Missing breaking bread together

Tim in Openshaw, Manchester reflects: In Urban Expression Openshaw, the majority of our gatherings and events focus on food. We eat together. We share eucharist around the dinner table. We BBQ. We have picnics – and our Forest Church gatherings end with sharing food, frequently foraged out of God’s bounty.

I have long been struck by the way in which pioneer and fresh expressions communities frequently use food as a vehicle for their spirituality and mission. This also seems to connect with what I read of the very early development of Christian community in the New Testament. And, of course, the Seder plate and common table is at the very heart of Jewish spirituality.

For us, here in Openshaw, lockdown has impacted particularly hard on our common life. We did attempt to have Zoom meals, but they rapidly petered out as we were all suffering from Zoom fatigue. We have used Zoom to connect our socially distanced walks – but have very much missed the breaking of bread together (both nutritionally and symbolically).

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