November 2015 gathering – Holden Evening Prayer

When dinner is ready and the table is set, gather around the table for welcome.

Tonight we will share a sacred meal together as Jesus and his followers did and as Christians have done together from the beginning.

“Come and gather around the light!” While we sing we will light the candles at the table.

Holden Evening Prayer Service of Light p. 2

Evening Hymn p. 3

Evening Thanksgiving p. 4

Opening Prayer and Blessing of Food

Blessed are you Lord our God, Creator of the Universe!

Through your work all things were made, and by your goodness we have this food to share and fellowship to enjoy.

Bless this food, those who prepared it, the earth from which it comes.

Bless especially the farmworkers and those who transport and care for our food.

Give bread to those who are hungry and give a hunger for justice to those of us with bread.

May this meal nourish our bodies and souls this evening.

Amen.

Share the Feast! Holy food for Holy People.

We’ll spend the first part of our meal getting to know each other. When folks are finishing up we’ll move into scripture reading and conversation.

Scripture Reading: Micah 6

Leader: The Light shines in the darkness

All: And the darkness has not overcome it.

The Annunciation and Magnificat p. 8-9

Gospel Reading: Emmaus Story Luke 24:13-35

Reflection and conversation

Psalm 141 p. 4-6

Gathering of prayers

Prayer Litany and Lord’s Prayer p. 10-11

Final Blessing p. 12

(Holden Evening Prayer was written by Marty Haugen for Holden Village – you can find some recordings online if you are curious about the music! Here’s one just with the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Lmt5OVFko) I love this inclusive language liturgy with beautiful music – especially the theme of justice and love that run throughout the songs.)

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Reflection:

I love to cook and eat, I love going to farmers markets and looking for recipes and I especially enjoy eating meals with a group of friends and family. Some of the best memories I have are around tables and I want to make sure everyone in this community has access to healthy food and great meals with friends and neighbors.

This is why I have been so captivated by the meal stories in Luke’s gospel. You may know that Luke is a master theologian – meaning that he doesn’t merely tell the facts of the story but he uses metaphors and links stories together in ways that reveal his theology. There are at least 10 meal stories throughout Luke. In some memorable meals, Jesus eats with corrupt characters including Zacchaeus the despised tax collector and he also eats with Pharisees who are upset because he is spending time and eating with “sinners”. The parable of the Prodigal Son includes an extravagant celebration when the son returns. This is the son who has been squandering his father’s money, partying and basically has been up to no good. Throughout the gospels, Jesus speaks about and participates in meals celebrating and including those who are not the ideal dinner guests.

And then in the stories of the feeding of the 5000 with the fishes and loaves, the last supper with the disciples, and also in the Emmaus story we heard today, the same four actions take place: Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them… this foreshadows the early church community practice of communion or eucharist – the meal of thanksgiving that was celebrated each time they gathered together and the same meal we continue to celebrate in a variety of ways in Christian communities around the world. Each time, the community experiences Christ’s presence in the breaking of bread and in the community gathered at the table together. These stories carry the Eucharistic themes of thanksgiving, abundance and plenty for all, and of the presence of the risen Christ in the community.

What also stands out to me in the Emmaus story is that we are invited to follow the example of the two travelers – to slow down and invite a stranger in to eat with us – even when we are confused or worried. These two travelers had witnessed Jesus’ death and didn’t know what this would mean for his followers. They don’t recognize this stranger from the road, but they are willing to invite him in for a meal to continue the conversation.

When I was in college, I was struggling with organic chemistry. I was spending every evening studying in the library and I knew that if I was going to make it, I had to focus. And then, I was invited to become part of a community house with some other students. One of their community commitments was to eat meals together four nights a week.  They took turns preparing meals and cleaning up and they frequently had guests over – it seemed like way too much time. Maybe English and Religion majors had time for this, but how would I pass organic chemistry if I was taking out so much time for dinners every night? I knew a little about the people in the house, they were really engaged in cool stuff and they always seemed to be having a lot of fun, so even though I wasn’t sure how this would all work out, I decided to try it. 

It was in the breaking of bread with friends and with strangers that I was given new life.  My eyes were opened to the ways that God’s spirit was moving in people’s lives each evening that we had a meal together.  I continued to struggle with chemistry and I still studied A LOT, but my eyes were opened to many new things during the years I spent in that community, I began to have a more joyful approach to life.  They had invited me into a community prioritizing love, joy, kindness and compassion over anxiety and selfish individualism. Something so simple, yet so difficult – taking time to really be with others. Instead of focusing only on my own academic success and the narrow idea I had about what was supposed to happen, I learned how to prioritize being with friends and neighbors, walking together through difficult times, learning from their lives and their stories.

I also saw this during my time working with Trinity Lutheran in Parkland for the last 2 years – each month when the community gathers for a free meal. This isn’t your average soup kitchen, the committed Trinity members make this meal a celebration by decorating the room and the tables for a special occasion and the community eats together, sharing bread with those around the table. This normal everyday thing- eating a meal – is revolutionary and counter-cultural when you share a meal for free! When instead of handing out charity, you craft a delicious meal of local produce and share it with friends, neighbors and strangers. Instead of paging through emails on your computer or watching videos on your phone while eating a quick bite you actually eat across the table or next to someone you don’t know and you have conversation. We are all hungry for something and we may not even realize what we are missing until we sit down to meet new people. We may be surprised by grace at the table.

Mother Teresa said, “We should not serve the poor like they are Jesus, we should serve the poor because they ARE Jesus.” The Emmaus travelers invited in a stranger who was revealed to them as Jesus but Luke makes sure we know that they invited him in before they recognized him. We can hear the echo from Matthew’s gospel – “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

When we gather at a table, whether it is the communion or Eucharist table, a meal with friends and family and especially when we invite strangers or those in need of some bread, we are challenging the individualism in the culture that surrounds us, the consumerism and greed, the complacency and apathy and the craziness of rushing to get ahead.  We are slowing down, taking time to commune with one another at a table where everyone is invited and there is plenty for all. Sharing meals, we are sharing Christ’s grace and compassion, we are feeding physical and spiritual needs and participating in Christ’s ministry of sustaining and giving life. We are taking the time to really listen and really see those around us.  And I believe it is then that Christ will be revealed – in the breaking of bread and in the people we meet and listen to at the table. We are all hungry for something and at shared meals, Christ meets us and meets our needs – our hunger and thirst for food, relationship, dignity, joy and new life. We are all invited to the table, it is up to us to slow down and take the time to really see our neighbors and to be open to Christ’s presence in our midst.