Slimy.  Yet satisfying.  For a fleeting moment, I felt a bit like Simba as he watched Pumba and Timon slurp down mouthfuls of tasty grubs in the 1994 Disney Film Lion King.  I wasn’t going to let it get the best of me.  So, I actually did sample the raw jellyfish for the first.  And last time.  Chin and Xang handled their chopsticks with the precision of a neurosurgeon.  They savored the assortment of Chinese cuisine sitting at the dinner table that night.  Much like you and I would enjoy popcorn at a movie or pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

This would be the last time we would share a meal with Chin and Xiang.  A crowning moment in a beautiful relationship that had started three years before.  And they wanted to treat us to their very best.  This meal was the most meaningful way to express how much we loved and cared for each other.  This was no ordinary dinner.  This was a sacred moment for both the hosts and the guests to express our love, acceptance, and grace to each other. Soon Chin, Xiang, and their daughter Min-Min would move to the west coast and begin a new life and career.  

The next time we would hear from Chin and Xiang was on a Wednesday night.  We were already in bed.  But they were getting back from church three time zones away.  Chuck—Linda, we have good news, and we wanted you to be the first to know.  We found a Japanese church here in Oregon, and for the first time, we heard the gospel in a way we could actually understand.  Tonight we both put our faith in Jesus Christ and we are Christians.

Sharing meals together is a central part of our Christian tradition. Jesus’ first miracle was at a marriage feast.  One of His most well-known miracles was feeding the five thousand. The night before His crucifixion, He brought together His closest friends for the Passover meal.  After His resurrection, He shared breakfast on the beach with His disciples. And in Matthew 22 compares Jesus second coming to a wedding banquet.  Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’s house for a meal.  And then got in trouble for eating with publicans and sinners.  

Meals are not just about breaking bread and certainly more than nourishing our bodies.  They are about breaking down walls and building bridges of relationships.  They are about connecting with one another.  Around the table, there is a sense of openness, allowing us the space we need to lower our guard, communicate important values, and engage in meaningful dialogue.  It is an active way to nurture our relationships with others.  I’ve come to believe that sharing a meal is a sacred act.  And I’m convinced that when Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of me,” we could easily extend the sacrament of communion into every meal we share.

So if you are hosting a Bible study in your home.  Don’t forget to eat.  If you want to engage with a person who doesn’t know Jesus.  Eat together.  I believe every local congregation should look for any excuse they can to eat together.  And if you want to connect with your family.  Do it around the dinner table. 

In the past few episodes, I’ve been sharing concepts taken from the book by David Ferguson: B.L.E.S.S—Five Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change Your World.  First—Begin with Prayer.  Second—Listen and Third—Eat.  We’ll talk about Serving and sharing in the next two episodes.  I really recommend these two books, as well: “The Art of Neighboring” by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyan.  And then there’s “The Church in Many Houses” by Steven Cordle.