A Meal Together

Posted on by Heidi Brunsting

By Gareth Unruh, Assistant Director, Juvenile Justice Ministry, Denver Area YFC

How many times have you rushed through a meal?  Or instead of sitting down with the family at the table, you pull out the TV trays in front of the television?

Working with incarcerated and previously incarcerated youth I have bought “many-a-meal” for a young person, but I don’t do this just because they claim they are “starving.” I do this because it gives us the chance to sit down and talk. I usually ask a lot of questions to get them to slow down while eating, many of them have never sat for more than five minutes to have a meal (it’s that poverty mindset habit).

I was thinking about conversations around a table and began reflecting on the passover meal. Our Jewish friends celebrate this meal as a remembrance of their freedom from Egypt, but the last time Jesus ate this meal with his friends it meant something different. He was to be the sacrifice for all! At the time, the disciples did not understand how significant this meal was that night … in the same way, many youth don’t understand just how significant our conversations around the table are.

So whether you chose to slow down during a meal or be intentional about conversations with your family around the table, remember the last meal of our Christ and how significant that event was for us. Redeemed, transformed ... LOVED!

Do you remember the last significant conversation you had over a meal? Are there any people you should invite to have a meal together? Make a plan today to get together!

This article originally appeared on perspectiveofachaplain.wordpress.com and is being republished by permission.

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