August 27thAt the table
Two communities: Corinth and Berlevaag, Norway. Two meals: the Lord’s Supper in Corinth, and a banquet in Berlevaag. Two issues: the bread of injustice and shame, and the bread of distrust and resentment.
In Corinth, the rich shame the poor by eating the best food and drinking the best wine while the poor who arrive late get little or nothing. Paul is scandalized.
In Berlevaag, twelve members of a strict Lutheran sect, gather for a meal. The dinner guests who have gathered at this table of human disappointment swear to restrain their tongues from any mention of the meal. But as the lavish seven-course French dinner unfolds, a gentle wind of change starts to blow.
For the rest of the story, join us for worship this Sunday as we explore the meaning of eating and drinking ‘to the Lord.’
FOR REFLECTION:
How is Babette a Christ figure in the movie?
Have you participated in meals that became an experience of grace?
What does the Lord’s Supper mean to you?
PRAYER: May this food restore our strength, giving new energy to tired limbs, new thoughts to weary minds. May this drink restore our souls, giving new vision to dry spirits, new warmth to cold hearts.
And once refreshed, may we give new pleasure to you, who gives us all.