Sharing a good meal

Do you have special memories created around a meal with friends and family?  Some of the most beautiful moments I have shared with people I love have been over a good meal.  It may have been a regular dinner at home, which was everything except regular, meals prepared with so much love by very special people or a simple bowl of lentils, shared with a friend over a wonderful conversation. 

There is something about a good meal; it is not only the food, but the complete experience that it is involved… the smells, the sounds, the colors, the lively conversation and the memories that are being created.   In the Bible we read many references to banquets and celebrations.  Eating is good fun! It is meant to be shared and enjoyed. “So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.” (Nehemiah 8:12)

Sometimes with all the rush we live in we overlook the simple joy of eating. We forget that it is nice to spend time together, not because we have to, but because we want to; it is good to share the big accomplishments in life and the little day to day achievements.  Life should be celebrated each day. “And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 13) 

A good meal is an opportunity to thank God for His goodness. It is not a moment to go to extremes counting calories or over eating; on the contrary, it is a moment to unwind and remember God’s blessings.  For a good reason when Jesus was about to feed the 5,000 people, He said “Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each… Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God’s blessing on the food.  Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people.  They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!”  (Luke 9:14-17)  Jesus wanted for the people to relax so they could fully enjoy the perfect provision that comes from heaven; the abundance of God.

In Genesis 18 we read how during a meal God gives Abraham a specific time when the son he had been promised years before will be born. And in Exodus 12 we read about the instructions for the Passover meal.  We also read many verses in which Jesus shared a meal, like the celebration of the wedding at Cana which Jesus attended with His mother, Mary and the disciples and where He turned the water into wine. Many times He would eat with the least popular people such as tax collectors and prostitutes without caring what people would say “The Pharisees were indignant why does your teacher eat with such scum? They asked his disciples” (Matthew 9:11).  He even invited Himself to dinner when He saw Zacchaeus, a rich tax collector up in a tree. “Zacchaeus! He said. Quick, come down!  For I must be a guest in your home today.” (Luke 19:5)

And it was during a meal, the Last Supper, where Jesus validated the new covenant “He took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it in pieces and gave it to his disciples, saying ‘This is my body, given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’ After supper he took another cup of wine and said, ‘This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you - an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)

Even after Jesus’ resurrection He shared a meal with His disciples “when they got there, they saw that a charcoal fire was burning and fish were frying over it, and there was bread. ‘Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,’ Jesus said…’Now come and have some breakfast!” (John 21:10-12)   

  

God has promised us an amazing celebration over a meal “In Jerusalem, the Lord Almighty will spread a wonderful feast for everyone around the world.  It will be a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-age wine and choice beef.  In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.  He will swallow up death forever!  The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears…  The Lord has spoken!” (Isaiah 25:6-8) Now this is a meal I can’t wait to be part of!

Going back to memories related to food, when we had our clothing business in Colombia, we would go and visit the ladies who worked with us from their humble homes, very often, as soon as we arrived, they would offer us a cup of coffee. I still remember this as the best coffee I have had because it was offered with love from the very little they had. 

I wonder what will we remember from our now, what type of memories are being built by the meals we are sharing today.