Breaking Bread Together
There are many theories as to why the nuclear family has fractured during the past 75 years, but I blame an unusual culprit — the TV Dinner. That’s right! Prior to the advent of the prepackaged frozen dinners in the 1950s and 1960s, families gathered around the dinner table most evenings to share the day’s activities and strengthen the foundation of the family unit. Now with the busy schedules of young families, which include sporting events, band concerts, theatre productions, and the like, most families just don’t eat together any longer, at least not very often.
What would happen if we made family meals more of a priority, at least once or twice a week? The Bible suggests that we should break bread together, including this passage from I Corinthians 10:16-17, which states, “Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.”
Of course, this passage is referring to the Communion table, where we share one loaf and draw closer to the Lord and to one another. Does it not also make sense for us to spend mealtime together at home whenever possible? Sharing conversation and fellowship over a meal is likely to result in unity.
Perhaps we can become more intentional about gathering together at the dinner table. It will almost certainly make us a stronger family unit, and the same is true for the communion table. The more frequently we gather together, the more likely we will grow stronger in faith and in friendship with those we know and those whom we’ve not yet met.