FAMILY DINNER

Dr. Richard J. Henderson August 22, 2004

click for printable version

Joshua 24: 14-18
Luke 22: 14-23

Introduction

When I was growing up our whole family had dinner together almost every night. It was something my father insisted on. As we ate we talked about what was happening in our lives and got feedback from each other. We laughed with each other at funny experiences and felt sympathy for times that hurt; our family shared the indignation we felt when someone had mistreated us. Sometimes we were laughed at when we had done something silly or stupid.

I

My dad talked about what was going on at church - who had called or who was upset about what. He'd tell of the people he had visited, those he had seen in the hospital, or funny experiences in the church office. He didn't talk at all about the church politics that go on at every church. Sometimes I wish he had, it might have prepared me better for my own calling.

II

My mother talked about what she had done at home or in her volunteer work. She explained what she was worrying about or the concerns she had about us kids. She also took that time to tell us what she was proud of - what she felt we had done well.

III

My older brother, Bob, was the person I listened to most carefully. For me he was the pioneer. He was four years older and was going through things I knew I would be facing soon. I was listening to see what he was doing and how he was handling it so I would have an idea what to do when I got to that age. He always sounded so smart, so I figured I should pay attention to what he was saying.

IV

My sister, Marge, gave us the young female perspective. She helped us understand what girls liked and didn't like. She helped us see what girls thought was cool. I remember when she showed me how to wear my hair. I think it was a variation of Elvis Presley, because I recall it meant having some hair hanging down in my eyes. She showed me how it should be and fixed my hair just right.

Then the next day I repeated what she showed me. She saw me walking down the hall at school. (She was in eighth grade, I think, and I in sixth.) She ran down the hall and quickly took me aside. "No. You don't have it right! Only a couple of strands of hair, not a big clump!" She pulled my hair up, wet her fingers and slicked down the part that wasn't supposed to hang down, and then got it set just right. "There you go!" Then I knew I looked cool!

V

I was fairly quiet at the dinner table. I liked to soak up everything that was being said. I liked to watch how everybody was interacting. I often felt like an observer. That doesn't mean I wasn't actively involved. I was so involved that there was a standing rule in our house: my younger brother and I were not allowed to sit on the same side of the table. We poked, prodded, hit, kicked, or just generally harassed each other so much that for many years we couldn't sit beside each other at the table, which, I suppose, makes it very surprising that my younger brother and I are the closest of our very close family.

VI

Nothing much happened at those family dinners - it was just conversation and commenting on what was happening in each others lives. It was eating, talking and learning about each other and life.

VII

That's what's happening here. We learn our identity here at the table. It is here that we learn what it means to be a Christian; here we understand right and wrong. Our values come from our gathering here at the table. We hear the word, we talk about it, we sing songs, we pray. In the process of all that, we are growing in our Christian identity.

I remember almost nothing of specific conversations at the dinner table. So if we can't remember the theme of the service a year ago, or a month ago, or last week, it may not matter. We were here at the table joining in the experience, and that makes all the difference.

Conclusion

Here gathered around the communion table we learn who we are. Just as a family gathering at the dinner table communicates a sense of identity and values, so we at the Lord's Table learn what it means to be Christian. Maybe for most of us it's a slow, almost unnoticed process. But each week we experience something, we learn something, we pick up something new, we feel something and somehow, we are drawn a little bit closer to the source of life.

This time at the table is a gradual, unfolding experience that transforms our lives.

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2004