Our little family of four has a tradition. It may seem strange to onlookers, but it has become something of great important to us. Every Sunday after church, almost without fail, we go out for lunch.

We have been doing this for as long as I can remember. It probably started well before Brian and I had kids. It's not because I don’t want to cook after church (which is probably how the tradition started), it began with the intention of being together. What it has become has much more meaning.

When the kids were younger, the lunch-after-church was our way of finding out what they talked about in Sunday school. As the kids got older we heard about the goings-on in the youth room. Now we discuss what they heard in church. I love it. We love it. And they come.

For two years, while Emily was working in Whitehorse the tradition continued, but last week was especially sweet as our family was complete with Emily’s move back to Ontario.

Breaking bread together after church has become more than just eating. It has become an important, sacred time for us - time to connect, to talk, to listen, to discuss with happy hearts.

Meals are important in Scripture, too. Israel’s most important memory is marked by a meal. On Passover night, as Jewish families share roasted lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, they remember their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. The Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles, were other times the Israelites gathered often God and each other around bountiful tables of food (Deuteronomy 16:16).

Jesus attended so many meals that his enemies said he was a drunk and a glutton (Matthew 11:19). And Jesus gave us a special meal to remember Him by, the bread and the cup. We are also told that one day Jesus will host us at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

The early Christians embraced the spirit of this and “broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46), often concluding their time together with prayer (Acts 2:42). Mealtime was sacred.

You and I are heirs to this rich tradition.

How can we turn our meals into community celebrations? Here are three simple suggestions, that are as easy as pie:

Pause the TV,
Invite others to eat with us,
Encourage our children to join the conversation.

Eating together isn’t just about food. It’s community. It’s fellowship. It’s the real stuff of life!

This Sunday is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. I hope you will carve time out of your busy life to stop and remember what God has done for you, be thankful for what God is doing for you and celebrate with us what God will do!

Check out all of our upcoming services. There are lots of surprises in store. You won't want to miss any of it!!