Recently, I have been in a very nostalgic mood. I think part of it is due to the fact that my retirement is approaching and with it the end of my ministry in the UMC. So I find myself looking back on and assessing my ministry: what I have done well and what I wish I had done differently. My retirement also means a move to WI. I have lived in IL virtually my entire adult life and have never served in an annual conference other than the Northern Illinois Conference. So, I am moving away from a lot of what I have known, from dear friends that have become like family, and farther away from my kids and grandkids. All this makes me both nostalgic and, to be honest, more than a little sad.

But, my retirement and move to WI also means returning to the state I grew up in. My retirement home is only slightly north of where my grandparents and great-grandmother had cottages. I spent virtually every summer of my childhood at the cottage, playing on the beach, going for long walks and swimming in the lake and body surfing the waves. Other than going for long walks on the beach with my dogs, I won’t be doing much of what I did as a child. Body surfing is definitely out of the question.

When I think about my time at the lake, one of the things I remember with great fondness are the meals we shared, dishes my grandmother loved to make: meatloaf, pot roast, vegetable soup with fresh garden vegetables, smoked fish and rye bread, and occasionally ring bologna with mashed potatoes. I can smell and almost taste the butterscotch oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies my great grandmother always baked to welcome the smell wafting out to us before we even entered the cottage. I remember the many bonfires we had throughout the summer and roasting hot dots and marshmallows for s’mores. I liked my marshmallows golden brown not burnt. 

The sense we are exploring today is TASTE. I have been reflecting a lot on how many of our most precious memories are centered around food and shared meals. Think about your memories . . . how many of them have to do with a special meal or even a favorite food? Birthdays and anniversaries and holidays almost always revolve around food. Birthday cake, Anniversary dinners. Holiday feasts. Think about some of the more ordinary but important memories we all have: backyard bbq’s, summer picnics, after school treats, coffee breaks at work with colleagues and friends. Are lives are filled with memories revolving around the food we share. And think about the important role food plays in the life of the church, beyond our monthly celebration of holy communion, sharing food is central to the life of most congregations: church potlucks; taking meals to those recovering from surgery, grieving, or celebrating the birth of a new baby; meals prepared and served following a celebration of life or a wedding. In so many ways, our communal lives revolve around the sharing of food.

Virtually all of the “serious” conversations my family has had are held at the table around a shared meal. It has always been important to me to spend 

1-1 time w/ each of my children, usually going out for lunch.

This week, I have been watching the prep for GC and I was struck by the suggestion that the delegates bring snacks to share at the table. Hard conversations are made easier when we are at table breaking bread.

According to the Gospel of John, the very first miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine so that the wedding feast and celebration could continue. From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus knew the importance of food and shared meals to build and sustain both community and the movement he came to launch.

So, it is no wonder that Jesus chose a meal as his the setting for his final discourse with his disciples. As they shared that Passover meal, one that they had shared together for the past three years, I can imagine Jesus leading them in a time of reminiscing about all that they had shared, seen, and done over the course of the last three years. As he took, blessed, broke the bread and gave it to them, he reminded them of how many times they had shared bread and wine in the past, the conversations that they had had, the questions they asked and he answered, the questions he asked and they struggled to answer. I am willing to bet that there was not a day in their lives together that they did not share bread. It was central to who they were and it wove them together. Jesus knew that the bonds they had formed over the sharing of the bread was a bond that could not, would not be broken, even by death. As the meal was ending, Jesus looked around the table, with eyes brimming with love, and told them that his time with them was coming to an end, but that he would be with them always even until the end of the age.

He assured them that whenever they gathered together and broke bread and shared wine that he would be there with them, giving them strength to do all that would be asked of them and binding them ever closer together in a community of love and compassion. And, indeed, first to the disciples and now to us, Jesus is still known in the breaking and sharing of bread.

Do you remember when we were not able to gather together due to COVID? I consistently heard people say that what they were missing the most was the ability to gather together with family and friends and share a meal with one another. 

As I talked with many of you during that time and as we prepared to re-enter the building and resume in person worship and fellowship, the number one thing I heard over and over and over again was how much you all missed fellowship time: sharing a simple treat and coffee, sitting at tables, and sharing your lives. Yes, you missed worship, but based on what you were sharing with me, you missed being able to eat together even more. Food is so important to binding families, friends, and communities together. Yes, you missed worship, but you missed fellowship more. And that is not a bad thing. Food is central to our faith. Sharing meals, sharing lives, strengthens our sense of community and solidarity.

As you gather at your tables this week, may you know that what you are doing: sharing a meal and your lives creates lasting memories, transforms lives, and binds us all together. Jesus is known in the breaking and the sharing of bread, and so are we.  Amen.