the difference between a lucrative and longtime business relationship or just another tax write-off meal for your accountant / tax preparer.
Did you grow up having to be sitting at the dinner table at a certain time so everyone can begin?
I did. I thought it was a drag growing up because I would be missing a favorite teevee program or couldn't wait to get back to my toys, but now as an adult with an adult's perspective, I see the enormous value in looking at your loved ones in the eyes, hearing about their day and everyone gauging the state of the family over a meal. This is such a fundamental anchor to a family unit that I wonder how others can easily let it slip away… or the sad notion that some never had the fortunate experience enjoying this in the first place. It was at the dinner table where I learned manners like not speaking with your mouth full of food, serving or passing a plate of food to others, taking turns in speaking and other basics of etiquette. I would always have much to say that my biggest faux pas was letting my food get cold, so at times I was restricted from talking until my plate was cleared... and then they couldn't escape my stories! ( lol )
Have you noticed that sometimes people are invited to a meal to have some bad news or something quite emotionally charged told to them?
Something about the entire experience of a meal can bring an air of calm and ease to a tough conversation. So what is it about a meal with others?
It is within this contextual reality and basic experience of breaking bread with others that is the core to some cultures past and present: their entire day is centered around eventually gathering together for a meal, sometimes the entire tribe, sometimes the immediate family, sometimes the couple, sometimes whoever has become your family ( your closest friends )... the time available after working for some and preparing the meal for others when you get to see your loved ones again. Yet even with most of mankind stemming from this one basic principle and anchor of eating together, for some cultures of busy people, it seems to be a dying phenomenon… and I dare say the collapse of something very fundamental to the human experience and people the world over.
The reality of eating together is sometimes taken for granted and for some, it is something they simply need to get out of the way so they can continue working on whatever has captured or demanded their attention. When I'm behind the wheel, I see people all the time gulping down their lunch as they are behind the wheel. When I'm outside the Laundromat waiting for my clothes to dry, I see the droves of people stopping at the convenience store to grab a quick bite to eat… and most do not eat in the parking lot, no, they drive off with food in one hand going into mouth and the other hand on the wheel. Sure, in times past the travel system was much slower like the days of horse and buggy or camel and caravan and I'm sure some of those people would eat atop their animals / carriages... or maybe they would stop for a few minutes to enjoy the meal and the company... perhaps?
For dinner, some people in the 'modern' world eat in front of the teevee and seem to have their communion with the people they see on teevee. Those who do sit down to eat together ( with teevee and radio off ), may quickly shovel the food into their mouths, exchange some small talk that is not too intrusive or revealing just to back to their programming on teevee or the internet or whatever they do aside from touching others on a deeper level while at the dinner table.
What has happened to communion? What is communion?
Communion: / noun / the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
Maybe it's just me, but I've grown to love the experience of eating with others and talking about our lives. It is an opportunity to really get to know someone, to hear about their triumphs or failures, to share good or bad news... to simply grow the relationship / friendship / acquaintance / etc.. It is an opportunity to grow.
There was someone who established the mealtime with quite remarkable results, for among the dinner guests were people who wouldn't typically eat together... and this is what was said:
While they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
- Matthew 26:26-28
Now, we know by all accounts ( secular as well ) that the disciples didn't become cannibals or drinkers of blood from one day to the next... nor that it was in fact flesh and blood they were consuming or going to consume in times to come, no. There is a deeper meaning and sense to what was done here just the same as when having a meal with others, there is a more profound and more sensitive ambiance.
Today, the 'church' ( people of all walks of life who believe ) is called the "body of Christ." Could Yeshua be showing that the body mentioned when He broke bread is the corporeal body of believers coming together to enjoy communion and commemorate Him? ( thus being comprised as being His body? )
Today, there is no blood sacrifice or other similar religious ritual like there existed prior to Christ... so could the participation of people eating and drinking together ( communing ), as a family ( like a typical family would do at the dinner table ), be the anchor of the new family Yeshua was establishing in His Name?
Yeshua was criticized for eating and drinking with tax collectors and all kinds of 'sinful' people ( or people who would otherwise be ostracized from mainstream society )... and it reads that He loved them and called them into His fellowship too. This is historically quite remarkable.
It seems like Yeshua broke the trend of people only eating with their particular tribe, their family, their friends and their loved ones and, still being centered on the basic necessity of eating a meal and that experience, surrounded Himself with those who society would deem unlovable, unfashionable, unworthy and unwanted... and made them all to be family. This was centered on the breaking of bread or communion. And it was at this table of feasting we see the rest of the new testament grow from and many people converted to this new Life of faith, hope and love.
Is something missing at your dinner table?
Is something missing at your 'communion' when the believers gather together?
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