Thought for Today
Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; . . . 18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."
Genesis 31:54 Jacob offered a sacrifice on the height and called his kinsfolk to eat bread; and they ate bread and tarried all night in the hill country.
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yesterday was the last Sunday in September. Our congregation always has a luncheon on the last Sunday of each month following worship. We gather together at table to share the bounty of God’s Creation and the fellowship of our family of faith.
Next Sunday is the first Sunday of October. Our congregation always celebrates the Eucharist on the first Sunday of each month. We gather together at God’s table to share bread and wine (unfermented, a.k.a. grape juice) and to celebrate God’s gift to us of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.
Sometimes our monthly luncheons are themed. Sometimes they more resemble the potluck suppers I so fondly remember from my youth. This month we had one of my favorite lunches, “Breakfast for Lunch.” Although to some degree all meals do focus on the food, these ‘fellowship meals’ equally focus on the fellowship itself.
The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines fellowship as “The sense of unity, community, and participation in the lives of others that emerges among Christians and in the church from the common experience of faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3)” (pg. 103) That referenced scripture reads, “1:3 we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
Our formal worship service is itself an exercise in fellowship. In most denominations, a regular Order of Worship is followed. With few exceptions, we each week do the same things at the same appointed times. We do sometimes vary the order, add or subtract elements due to the particular liturgical season. But, formal worship is somewhat scripted. The hymns vary, the lectionary readings vary, hopefully everyone notices that the sermons vary, but the order is mostly the same. We do offer a time each week which we call Prayers of the People during which we share joys, cares and concerns. That is the only truly spontaneous element in our weekly worship.
On the last Sunday, at our luncheon, the fellowship we share is unscripted. Although we are free to do so, we do not usually discuss theology. We do not usually discuss worship or the affairs of the church. We just visit with each other, sharing the things in our lives that are currently at issue. Sometimes we share joys, sometimes we share cares, sometime we share concerns. Sometimes we commiserate with each other over the state of our local sports teams.
I believe that sharing our lives with our family of faith is a critical element of our worship of our Creator God. It is how we attain that sense of unity, community, and participation in the lives of others which defines fellowship. We see that take place in the early development of Christianity as the gospel message was spread, first to the surrounding countries and then into what is now Turkey and ultimately into Greece and Rome. Many of the earliest Christian churches were ‘house churches.’ Believers would gather together in someone’s home to worship, followed by a communal meal, the precursor of church potluck suppers. Throughout the whole experience, formal worship and communal meal, they worshiped the God who so loved the world that he gave his Son for our salvation.
I particularly enjoy the pattern our congregation has developed of luncheon on one Sunday followed by communion the following Sunday. Both shared, communal meals are deliberate acts of breaking bread together, of sharing the bounty of God’s Creation. Through both experiences we enhance our sense of unity, community, and participation in the lives of others. Let us break bread together, just as that beloved hymn of the same name suggests.
Stay safe, break bread together, trust God,
Pastor Ray