Revised Jesus Dinner Party #1



Welcome
I’m glad we are able to be together tonight. Luke 7:34 says Jesus enjoyed eating and drinking with people so much that some thought he was a glutton and drunkard. It is in that  spirit we gather for this meal, not to be gluttons and drunkards, but to celebrate life together as Jesus did both with those he knew well and with those he had barely met.
Before we begin our meal, let’s give thanks:
For food in a world where many walk in hunger;
For faith in a world where many walk in fear;
For friends in a world where many walk alone;
For all these things we give you thanks. Amen.

Icebreaker

As we share this meal, we want to share something of ourselves as well. We invite you tonight to describe the place where you lived when you were six years old and who lived there with you. If for any reason you would rather not share when your turn comes, simply say, “I’ll pass.” Let me begin.

Love Begins with God

The first chapter of Genesis describes how the world began.
God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
God spoke: “Light!” And light appeared. God saw that light was good and separated light from dark. God named the light Day, he named the dark Night.
God spoke: “Sky! In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!” God made sky. He separated the water under sky from the water above sky. And there it was: he named sky the Heavens.
God spoke: “Separate! Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place; Land, appear!” And there it was. God named the land Earth. He named the pooled water Ocean. God saw that it was good.
God spoke: “Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants, Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.” And there it was. Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties, and fruit-bearing trees of all sorts. God saw that it was good.
God spoke: “Lights! Come out! Shine in Heaven’s sky! Separate Day from Night. Mark seasons and days and years, lights in Heaven’s sky to give light to Earth.”  And there it was.
God made two big lights, the larger to take charge of Day, the smaller to be in charge of Night; and he made the stars. God placed them in the heavenly sky to light up Earth and oversee Day and Night, to separate light and dark. God saw that it was good.
God spoke: “Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life! Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!” God created the huge whales, all the swarm of life in the waters, and every kind and species of flying birds. God saw that it was good. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean! Birds, reproduce on Earth!”
God spoke: “Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds.” And there it was: wild animals of every kind, cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Then God said, “I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth and every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.” And there it was.
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!
It is unfortunate that so many discussions of Genesis focus on creation versus evolution, religion versus science. These arguments can easily miss the central point here: God has given us a world of goodness and beauty. We invite you to share an example of goodness and beauty in the world today. If for any reason you would rather not share when your turn comes, simply say, “I’ll pass.” Let me begin.
Becoming Whole
Even as we rejoice in the goodness of creation and the beauty of life, we recognize we live in a world of problems. As we prepare for communion, please join me our prayer of healing:
Because we are your children living in a troubled world, we experience life in all its beauty and all its pain. Bring your healing and love into the dark places of our lives, and the places where we go from day to day. We pray in the name of God our Maker, God our Savior, God our Friend. Amen.
A Meal to Remember
On his last night, Jesus gathered with his disciples for a final meal. He had spent three years teaching them, and yet they still struggled to grasp who he was and what he wanted. Before the night was over, one would betray him, another would deny him, and the rest would abandon him. In spite of this, he loved them and shared his final meal with them.
Jesus still invites us to join him at the table, not because we are good and holy, but because his love for us is far greater than all of our shortcomings. Jesus demonstrated this to his disciples by taking bread and breaking it, saying this bread was his life given to them and broken for them. Join me now in breaking this bread and eating it in silent contemplation of this great love.
Jesus then took a cup of wine, saying it was his life’s blood poured out to make possible a new relationship for them with God. Join me now in drinking this cup in silent contemplation of the new life God offers us every day.
As we share this meal, Jesus is here with us, binding us together as one family, filled with his love.
Takeaway
Thank you for being here tonight. This dinner party is the first in a series. Without making a long-term commitment, are you be interested in taking the next step in the series? Would someone like to host the next party?
Blessing
As you go out to be a living witness to God's love in today’s world, go knowing that God goes with you, sharing the laughter and the hope, the fears and the tears. Thanks be to God! Amen.

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Jesus Dinner Party #1