I have always liked the Emmaus Road story and each time we read it I recognize more going on in this story then there is ever time to talk about on a Sunday morning. This very complex story concludes with the Emmaus Road disciples extending hospitality by inviting a stranger to have a meal with them and in that moment of hospitality something incredibly significant takes place. Think for a moment about some special meals in your life and what happened at those food centred gatherings. What happens at meals shared with others? Is it ever just about the food? What are some of your most memorable meals? Why was the meal memorable? As I prepared my reflection I began writing down a list of some special meals which came to mind. I realized I could have gone on for a very long time once I started recalling various experiences with people involving food. I was amazed at how many different meals I could remember where food was the particular ingredient which brought me into special communion with friends, co-workers, community volunteers, congregation members, relatives, family and strangers. What good and wonderful things have happened to you where food was involved? Why do you remember that particular experience? Was it ever just about the food? How did the food help to enhance the experience?
As I began I making my list I thought about the very first time I ever had Filet Mignon. It was late on a Friday evening and it was at the Diplomat Restaurant in Fredericton. I had worked a long hard week at a Lumber Yard/Building Supply Co. and had delivered the last load of lumber late on a Friday evening. The owner, asked if I wanted to get a bite to eat on the way home and I agreed. He recommended the Diplomat as he frequented the Dip fairly often. When we sat down he said I think I’m going to have their Filet Mignon, you should have the same! Now I was raised to order something less expensive when someone else was paying but the boss was calling the shots that night and there wasn’t any discussion to be had. While it was the best Filet Mignon I’ve ever had to this day, it was about more than the steak; it was about the recognition for your hard work. It was about relaxing after an incredibly busy week during the housing boom in the 70’s. It was about being treated as more than just one of the labourers.
I remember the very first time I had Salmon with hollandaise sauce. It was at the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews at a meal out with University friends from Vancouver BC who I had gone to school with in Quebec City several years earlier. Debbie and I lived just outside of St. Stephen NB in our first Pastoral charge. I don’t think I’ve ever had Salmon with hollandaise sauce which ever tasted as good since but it was about more than the salmon and the sauce; it was about people travelling all the way across the country to visit friends who lived 4000 miles apart. It was about catching up on where your lives had taken you since school. It was about maintaining relationships so that your families would continue to enjoy those relationships for years to come.
Every meal is about more than the food, and yet the food is still such an important part. Two forlorn disciples of Jesus hadn’t a clue which way to turn following the death of the one who had given direction and meaning to their life. They were distraught and discouraged and filled with fear. They had no clue what their next move needed to be. When they paused to break bread and live out an ancient Jewish calling to hospitality, however, the cloud of confusion began to lift; they began recovering their bearings and their courage. Breaking bread and living out an ancient call to hospitality provided more than food for the tummy. Living the welcome; affirming the stranger and sharing your bread, helped the lost Emmaus Road disciples regain their bearings, recovered their sense of purpose and mission, salvaged their courage and renewed their commitment to the needs of those whom Jesus had come to save – poor whose needs were great, people without a voice to communicate their reality, people in need of a more just and loving world – wherever they are found.
Jim