People have very differing views of Christmas. Even we as Christians, who put Jesus at the centre of the our celebrations, often have differing priorities over the Christmas period. For some the priority is having family and friends around them. For others it will be about their children, sharing the magical times while sharing Jesus with them too. Still others will be looking for friendship and company having been on their own for much of the rest of the year.
But there is one constant over the festive period no matter who you are or where you are at: food! For most of us, the big event will be lunch on Christmas Day but there will be evening get-togethers, buffets, maybe shared picnics on walks and all sorts of other times when we will stop and eat. And indeed for some - those who live rough - it may be the only time they can get a hot meal somewhere.
For Jesus, meals were extremely important. How many times in the Gospels do we read of him going to a meal or sitting at a table (often with people we wouldn't expect him to be with). It was at these meal times that Jesus did much of his preaching and evangelising. And what is good for Jesus is good for us. So maybe this coming Christmas we too could make meal times more than just a refuelling stop, make them a time of sharing, hospitality, giving and making Jesus known where he might otherwise not receive a hearing.
If you aren't sure how or what or when, have a read of Tim Chester's A Meal with Jesus. Chester structures the book around the meals of Jesus as described in the Gospel of Luke. It was Luke who quoted Jesus as saying, “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” Jesus was in to eating and drinking and he was in to it enough that people accused him of doing it to excess.
Chester says that to Jesus' meals “represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook. But they give that new reality substance. Jesus’ meals are not just symbols; they’re also application. They’re not just pictures; they’re the real thing in miniature. Food is stuff. It’s not ideas. It’s not theories.” Without simplistically reducing all of church and mission to meals, Chester manages to show that meals can and should be an integral part of our shared life.
Read more and get the book HERE for just £5 - use code amwj1113 at the checkout.
Dean is the Sales Manager at The Good Book Company. He engages with churches, organisations and individuals to provide them with useful resources for their varying ministries. Dean attends St John's Church in Woking, where he lives with his family.
