The Value of Table Fellowship

Terry Siverd
06/11/17 - Sun AM

THE VALUE OF TABLE FELLOWSHIP

Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd

Cortland Church of Christ / June 11, 2017

Midweek DVD series on Daring Faith …… Camp 2:52.

All are invited to our first-of-the-summer, all-church picnic today at our home from 4-7pm.

I want to speak this morning about, The Value Of Table Fellowship.

In Scripture there is a keen emphasis on the importance of the “breaking of bread”.

The “breaking of bread” together in ancient mid-eastern cultures carried special significance.

In Biblical times to “break bread” was associated with the sharing of God’s sustenance and blessings.

Among the Hebrew people the importance of breaking bread together is witnessed in their many feasts/festivals.

Perhaps we can see this most clearly in The Passover Feast.

Christianity was born from the womb of Judaism.

Among first-century disciples of Christ, The Lord’s Supper, became the centerpiece of their worship.

This Supper (The Last And First Supper) was instituted by Jesus on the night before His crucifixion.

cf.  Mt.26:20-30;  Mk.14:12-26;  Lk.22:1-23  and  Jn.13:1f.

Acts 2:42 states - -  And they were continually devoting themselves to

the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 20:7 notes - - On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul (preached)…

This became the norm for the early church.

The apostle Paul employed (implemented) this first-Sunday gathering to break bread as an opportune time to give.

After all, The Lord’s Supper is all about GIVING - - God gave His Son … Jesus gave His life.

With this backdrop Paul writes in 1Cor.16:1-2 (NIV) - -

Now as to the collection for God’s people:  Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.

On the first day of every week, each one you should set aside a sum of money in keeping

with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

It would be accurate to say that the early church was empowered by this weekly breaking of bread.

By continually reminding them of God’s great GIFT it also served to engrain within them this truth:

it is more blessed to give than to receive / Acts 20:35.

None of us would dare to question the centrality of THE SUPPER in our worship.

It is truly inexplicable as to why so many churches now fail to commune in this Supper on a weekly basis.

Surely, we can all agree as to the value of this particular table fellowship.

In 2Cor.8:4 Paul speaks of the favor of participation.  Listen to Paul’s words from 2Cor.8:1-4 (NIV) - -

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.

Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then  to us in keeping with God’s will.

The emphasis of my sermon this morning is not necessarily on the importance of the Lord’s Supper.

Neither is it on the importance of giving - - although both are preeminent emphases.

What I want to speak about for the balance of this morning’s sermon is the value of ordinary table fellowship.

I am using the word “ordinary” to distinguish between regular meals and The Lord’s Supper.

In this morning’s Scripture reading, Luke records (Acts 2:46) - -

And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,

and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals with sincerity of heart, praising God,

and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord was adding to number daily those who were being saved.

It’s wonderful to assemble together every Sunday morning to sing & pray; commune & give; and to study God’s Word.

But fellowship is much more than just a one-hour assembly.

Breaking Bread together in an ordinary setting often redounds to deliver extra-ordinary blessings.

This is true at our occasional covered-dish luncheons.

Likewise for our midweek simple suppers; our L.I.F.E. Groups; our Songs Of Light and Thanksgiving Devotionals.

Some of our members often eat out together after church on Sundays or at other times.

Velma Hamm loved to have people over for dessert and “fellership”.

When we were at the Opera House a bunch used to go to the DQ after Midweek Bible Study.

Going to the home of Pat & Dave Cooper for sister Arnold’s 90^th birthday was a rich experience.

If you went, you know them better (at the very least a little better) now than before.

That almost always happens when we dine with one another in some form or fashion.

There is a dynamic that unfolds with ordinary table fellowship.

It’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly what happens.

It not just the sharing of the meal itself.  It’s more than that.

Perhaps the key to understanding table fellowship is the word FELLOWSHIP.

Table fellowship develops a sense of “belonging”.

There is about it an air of partnership.  Actually that strike at the true meaning of the word.

Meals eaten with others tends to have a bonding effect - - they help bind us together.

Table Fellowship is something all families enjoy.

When we engage in table fellowship we are declaring that “we are family”.

This is an aspect of institutional religion that is often missing and when it is missing it is very detrimental.

And it is certainly true with our all-church picnics.

We call them “all-church” picnics because we want to urge everyone to take part.

I’m not trying to put anyone on a guilt trip, especially because today Jeannie & I and Mark are hosting the picnic.

If you are elderly and can’t make it, please don’t feel like you have to apologize.

But if you are younger and healthy and intentionally choose not to attend,

All I can say to you is that YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE MISSING.

And the sad part is that you are depriving yourself of getting to know your brothers and sisters better.

We are the church of Christ.

We often “boast” about our desire to do things in the same way as the early Christians did them.

Are we serious about this?  If so, then it will require more than just gathering for an hour on Sunday morning.

Do we really want to be like Jesus?

Our Lord was a busy man to say the least, but Jesus saw fit to make time to dine with others.

Even to dine with those who might have been consider opponents (the Pharisees), ones who were trying to snare him.

There is a real side-benefit to picnics in particular.

We are always looking for ways to get to invite others; to get to know new faces.

Our church picnics provide a non-threatening environment to some who are not used to church.

They don’t have to dress up.  They don’t have to know all the jargon of church talk.

It also allows others to see that we are just regular people.

But hopefully they will ascertain that we are a happy people;  that we enjoying have fun together;

and that we truly love one another.

If you have not considered these ideas before, please ponder the great value or ordinary table fellowship.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for sending Jesus to show us the way of salvation.

Thank You also for binding us together in intimate fellowship through the blood of Your Son, our Savior.

Help us to see the power that resides in breaking bread together.

Bless us in our ordinary times of table fellowship, that such might serve to edify us and strengthen our discipleship.

Through Christ, The Bread Of Life, we pray.  Amen.