Food And Family

John 21:12

Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' 

Happy New Year Gas Street! 

We take food very seriously in my family. Never more so than over the festive period. You would think that, given that our Christmas dinner is exactly the same every year, it wouldn’t require much discussion. But every year, it is the subject of the hottest debates and the kind of operational planning that is only really appropriate for an SAS mission. The discussions begin in November. Every task, from peeling the potatoes to wrapping the pigs in blankets is planned down to the minute. The turkey is stuffed and stitched up with surgical precision (helpfully we have a surgeon in the family!). We even have a notebook that contains a history of the turkey-cooking methodology and an assessment of the quality of the end result. Now, I appreciate that this may not sound like everyone’s idea of a great time, but for us, it’s a great bonding exercise, plus I challenge anyone to match our turkey! 

Jesus took food pretty seriously too. Whether it was turning water into fine wine, mass catering for five thousand with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread or simply having a BBQ on the beach with his friends, and then, most importantly of all - the Last Supper. 

There are lots of stories in the New Testament where Jesus builds connection and creates community with food. (And you can find the same theme throughout the Old Testament. Psalm 23 for a start.) So simple, and yet so effective. Let’s follow his example this week. 

Task for the week — Have some people round for dinner, create connection and build community. If Covid prevents you, have you tried (the second best) of a shared meal on Zoom/Facetime etc?