Eat Together
Pastoral | February 06, 2025 | By: James Delarato
Novelty. It is “something new or unusual,” something that breaks into our “normal” and adds new perspective or shines a light on an aspect of something we have never seen before.
When it comes to eating a meal, there doesn’t seem to be much that is novel. It is something we do about 21 times a week: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes, we eat to experience new cultures and flavors when we want to go the novel route. But for the most part, eating is commonplace, revealing the normalcy of an activity that is necessary for survival.
But this video evokes a novelty that shows us something breaking into our “normal.” At face value, this is just one dinner out of seven in a week that we all participate in to survive, to experience, and to enjoy. But the aspect that changes everything about this meal, that brings life to this routine practice, is…
…the people.
The woman that saw relational disconnect in her apartment building because of technological distraction.
The hallway neighbors she and her roommate share a meal with that were previously only identified as unknown people or families living behind doors with numbers on them.
Neighbors that have very different cultural, ethnic, and generational backgrounds that typically might not gather at a table.
Neighbors who may not believe the same things about how society should be run or which god they should worship, if they even care about worshiping a personal god.
Neighbors who might have been considered strange or uncomfortable to be around.
These differences certainly make sharing a table potentially awkward or even contentious. But the enjoyment of food and drink and seeing each other face-to-face is what makes eating a meal novel, “something new or unusual.”
If sharing a meal with others is such a powerful way of making unifying connections, should we be surprised that something called a “church potluck” continues to be a normal practice in the church the world over?
Jesus, The Lord of the Potluck
Jesus knew this very well. He constantly enjoyed meals with His disciples and honored the Jewish feast days, a God-ordained practice given as a gift to Israel hundreds of years earlier (Lev. 23:1-44). Beyond this, He broke down the barriers between the people of God and everyone else as He practiced eating meals together with the people that His society called sinners—the scandalous tax collectors (Luke 5:27-32), the sexually immoral and religiously self-righteous (Luke 7:36-50), the curious masses (9:10-17), the wealthy managers (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus defied the spiritually exclusivist social conventions of the time in many ways, and one of His primary methods was adding relational novelty to the typical potluck.
The culmination of this practice of Jesus is His final meal with His disciples, a confused and fearful group of young men. Matthew 26:17-30 shows us more than just the beginning of a practice known as Communion. It is a dinner feast in celebration of the Passover, of God rescuing His people Israel from slavery. But Jesus does not only refer back to this past rescue in His toast symbolizing His coming death—He treats it as a rehearsal dinner for another celebration, a greater feast to come, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29).
“Until that day”—a new day in the future. A second, greater feast at the table is coming, and His disciple John writes about it later:
“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’”(Rev. 19:9), where “‘He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Rev. 21:3–5a).
Who are these “blessed” ones who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb?
“…Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance’” (Luke 5:32).
It is a feast by invitation. But the invitation resembles a call to the doctor’s office, not the principal’s office. The weary, the broken, those who suffer and realize their own inability to love well, those who limp with an unhealed heart. The left out, leaned out, burned out, and down and out.
It is a feast by invitation
The call is to see this need and no longer turn to our own self-sufficiency or other things to be rescued, but to turn to Jesus Himself, who sacrifices, heals, forgives, restores, who replaces us as the bankrupt debtor. He is the resurrected One who died the most profoundly painful death in all of history as an outcast, for you and me to finally be free.
This moment of relational joy and human connection portrayed in this video is what we ultimately want…an eternal place without fear, shame, guilt, doubt, or hatred. A place to look one another in the eyes with safety, rest, trust, and joy. We want a loving place to call home.
It starts by taking a seat at His Table. It continues as we the church invite all others to come and join us.
James Delarato
Men’s and Marriage Pastor, SBC North Ridge
Do you long for deeper connection with others? Find a place to build relationships and be encouraged in Alpha or one of our Young Adults, Singles, Men’s or Women’s communities at SBC.
Like this Article? Share on Social:
Featured Articles
Recent Articles
Similar Articles
