My favorite part about family reunions
Dear church,
Do you and your family have family reunions? Where the family – the extended family – gather together at a specific time and place and get together? I’m not sure we had family reunions growing up, necessarily, but we definitely had frequent gatherings. Having been born in India and then raised in Southern California from the time I was 10 months old, it was important to my parents and my aunts and uncles to gather together frequently.
I had many aunties and uncles in Orange County and, naturally, a lot of cousins. Growing up I remember gathering once a month, at least, at different family members’ homes in Orange County we would gather and have a wonderful time together as extended family. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian home with parents who loved the Lord. So, when we would gather together my dad or one of my uncles would read Scripture and lead us in a devotion. We would spend some time in prayer together. Some of my favorite memories as a child were born out of these monthly gatherings with family.
My favorite part, though? The food. I know, I know, big surprise, right? But trust me – you should have seen the spread. All of the aunties would make their best curry dishes and there would be rice and all sorts of great food. Oddly enough, as we kids got older there would always seem to be a pepperoni pizza or two. Also, there was usually a yellow cake with chocolate frosting somehow that made its way to the table, too. I love thinking about those memories.
In my family, perhaps like your family, food is a love language. Part of it is definitely part of Southern Indian culture but our family adopted that to a whole new level. Food was an expression of love. When you ate in our home, it was a practical expression of our love for one another and for our guests. Even to this day, sharing a meal is an expression of love. In fact, on Friday Libby and I are flying to Southern California to celebrate the wedding of my oldest niece. In our conversations with my parents as we planned the quick weekend trip, my mom asked several times about what kinds of food she could prepare during the weekend. It’s my mom’s way of saying, ‘I love you.’
I think you’ll agree with me that something special happens to conversations when they are shared over a meal. Friendships deepen, relationships grow, - all over the course of sharing a meal. I think it’s one of the reasons Jesus chose a meal to introduce communion and its significance. Because as we taste the elements, the bread, and the juice, it beckons our mind to remember the significance and the meaning of the meal in the first place. One of the things I’ve noticed as I’ve studied the book of Acts for our current Sunday morning series is that anytime food or meals are mentioned – something really significant and spiritual is happening. Think back with me…after Peter preached at Pentecost and three thousand believers made the decision to follow Jesus – you know what they did at the end of Act 2? They ate together. Later in Acts 10, what did God use to arrest Peter’s attention in order to show him that the Gospel was for EVERYONE? Different types of food.
I believe that when we share a meal together we are sharing the story of what God has done for us each time we eat a meal with our spiritual family. It’s almost like the gospel is God's magnificent invitation back to the table so that we may feast with Him. It’s no mistake that, food appears in the Bible both at the beginning and the conclusion. In actuality, a feast is the main representation of heaven.
Through Scripture stories of redemption are accompanied by meals. Consider the Exodus. This is the OT's archetypal representation of deliverance and salvation. God made the Israelites have a meal before they left Egypt, which (at the moment) had to look like a very ineffective strategy. The Israelites could have gotten up and left much faster, but he made them sit for a meal together instead. Often we’ll complain that we’re too busy to eat. Yet God prioritized a meal for the children of Israel. The feast was to be recreated annually as a way for God's people to remember his faithfulness. He was returning them to the table.
And then later for the children of Israel? God provided bread from heaven every morning as a sign of his faithfulness while he led Israel through the desert. He was returning them to the table.
Then of course, the night before Jesus died. What did He do? Jesus assembled his disciples for a celebration of Passover, but He gave the feast an entirely new meaning. As a representation of His broken body and spilled blood, He broke the bread and poured the wine. The solution was Jesus! Take and eat. Do this in remembrance of me – and what I’ve done for you.
Meals.
Something so simple we often rush through them.
And yet, I believe if we are intentional in celebrating the goodness of God over those meals, they can be truly significant for us.
For those wondering, by the way, Libby asked for shrimp curry, and I asked for lamb curry with ‘grandma rice’ (my mom’s coconut rice). I’m really looking forward to sharing a meal with my family.
How about you?
Who can you invite to a meal this week?
Who can you gather around the table with this week and celebrate the goodness of God?
I love you church,
Pastor Daniel
(In upcoming issues of ‘Dear church’ we’ll talk about three guest speakers that will come to FCC in the coming months, and – speaking of food - why don’t we eat twenty-one meals at the same time?)
