Meals that Mirror The One Great Meal

Meals that Mirror the one Great Meal In church, we frequently gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ to share in the Heavenly Feast. To the naked eye, it might not seem like much is going on at all. But for those with the eyes of faith, there is more going on than we can possibly imagine. And so, we let our souls be still, and we listen. We hear the pastor speaking the words of institution that bring about God’s work. The bread and wine — Christ’s body and blood. The pastor invites us to the table, saying, “Come, for everything is ready.” And in faith, we respond to Christ’s call to receive — to take and eat. We gather as true guests at Christ’s table. As we eat physical food —we eat spiritual food. As we join in fellowship with our congregation in this meal — we join in fellowship with Christ and the whole Christian church, not just here and now, but in every time and place. This is a great mystery.   In Episode #36, Meg Pearce reminds us that Christian hospitality “mirrors that one great meal that is Christ’s body and blood in the meal and how He shows His love to us in that.” The spiritual food that we receive from Christ at His table gives our spirit sustenance so that we can open our hearts and our hands to love and serve our neighbour with the daily bread that they need. As we share our homes and resources with others, through us, Jesus extends His care and comfort to them as well. Christians are called to not only partake of the body of Christ in the meal “but also to be in the body, that is the family of God.” Meg says, “that is the model. This is the inspiration, and this is why we show hospitality. We are mirroring the meal and the unity and friendship that we have through Jesus and His love and His sacrifice.” The Word of God is not only full of encouragement to practise hospitality (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9, 3 John 1:8); it also teaches us that we should be able to recognise Christians by their hospitable acts of love (Acts 28:7, Romans 12:13, 1 Timothy 5:10). When you next prepare to sit down to eat, think about who you could welcome to your table in the future. Pray before you eat, and ask your Lord Jesus to “come”. Ask for Jesus to be present with you so that His love can radiate among you. Meditate on God’s goodness in His provision for your daily bread and how He welcomes you to His table. Let Jesus inspire you as you welcome others to your table. Thank God for the gift of fellowship, of family and friendship, and for your church community. Trust that Jesus will help and sustain you as you extend His love to others, remembering that his body and blood was broken for the sake of all humanity. By Kimberley Pfeiffer About the Author Kimberley Pfeiffer Kimberley Pfeiffer is Lutheran writer who has not stopped reading, asking questions and thinking about what it means to live like a Lutheran ever since she joined the Lutheran church over twenty years ago. Read more…