ENCOURAGEMENT 24 april 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition "Attendance is required, mandatory stuff, not to be missed" is the official announcement of our weekly Tuesday afternoon Bible Study. About a dozen seasoned men meet to learn, decipher and understand what Scripture means and has for them in an environment akin mostly to a rugby pitch. There are plenty of scrums, rucks and an occasional knee below the belt as personal hardships, health issues and disappointments are tempered with accomplishments, praise reports and spiritual growth. We are brothers on a mission to learn more about Jesus, to put to use the lessons gleaned daily, and to rely on each other as we seek sanctification. This week's episode was exceptional as we examined the events surrounding the Lord's Last Supper and then "reenacted" the original experience by sharing Holy Communion. I suppose it was not by happenstance that there were twelve brothers present to bite into the unleavened cracker and to have a sip of wine in remembrance of Christ's broken body and precious blood shed in our behalf. In the simplicity of the moment, more venue than menu and more mood than food, the importance of fellowship around a dining table gained ground for all of us. Sitting across from each other, sharing the bounty He has afforded us and relating real personal life experiences is not something to be taken for granted. Lunching together One of my first memories as a young boy was welcoming my father home every afternoon as he joined my mother and I for lunch, which was followed by a short nap in his reclining chair. Thereafter, rested and well fed, he returned to work. Like clockwork, on Monday through Saturday in most Latin American countries, everything stopped between 1-3 p.m. as the whole town came back home to take their mid-day break. All establishments closed down, including hospital and firstaid stations which were available only in extreme situations. And good luck finding the priest, who after conducting morning Mass took refuge in the parish bedroom. For us, eating lunch was a family occasion where we discussed the morning's events as we dipped forks in rice and beans. Those two precious hours were the demarcation line between B.C. and A.D., before consuming and after digesting. Little did I know at that time that my parents were providing nourishment not only for the body, but for the heart and soul. Seven decades have passed and lunch continues to be the pivotal meal of the day, a time Julianne and I use to feed our bodies, discuss what is on our minds, and allow the spirit to lead. Breakfast often times finds us in a "morning stupor" and by the time dinner rolls around we often discover ourselves in an "evening funk." The middle of the day works best for us and may not be suitable for most. In fact, lunchtime is often an "afterthought" for many and a means of conducting business for others. It would be most beneficial if occasionally we make it an "active thought" and utilize it as a meaningful fellowship activity in the midst of the day's hustle and bustle. Appetizing fellowship You've seen them at restaurants... couples munching away with hardly a passing thought between them; young parents hardly sharing as they attempt to keep their children at bay; whole families immersed in their smart phones as the servers wait on them; folks gulping down their meals as they succumb to time restraints. Contrast that to individuals sitting at a humble setting, giving the Lord thanks for their sustenance, leisurely eating and attentively sharing a conversation and conducting a reciprocal chat that leads to all finishing their plates simultaneously. This was the essence of the Last Supper... brothers sitting, conversing, sharing their concerns and leaning on one another. A baloney sandwich and a glass of tea is a sumptuous affair if we allow for a fellowship appetizer and a spiritual dessert. Christ spent lots of time around the dinner table, sharing food with the outcasts, the rich, the tax collectors, the religious elite, with the broken and unclean while crossing racial barriers. He relished in bringing strangers around the table and seeing them leave as friends. He made breakfast for the disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where He took the opportunity to reinstate Peter. He fed the 5,000 and the 4,000 and shared the fish and bread with them. He sent the apostles to fetch lunch at noon as he approached the Samaritan woman at the well. One could say that Jesus was the "perfect foodie," a man who had great interest in food and who used it to further His Kingdom. So maybe, just maybe, as you plan your next major meal, you may entertain inviting Jesus to join you... He is always available. And while you share in His presence, you can give him thanks for all he has done for you... food for thought!! Happy Meal - Omar Aleman - Aleman and Associates PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The painting of the Last Supper on the side altar in church kostel Svatého Václava by unknown artist of 19. cent.
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