Supper Time

Some ten years ago my wife and I moved into a new neighborhood consisting of semi-detached buildings organized around short roads, each with about a dozen homes. We didn't know it at the time but our new neighbors would soon become friends and change the way we had functioned as adults for most of our lives. Sure, we had been generally friendly in the areas we had resided in previously but hospitality has become a way of life for us now. Allow me to share a few examples

For the first number of years we hosted a Christmas event in our home for anyone who could attend. That quickly led to some deeper relationships which helped us see how God may have directed us to our new home. Then about 5-6 years ago we decided to take that up a notch. Since the housing complex has an amenities building that can comfortably accommodate 50-60 people sitting around tables, our church small group decided to put on a full turkey dinner for the first 50 people who responded to an invitation.

It didn’t take long to reach our maximum number and when the evening arrived, our church friends were thrilled to be a part of the simple act of service. The neighbors couldn’t stop raving about the scrumptious food and hearty carol singing, along with one 90 year old gentleman’s recitation of Luke 2.

Over the years we have had most of our neighbors in for a meal, either in one or two households or all of those on our road who could make it out. We even met during the 2020 lockdown by gathering outside on Good Friday and sharing some fresh baking and encouragement.

More recently, several of our neighbors have been dealing with significant health challenges, including one passing away after a brief battle with cancer. We have brought meals to many, visited others in hospital, shoveled driveways in winter, serving however we could. Lastly, the idea of eating together has taken hold as over the past six months our entire road has begun to celebrate birthday dinners out at local restaurants.

What’s the common theme in most of this? Food, a lot of food in fact. It is amazing how sharing a meal together can lead to significant conversations about faith and religion as people naturally open up when they feel valued and honored. Food has a way of doing that, particularly when it is made out of sincere love for other people.

In Revelation 19 John captures the essence of life after Christ returns to earth by describing it as a wedding feast. Jesus routinely spoke about food in his stories and analogies but celebrating the last supper with his disciples on the night before he was crucified may be the best example of this image. Through the symbolism of the bread and the cup, Jesus helped his followers prepare for what was to come. Even after his resurrection, one of the first things Jesus did was prepare a meal of fish on the shores of Galilee.

God, you are all about relationships. Deepen my understanding of how to use food as a simple tool to open doors so that your love might shine through. Help me be faithful when opportunities to serve others are presented to me.

Throughout this Day: Many years ago a pastor at my church referred to evangelism through a casserole dish. I think he was on to something. Ask God to show you today how you may be able to incorporate food into the ways you could bless others.