Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body,
for we all partake of the one bread.
As we will soon be approaching the
time of Thanksgiving, the narrative that most Americans will gather around is
that of the Thanksgiving Table of Bounty. Many of us also understand that there
will be others whose tables will be sparse or even empty of this bounty that
we celebrate. Many of us will work with local ministries and charities to feed
the needy and often the forgotten this Thanksgiving. What would the world be
like if all of the world was invited to a bountiful table every day and that hunger
no longer existed?
One of my prized pictures that hangs
in our home is that of Polish Artist Bohdan Piesecki’s titled “Last Supper”. This
painting of the Last Supper by includes
6 women and 2 children, as well as Christ and His 12 apostles. Most classic
paintings of the Last Supper (like Leonardo DaVinci’s Masterpiece) only show
Christ and His 12 male apostles. But we know from scripture that Christ’s women
disciples and His mother Mary had followed Him from Galilee up to Jerusalem,
and the next day it was the women who were at the foot of the cross when the
men ran away. This painting also shows a traditional Jewish Passover meal, with
all the men wearing prayer shawls, eating with their right hands and reclining
around a low table on cushions and rugs. In the front of the painting can be
seen the basin and a towel from the washing of the feet.
As I walk down the stairs of our home, this picture is strategically
placed at the bottom of the stairs, there is no way to go any direction without
seeing it. This picture centers me and helps me to understand that with Jesus
Christ comes bounty, yet in this world we still see many who hunger for the
nourishment of Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual food.
Beloved, through the Lord’s Table, we gather as a united
people in one bread and one cup which represents the Body of Christ and the
Blood of Christ. In my tradition, all are welcome at the Table of the Lord.
Jesus calls all who hunger and thirst, those that hunger for a relationship
with Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, to come to His table.
My prayer is that this Thanksgiving (and every day) we will
feed the hungry and invite them to our tables with open arms, open hearts and
the blessings of God’s bountiful table and bountiful relationship.
This is the Day that the Lord has made.
Pastor Tim.
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