The Centrality of the Meal

Reflecting on the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany, Two Days after Sunday (Year C)

Scripture

Psalter: Psalm 38

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 24:1-22

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 27-33

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Prayer

O God, you spoke your word and revealed your good news in Jesus, the Christ. Fill all creation with that word again, so that by proclaiming your joyful promises to all nations and singing of your glorious hope to all peoples, we may become one living body, your incarnate presence on the earth. Amen.

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Reflection

“…when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!… So then, my brothers and sisters,[e] when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” (11:18-22, 33)

“Eating and drinking are not only necessary to life, but also in human societies most commonly they are communal activities. Human beings enjoy eating and drinking together—hence the prevalence of those experiences known as banquets, parties, and even regular household meals. The English words companion and company both are formed from two Latin roots meaning ‘those who share bread‘ with each other. Persons who must regularly eat alone often report diminished enjoyment of their food, and they sometimes suffer poor nutrition for reasons that have nothing to do with economics. There is simply less incentive to cook a complete meal for one person or to eat a balanced diet when alone. The desire to be together when eating and drinking appears to be a universal human characteristic.”

“Thus it is hardly surprising that God, who made us and best knows how we are put together, should provide for us a holy meal. Given the misunderstanding in the church for centuries about the meaning of this meal [Eucharist], and given the unexciting way in which it is often conducted, what may be surprising is that we should refer to this meal as a ‘feast.’”

“In the fullest New Testament tradition, then, eating and drinking with Jesus is enactment: The Eucharist is a feast in which we, with the risen Lord, incarnate the hope we have of a righteous realm in which Christ’s sacrificial love destroys barriers among human beings and between humanity and God. To this feast all are invited by God on equal terms.”

“The meaning of Eucharistic participation is this: We cannot earn from God an invitation to the Table of the Lord. But what is done there is intended to show us God’s faithful ways of justice and mercy, and what is received there is meant to strengthen us for responsible and faithful service to God.”

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Laurence Hull Stookey, Eucharist: Christ's Feast with the Church, pp. 11-12, 19, 22