42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:42, 46-47)
Our 2019-20 Ministry Year Theme is “Everyday Blessings.” This year, we hope to take inspiration from the example of the early followers of Jesus, following the helpful acronym, BLESS. Each month, our newsletter will look at different letter of this acronym to see how it might help guide our life together in the 21st century.
B - Begin with prayer. L - Listen. E - Eat. S - Serve. S - Share.
This month’s focus is: E - Eat
46 They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
This time of year, we should have no problem with this goal. We just finished Thanksgiving, we’re eagerly awaiting Christmas, and the New Year will be here before we know it. At these celebrations, who doesn’t like to eat?
Many New Year’s resolutions will focus on eating and drinking. But these will be about restricting eating. Eating healthier. Starting a diet. Cutting out sweets or alcohol or smoking. Let me propose a resolution which would be way more fun: Invite friends over more often, spend more time enjoying the company of your loved ones, rebuild old relationships, or start new ones.
And do all of this around food. A New Year’s Resolution which focuses on eating more often? Where do I sign up? Now, like all resolutions, this one is easier said than done, and it will take commitment, but the payoff can be huge. Hosting someone in your home is a great way of loving them, without asking anything in return.
Calvary has seen the power of a shared meal over and over again. Whether it’s the meal at our Church Picnic, starting Confirmation classes with pizza, sharing a meal as part of a Bible study, food at the Bazaar, or enjoying ministry team meetings at restaurants, we’ve found deeper relationships and deeper sharing around the dinner table. A special word of thanks to all of those who have contributed to these efforts.
We model our hospitality on the many meals Jesus shared with his followers. The last supper, the feeding of multitudes, his eating with sinners and tax collectors, or the fish after the resurrection. Jesus fed those who didn’t deserve it, unnecessarily and extravagantly. As we share meals with those around us, we are reminded in Hebrews 13:2 "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
God’s Peace, Pastor Josh Reifsteck