If Christmas was a one-act play, it would be performed at a dinner table laden with food, wine and conservation.
Jesus would have it no other way, say Christian leaders in Leelanau County.
“Maybe too often we eat fast food,” suggested Justin Orr, senior pastor at West Side Community Church in Solon Township. “But Jesus sat at meals with surprising company, and forced people to orient around people instead of tasks. Sharing a meal isn’t the only way to share relationships, but it seems to be Jesus’ primary way.”
Leelanau County seems stuffed with food at Christmastime, from the lunch provided Sunday by the Nurture Committee at Keswick United Methodist Church to a community- wide Holiday Potluck set for Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Empire Township Hall.
That all makes sense as a way to celebrate the holiday to three pastors interviewed for this story. Two specifically mentioned “A Meal with Jesus,” a book written by Tim Chester that includes an assertion that folks unfamiliar with the Gospels may find a bit out of character for the inspiration behind the largest religion in the world. Christianity has an estimated 2.4 billion followers.
“Jesus spent his time eating and drinking — a lot of his time,” wrote Chester. “He was a party animal. His mission strategy was a long meal, stretching into the evening. He did evangelism and discipleship round a table with some grilled fish, a loaf of bread and a pitcher of wine.”
Steve Rusticus, lead pastor at Glen Lake Church, says it’s no coincidence that Jesus’ first miracle as recorded by John occurred at the Wedding at Cana when, rather than disappoint a community gathered in feast, he turned water into wine.
“Think it speaks to the need for community connection,” Rusticus said. “Eating and drinking is a way we communicate and celebrate and get to know each other and talk about significant things.”
Glen Lake Church members are spreading the good word through a program inviting unrelated households to gather over dinner. “The first time we did it, we had about 40 groups sign up. It’s a good intergenerational connection for people. We think it’s a central part of being a church, of being a family, to connect,” he continued.
Food has a way of tempering the differences between the thoughts and convictions of people, Rusticus said. Jesus in a sense used food and drink as a weapon against the prejudices of his day, eating with tax collectors — who were considered traitors of the Jewish faith — and even, goodness sakes, prostitutes.
“He was accused of being a drinker and a gluten, of having meals with tax collectors. That was the accusation. Religious leaders couldn’t fathom God sitting down and eating with broken, sinful people. But that’s why Jesus came,” Rusticus said.
Tim Woycik, pastor at Leland Community United Methodist Church (LCUMC), said the COVID pandemic put off many traditions at the holidays involving the sharing of food. He’s glad to see some return, including a Harvest Dinner for Thanksgiving that was held at LCUMC.
“You can’t hardly shake a stick in the Methodist Church without including food and fellowship,” he said. “One of the things that a lot of our churches are trying to recover from is the effects of COVID. Fellowship dinners and important things like that just went away. Now we’re looking at this time of year as a way for people to reconnect with each other.”
Orr, who has finished his third year at the pulpit, noted that the first three meals with Jesus as recorded by Luke invited a traitor, sinner and hungry destitute to the table.
“The meals with Jesus represent something bigger than the table where they gather. They represent the new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook. They give his kingdom substance. The meals aren’t just symbols; they also show the application of his teaching. They represent the kingdom in miniature form, a window into his message of grace,” Orr said.
West Side offers a similar dinner program to that begun at Glen Lake Church, with 15 groups meeting monthly with a host family. Four can be found in Leelanau County including one that meets at the Brengman Brothers Winery in Elmwood Township.
The gatherings affiliated with West Side — and all feasts big and small, especially those who bring together unfamiliar people — reflect the teachings of Jesus, Orr believes.
“In today’s crazy world the home can be the last bastion of sanity. We use it to keep people out. Jesus used it as a way to bring them in. He didn’t worry about crowds, he didn’t obsess in trying to solve people’s problems, he didn’t worry about making people happy. Rather, Jesus invited a few to his table and shared a meal.
“They left changed, and those few changed left and changed the world,” Orr said.
Put in the simplest of terms, Orr asked, “How can you hate the person to whom you pass the potatoes?”
