((My sermon for Ginter Park Baptist Church- April 19, 2015))
Text: Luke 24: 36b-48
I come from a
family of thinkers. We think ahead..to
every meal. While finishing up one meal,
we’ll talk about what’s next. Even now,
when I travel to see my parents in SC, we base our visits off of meals. Don’t
you do that, too? Lunch meetings with co-workers? Dinner with family? Saturday
Brunch with friends? We base most things
in our life off of meals- looks like Jesus was no different. He does the walk to Emmaus with this crew;
the big surprise coming when they realize it is, indeed, the risen Jesus
Christ. Their terror is turned into joy
after Jesus shows them his hands and feet.
He shows them His wounds and sufferings. Then he asks the big question,
“What’s for dinner?” What do you have to eat? What can you feed me that will fill me up? I.
AM. HUNGRY. What can we share together?
I also come from a
family where we shared almost every dinner together. Growing up, Wednesdays were at church. Fridays were out. But other than that, we ate
at our kitchen table. We took turns
setting the table, (which also usually meant taking all the mess that was on
the table and throwing it on the stairs), cleaning up, loading the dishwasher,
and taking out the trash. It was
routine. It was comfort. It was a place
that every night, I could come to the table…just as I am. Except for washing my
hands, those at the table accepted me for exactly how I was approaching. Every night I ate dinner with my family, I
ate dinner with Christ. We broke bread,
we laughed, and we shared community together.
Sometimes community is good at that- inviting people to share a meal
with them. Especially the good Baptists
that we are. There's a big holiday coming up? You can expect a potluck of good comfort
food..something there for every one. Inviting people to the table just as they
are. A community that comes together to
feed Christ usually ends up getting fed, too.
I wonder if they
were confused when Jesus asked for something to eat. Did they only have fish lying around? I
wonder if they thought “oh gosh. We have fish left. That’s it? I knew we should
have gone to the store!” But instead, they offer Jesus what they have. Whether they’re embarrassed or not, they
offer Jesus broiled fish. Jesus is
grateful for their offer. “He took it
and ate it in their presence.” Jesus was
grateful for the act of giving everything they had.
After Jesus is
filled, he invites others to remember their call. Jesus reminds them of two fundamental truths
from the Scriptures. The first is that
the Messiah was always meant to die and be raised. The second is that now that they’ve witnessed
the risen Christ, they’re called to “pay it forward.” They’re called to
remember who they are, to remember whose they are; and to go out and tell it to
the nations.
Jesus doing what Jesus does and being who Jesus is, this meal obviously isn’t just about physical food…only being the act of eating
broiled fish. Jesus isn’t just hungry hungry. He’s hungry for
relationship. Jesus is hungry to share a
meal and celebrate life. He’s hungry to
gather with friends. He’s hungry for a
new community of faithful, courageous living.
He’s hungry for this community to break bread together and share meals
with strangers..again and again until strangers are no longer strangers. He’s hungry to do these things with us-
people who are striving to follow him.
Celebrating
communion is something that has become vey important to me. It’s a time of remembrance and
celebration. It’s when things and
relationships are right and good with you. It’s a time where you find peace and joy-
it’s a place that you can come to just as you are. While reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer in my
Theology class, “The Scriptures speak of three kinds of table fellowship that
Jesus keeps with his own; daily fellowship at the table, the table fellowship
of the Lord’s Supper, and the final table fellowship in the Kingdom of God. But
in all three the one thing that counts is that ‘their eyes were opened, and
they knew him’ Each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper- or any kind of supper
or meal, our eyes are opened- and we’re seeing things in a new way from a new
perspective. We are inviting Christ to
table. We’re feeding Him with our time of remembrance, with our celebration of
community, with our love for one another.
But when we invite
others to the table. When we invite Christ to the table… The table fellowship that
Bonheoffer speaks about implies obligation.
It is our daily bread that we
eat, not my own. We share our
bread. We share each other’s loads and bear
one another’s burdens. As we break this
bread of life together, we remember our calling. This church, Ginter Park Baptist church, is
beautiful. It’s a place where the Lord’s
Supper is personal, where Mandy can bless you individually- saying (name) “this
is the body of Christ shared with you” while pouring the cup of the new
covenant.”
This is also a
place where table fellowship comes often.
Where you walk down the hall on Wednesday nights and as you’re walking
past the elevator, you stop and listen.
You think there’s a full room of people eating and laughing- where there’s only
about 20, there’s so much joy and love in that fellowship room. This is a place where you come together to
rally for Laurie Payne and her family as chemo is no longer an option- as you wrap
your arms around her husband and children, as you pray for peace. This is a place where bags are packed for
hungry children so that they may be fed over the weekend- where our hearts and
souls are together in the name of Christ- where arms are open and love is
free. It’s a place where our eyes are
opened and we recognize Christ. This is a
place where Jesus is fed. We should
be grateful to be a community like this.
Where we desire to
feed Jesus, to satisfy His hunger for freedom, peace, and justice, I think
Jesus wants us to come to the table hungry, too. He wants us to come with questions and doubt.
A doubt that leads to a stronger faith.
He wants us to learn how to be hungry, may His hunger for freedom,
peace, and justice wear off on us until we’re hungry for the same things. May we recognize our call to the table- a
table that is set for community and love; where every one may be fed.
While I was in
Texas back in February on this border awareness experience, the most important aspect
of the community that they have- is sharing meals together. After the cooks of the group (who usually end
up being the older women/grandmas and the aunts) lay out the spread for us to
serve ourselves…usually involving fried tortillas with guacamole and chicken
and rice and beans- we served ourselves and sat down. Me, not knowing any
Spanish- I typically just sat and listened.
The strangers eating together- most every one else talking in Spanish to
one another- learning their stories, building connections. I listened to the
laughter and joy coming from this room and around this table. All of them –children of God..feeding one
another in community, ultimately feeding Christ. Sharing meals together are beautiful things.
Jesus came to them
hungry. He took something ordinary, like
“what’s for dinner?” and makes it extraordinary- “What is there for me to eat?”
What can you feed me that will fill me up?
Friends, Jesus is
hungry. What are we prepared to offer
him? What are we willing to give? What do we do to satisfy that? Where Jesus is
hungry- we also come hungry…we come tired and hopeless. We come with heavy
burdens and broken hearts. We come
needing to be filled by the love of Christ- the love of one another. Come to the
table. It’s set for you. Just as you are.
