Week 3 of B.L.E.S.S.

Good morning and welcome to Mount Joy Mennonite Church.

We are in the middle of a series called BLESS. And in this series we are exploring different ideas on how we can become a community that looks outward to invite and bless our neighbors.

In our opening video, we see the great Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I love that movie, but I also love this idea of gathering people around the table for food, conversation, and belonging. (Story of smoking food.)

If your taking notes, the title of todays message is “A Church that eats together.”

In our opening story that Jenn read for us, we see the disciples, who we are gonna call the boys, Jesus has died and has been resurrected, and the boys discouraged from this, walk back to their old lifestyles. So they are fishing one day, when I man calls from the shorline telling them where to cast their nets. They do this, and all the sudden their nets are filled. Well our boy Peter, recognizes it’s Jesus and jumps in the water in only his underwear.

When the boys get to the shoreline, Jesus is there cooking a meal. (Show the picture on the screen.)

I love this story, in fact it’s my favorite story in the whole Bible, because it shows not only how powerful Jesus is through the miracle of the fish, but also the humanity of him, that He didn’t invite them to the temple in this grand display, he invites them to a simple meal on the shoreline. For the boys, I can imagine this was something they did with Jesus on a regular basis.

In fact the Gospel of Luke records 10 stories of Jesus eating with people at a dinner table.

Eating together is powerful, and I think it should be rythem in our Christian walk. Listen to these stastics gathered.

-As of September 2022, 91% of parents surveyed noticed their family was less stressed when they shared family meals together.

-84% of adults wish they could share a meal with loved ones more often.

-In 2021, 65% of American parents said they had received more meal prep help than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

-In a September 2022 survey, 67% of people said that sharing a meal reminds them of the importance of connecting with other people, and 54% said it reminds them to slow down and take a break.

So eating together is proven to do something, when we gather around the table there’s power. But what if besides gathering our own family around the table, we invited those who are lost, lonely, broken, and in need of savior.

One and only point: When we sit down and eat with others, we create an encounter.

So how can we be a church that learns the power of inviting others to eat together?

1.) Let’s stop the excuses, and instead create solutions.

-In the bless book, the Ferguson brothers lay out three excuses we often make when it comes to invite others to dinner.

1.) I don’t like having people in my home.

2.) I wouldn’t know what to say.

3.) I just don’t have time.

-Begin small, maybe have a few friends over. Don’t over complicate it. Meals can be simple.

-In fact, we are helping to create a space on Maundy Thursday. (Give details.)

-Give story of our small group in Florida. (Wide range of ages.)

2.) Pray, discern, and invite.

-I love in our John 21 story, that during the dinner at some point Jesus pulls Peter alone and heals his shame. This again shows the power of a meal, and if fast forward ahead to the Book of acts, Peter continues this tradition with the early church. They met together in homes over dinner.

-Right now, we are gonna pause, just to close our eyes, and I want you guys to think of a person or couple you could pray for, ask the Lord maybe what that person needs, and invite them over for a meal.

-This summer, Becca and I have prayed and said, we want to host dinner parties at our home. I love to smoke food, and we love to host people in our home. So randomly we are just gonna extend the invite to anyone who wants to come, our neighbors, church family, friends.

3.) Be available to create spaces that invite others to the table.

-What I love about Jesus, is that sometimes he hosted dinner parties, and other times he was invited to them. If you’re saying to yourself, I just don’t have the house space, but I love to cook or plan, find a Friend who does.

-Jesus in our story in John, was available and invited the boys to space of encounter. He had a delicious meal planned for them, that not only fed them physically, but also spiritually.

-Henri Nouwen writes this about the power of eating “When we invite friends for a meal, we do much more than offer them food for their bodies. We offer friendship, fellowship, good conversation, intimacy, and closeness. When we say, ‘Help yourself… take some more…don’t be shy.. have another glass..’ we offer our guests not only food and drink but also ourselves. A spiritual bond grows, and we become food and drink for one another.”

-What would happen in our church community, neighborhoods, and spheres of influence if we decided to be available to create spaces that invite others to the table?

-As a youth ministry we are going to start something next month called “Table Nights”, where we will invite our students and their friends to a meal a big table, and the whole goal of the night is to eat together , have fun, and pray.

-Two summers ago in Cleveland Ohio. (Show pictures.)

One and only point: When we sit down and eat with others, we create an encounter.

We are going to move into a time of communion, and this is a sacred table that the Lord invites His believers to.

N.T. Wright says it best, “When Jesus wanted to explain to his followers the meaning of his death, he didn't give them a theory; he gave them a meal.”

As you get your elements ready is there anyone in here who did not get elements when they walked in? Our usher team will bring you some elements, just lift your hand and keep it up until they come to you.

Before we take the elements, let’s take a moment to to be at peace with God and each other.

1 Corinthians 11:23–29 (NIV)

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Let’s Pray