Dinner with Friends

 

 

 

 

Maundy Thursday, Dinner with Friends
Maundy Thursday is the night we stop to remember the last meal Jesus shared with his friends before his crucifixion. What better way to observe this very personal & pivotal moment in God’s story than to take time to stop, remember and gather together ourselves to break bread just as he did ?

Several Dinner with Friends meals are happening all over town, hosted by members of our community – some in homes, some in restaurants, all are open to anyone & everyone who are interested.

One of the really cool parts of the night was that each Dinner with Friends group could conduct their dinner however they wanted, making them each unique and personal.

One group held a traditional Seder Supper (this being the first night of Passover,) one group met in a pizza joint, another grilled burgers & dogs in the backyard, and so forth and so on.

My friend Mark found this really great verse from a Mennonite songbook that he shared at his dinner; I think it sums up the heart of the night, and of communion, perfectly.

 

 

 

This is the Welcome Table of our Redeemer, and you are invited

Make no excuses, saying you cannot attend; simply come,

for around this table you will find your family.

Come not because you have to, but because you need to.

Come not to prove you are saved,but to seek the courage to follow wherever Christ leads.

Come not to speak but to listen, not to hear what’s expected, but to be open to the ways the Spirit moves among you.

So be joyful, not somber, for this is the feast of the reign of God,

where the broken are molded into a Beloved Community,

and where the celebration over evil’s defeat has already begun.