CHAPTER 8
John Bell writes that we need to take a second look at the
traditional body image of Jesus as a skinny man, emaciated perhaps by poverty,
a poor diet or an ascetic lifestyle. He cites instead all the positive
references to food and eating found in the gospels. Jesus’ open table also
reflects biblical social justice and God’s love for all.
Bell suggests a second symbol for the Christian community
(after the cross) is the table – not the holy communion table, but the pot-luck
table. Do his thoughts about Jesus and
food inspire you to improve our “table fellowship” in the church today?
image: Jessica de Stefano, Jesus and pizza
I absolutely love the idea of the second symbol for the Christian community (after the cross) being the table – the pot-luck table. I think we at Rideau Park do a fairly good job at gathering people for dinner; whether it is a paid meal or a potluck meal, it is always a blessing for those who participate. One of the things I really enjoyed about the way we did the Lenten book study in the past was sharing a potluck meal around the table on Saturday mornings. This family sharing attracted 18 to 20 people who were happy to contribute to the meal. We never suggested what people should bring, but as with the loaves and the fishes, the food balanced out. Lots of discussion was held at the table and plenty of discussion also around the circle of chairs we formed to discuss the particular readings we were assigned for that week. I guess the draw back to an online book study (for me) is the lack of bodily community. I am house bound a lot of the time due to energy constraints, so putting an effort into getting together with like-minded people and sharing thoughts with a community outside my house is a step towards healing. Christian community provides a place where the Holy Spirit can roam free and move within the conversation. Obviously the Holy Spirit can direct an online study as well; however, some of us are sensitive to the currents which run between and through people. At home we value the dinner table. When Eric moved in with us (at age 16), our table dynamics changed. Being an extrovert, he brought a lot of joy and discussion to meal time. We are always blessed with our table discussions – and most of them involve an unofficial communion in that we share wine and bread. Also, I never considered Jesus to be emaciated in any way. He was always healthy looking in my mind, so John Bell’s image of a skinny man was totally unfamiliar to me. The New Testament has so many references to meal sharing and hospitality that I thought Jesus was well nourished, purely by God’s grace through the people he dined with.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I love the church gathered in an embodied way - for community, worship, learning, especially eating! Paul was doing an informal survey with some people who have church background but don't attend anymore. The thing they missed most was those meals where the community gathered!
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