Breaking Bread Together
Daily Reading: Leviticus 9, Psalm 99, 1 Corinthians 11, Proverbs 9
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
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.
1 Corinthians 17-26
As we read through 1 Corinthians, it is quite clear that Paul is writing to a church experiencing quite a bit of dysfunction. In early chapters we read about a whole host of issues.
The church was splitting into factions based on which teacher they preferred. Some claimed to follow Paul, others Apollos, and others Cephas; instead of being unified around following Jesus.
We see members of the church engaged in trivial lawsuits amongst each other.
In a particularly scandalous case we read about a man in a sexual relationship with his step-mother, and a variety of other cases of members engaged in sexual immorality.
The list could go on.
Then we get to Chapter 11, and Paul has to ask:
“Is it so hard to wait for everyone to get there and then all eat together!”
Compared to everything else going on within the Corinthian church at this time, it seems like the type of thing you could potentially not waste the parchment on!
And yet, to Paul, this was of utmost importance.
It got me thinking today, how are we doing in our Western world today at guarding Christian fellowship?
How are we prioritizing breaking bread together, doing life together, and spending time in community reflecting on God’s will in our lives?
This is something I used to be far better at in previous years, and since Covid, has been a real challenge to get started back up.
I was reconvicted all over again today at the importance of guarding this time. It is not about the meal, as Paul mentions. It is about realizing that a meal with fellow believers is meant to represent so much more.
So, go grab dinner with some Christian friends. Grab a coffee or glass of wine.
And while you do, do it in remembrance of Jesus.
We are built for community.
Jesus wants to be a part of it all.
Daily Reflection & Dialogue
What would have to be true for you to prioritize spending more time occasionally sharing a meal with your Christian community?
