https://odb.org/MY/2022/07/08/food-that-says-i-love-you
I recall that when I was attending my previous church, we had a meal together as a church at first every Sunday and later I think it was once a month or once a fortnight. We had the basic meal catered but with add ons cooked by members potluck style. So every Sunday worship service was eagerly anticipated as we get to enjoy a nice meal together and later when the inhouse meal became once a month or once a fortnight, a group of us would still adjourn somewhere nearby for a simple chicken rice meal together. A family that prays together stays together and I would add that a family that eats together stays together. That applies to a congregation of church people as well. There is something special about sharing a meal together.
We can also see that in the bible God speaks about feasts, wedding banquets, festivals, meals together and even the well known Psalm 23 on the Lord is my Shepherd makes references to feasts. Jesus also used the illustration of wedding banquets in His teachings on the Kingdom of God. In fact, He performed His miracle of turning water to wine in a wedding feast.
Most significantly, the last meal Jesus had before He was crucified was the Passover meal with His 12 disciples. It was significant because He will not partake of that Passover meal again until He comes again. That is also why He taught us to break bread and drink of the wine as a remembrance of Him until He comes again.
It is unfortunate that the modern church has turned that last meal into the ceremonial and symbolic holy communion when it was originally a full meal shared together by Jesus and His disciples. Sharing a meal together as a congregation is really a good practice that we should all emulate and if we read the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we will also see that the early church ate together. I also think it is a good practice as the poor and needy will at least have one meal assured at church. As the church mandated singing for worship, I wished it had also practiced having meals as part of the service.
While most of us are not in any position to advise or instruct churches to organise meals amongst its members as part of the Sunday worship service celebrations, we ourselves can practice this among ourselves. Let’s eat together with others after worship – either go out as a group or join a group to eat together. Eating is surviving as it is one of the major things we need to continually do to live. Wild carnivore animals spend most of their time hunting for their next meal while herbivores continuously eat the vegetation in their surroundings. It is part and parcel of living, like breathing. That is why God Himself who created us also celebrates meals together among His people with happy and joyous references to banquets, feasts and festivals! God loves us and knows that we all love to eat!
Ronnie's Thoughts 