Sharing a meal is a great uniting activity. Eating together with loved ones helps establish our relationships, as James Beard reminds us in this quote: “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
Perhaps this is why the Bible is filled with so many different stories, miracles, and occasions that revolve around food. We can all relate to being hungry, enjoying a satisfying meal, and connecting with our dining companions.
Consider a few examples from Scripture:
- God’s sending daily manna and quail to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert
- The ravens feeding Elijah bread and meat
- Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes from a few loaves of bread and a few pieces of fish
- Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, known as The Last Supper, when he speaks of his coming sacrifice
- After his resurrection, Jesus eats breakfast with his disciples
While food sustains our physical bodies, it also gives us the opportunity to enjoy additional experiences. Based on what we know of mealtime today and what is recorded in the Bible, we see that eating together creates strong relationships through:
- Demonstrating love, caring, and concern – when we lovingly plan, cook, and serve food, we are taking care of others’ most basic needs
- Investing time in someone else – engaging in meaningful conversation during a shared meal is a selfless activity
- Prioritizing the time and space for being together – because our lives are so hectic, a sit-down meal at a table with loved ones during the span of an hour, is almost an anomaly
- Expressing gratitude to God – offering thanks together to the Lord for his provision of food reminds us of our need and turns our hearts to praise and worship
Eating Together Is Important — Even on Retreat!
We’ve all read the articles and seen the statistics on the benefit of shared mealtime for families. Well, the same holds true for groups who retreat together as they seek to grow closer to the Lord and to one another.
Here are some ideas for building relationships on retreat during shared mealtimes:
- Divide your group into smaller teams and assign each team a meal to prepare, cook, serve, and clean up.
- Make meals according to themes; try new recipes and decorate the table accordingly.
- Experiment with unique ways of presenting food; try making roses out of radishes or follow an online video to make a colorful dessert.
- For each meal, choose a “big question” that everyone must answer. You can find all sorts of questions by doing a Google search. You can have everyone answer the same question or print multiple questions, cut them up, place them in a jar, and have each person draw a question to answer.
At The Hiding Place, we are intentional about providing ample space and accommodations to make shared meals an important means of connection and relationship-building for your group.
We have multiple spaces for dining including a gorgeous wrap-around porch that overlooks the Cumberland River. Our newly winterized sunroom has seating for eight and can be enjoyed year-round.
Our fully updated kitchen is comfortable for multiple cooks, and the large round dining table seats 12.
Join us at The Hiding Place for your next retreat. Make your reservation now!
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