Breakfast with Jesus
One holiday my mother was busy fixing a fantastic meal for our family. My husband, sister, and all our kids were there, as well as my mother’s parents. As I wandered into the kitchen to “help”, I noticed my mom had become strangely agitated so I asked what was wrong. She told me that her mother had mentioned that she “was surprised that there was no centerpiece on the table”.
Now I know this seems pretty small to most of us, but not having her mother’s full approval over every aspect of the dinner was excruciating to her. So, in super-kid fashion, I told her not to worry about a thing.
I grabbed my sister and we hunted around the house until we found some silly chotchkies we could call a centerpiece. With my mother’s anxiety relieved, our holiday meal was as wonderful as ever. We were able to make a family joke out of it, and since then even my own children tease if no one has come up with a proper centerpiece for any family gathering - and the more ridiculous the better.
Tables are important gathering places. They can fill us with memories of wonderful occasions or even a sense of dread at a trauma that may have occurred there. Mealtimes touch all of our senses, and smells, especially, trigger clearer, more emotional memories than any of the others.
Jesus connected with His followers over so many meals. The gospels are filled with stories of food.
One meal, in particular, became very special for one disciple. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared many times to His followers, but they were still dealing with so many questions. Everything had changed.
Several of them had gone back to their work as fishermen, but after a long night, had not caught anything. From the shore, Jesus called to them to cast their nets on the other side and immediately their nets were full. Peter recognized then that it was their friend and swam in where he found Jesus had already made breakfast for them.
The scripture describes Jesus making a charcoal fire for the breakfast. This word “charcoal" is used only one other place and it happened to be when Peter had stood by a charcoal fire during Jesus' trial - the very place he denied he knew Jesus three times. (John 18:18)
Jesus decided to fix a meal over a charcoal fire that would bring back some difficult memories for His friend, but it was a breakfast with a purpose. With the smell of charcoal wafting through the air, and smoke filling Peter’s watering eyes, Jesus could comfort him, help him receive mercy, and commission him for his future. (John 21:9)
And then, they all got to eat!
That little charcoal fire became an altar where Peter could receive forgiveness, and a table where he could experience transformation that would change him, and soon, the world.
As Pastor Jay taught last Sunday, Jesus welcomes us to both an Altar to deepen our dwelling with God and a Table to help us dwell in the world around us.
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Be sure to watch the first in the new series Altars and Tables
Reflection Questions:
• What memories - good or hard - come to mind when you think about meals around a table? How has God met you there?
• Peter’s painful memory at the charcoal fire became a place of forgiveness and purpose. Where might Jesus want to redeem a difficult memory in your life?
• How can your own table become both an altar (drawing you closer to God) and a place of blessing for others?
