Jesus Ate with Everyone

by Philip Adam

When I went to Alaska with the youth group in 2006, we went to the Beans Café. It is where people can get one good hot meal a day. About a dozen of us from the youth group went one day. Knowing that Jesus ate with everyone, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and I got in line to eat with the regulars. The guy to my right was Joseph and Native American. He liked to kid around and told me I was eating walrus meat. Actually it was beef. But he told me how walrus meat would have tasted. The guy to my left was Luke.  He wore a Navy hat and was struggling with alcohol. Marty, also a Native American, sat across the table. Sat with them quite a while. A few days later it dawned on me. I had sat with Marty (whose name reminded me of Martin Luther), Luke (the Gospel for the Poor), and Joseph (who insured Egypt survived 7 years of famine.) In the Middle East, sharing a meal with someone practically means, “Total Acceptance.”  When I partake in our ritual meal of communion, I often think of Marty, Luke, and Joseph. It provides a part of my frame of reference for our spiritual communal meal. Just as I will laugh at the dinner table, so I often smile at the persons who present the wafer and wine. And I remind myself Jesus ate with everyone.

During Lent 2011, we are encouraging the St. Philip the Deacon community to reflect on the Sacrament of Holy Communion — recalling early memories, describing memorable celebrations of Communion, or reflecting on how Communion informs daily life. This post is part of that series. We invite your reflections about Communion, as well. If you would like to submit something for this series, please send it to Pastor Cheryl Mathison at cmathison@spdlc.org.

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