Bread and Belonging
Holy Communion and Other Church Potluck Miracles
Bread and I Go Way Back
Right now, above my refrigerator, there are 72 large, flaky croissants and 10 baseball bat-sized baguettes. And I can’t eat any of it! My wife is saving all that delicious French-inspired bread for a teacher appreciation lunch. And they deserve it! Maybe they’ll remember that good food when they’re grading my kid’s math test. One can hope.
By the way, the croissant is the king of breads. I needed to put that in writing. I remember the first time I ate a real croissant—I was in middle school, maybe. My mom brought home a croissant ham, egg, and cheese sandwich from Burger King’s breakfast menu. (Stop laughing. It was really good. I’m cultured!) I now know real croissants come from Super-Walmart, so you can stop looking down on me.
Anyhooo, back to appreciation. When we say thank you, food is almost always involved. And y’all… last month our church went wild with it. We hosted maybe thirteen special meals in addition to our regular Wednesday night dinners and Sunday JavaRama, which feed around 150 people weekly. We broke bread at three funeral services, a Session/Deacon dinner, multiple retirement events, a massive Presbytery dinner, a men’s fishing weekend, a breakfast for high school seniors’, a Little Men’s Ministry banquet, and a Head Pastor installation service; also, the Church Picnic was last week. Lord, help me—when will the feast end?!?
Food was at the center of every single one of those events. And tablecloths. But don’t get me started on tablecloths. We just can’t help ourselves—not just the tablecloths, but the food too. But yes, also the tablecloths. We love to share meals in times of celebration and sorrow. Food and fellowship go hand in hand! We must, and I do mean must, break bread together. No matter your race, no matter your wealth, food will be at the center of your communal joy and sadness.
If it’s Día de los Muertos, you’re eating pan de muerto (a sweet bread), tamales, mole, and sugar skulls. You’ll have jollof rice, suya (grilled meat), and puff-puffs (fried dough) at a Nigerian Yoruba wedding. And during Italy’s feast days, they serve pasta, lots of pasta, and dolci like cannoli or tiramisu.
Bread appears in every meal: sweet sugar bread, flatbread, fried bread, and wet boiled bread (a.k.a. pasta). There are over 300 distinct types globally. Okay, pasta isn’t one of them. But, Smithsonian Magazine says bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, with evidence of its use dating back over 14,000 years.
It’s Raining Bread, Hallelujah.
And the Bible? No exception. In Exodus, one of the symbols used in Passover is flatbread—and later, don’t forget, it rained bread! They called it manna, which literally means “What is it?” In Leviticus, bread was offered in sacrifices, and God wanted fresh-baked bread in his tabernacle. He called it Showbread, or the Bread of the Presence.
Then there’s Ezekiel’s bread recipe, which symbolized famine and was originally to be baked over human dookie. God showed mercy and let Ezekiel use cow dung instead. (If you didn’t know, cow dung is a renewable fuel source. It’s been used since ancient Mesopotamia. I told you—I’m cultured!) You can even buy Ezekiel’s bread today! It’s called Ezekiel 4:9®, and you might find it in Super-Walmart’s frozen food aisle—where all great bread is sold.
A New Covenant
Acts 2:42 outlines the early church’s rhythm: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”
Do you remember when roommates labeled their food? Not that a label ever stopped me from eating it. Some people felt the need to name their food Dustin, Brett, and Tim. It’s not your pet, y’all—it’s just food. I was going to eat it, no matter what you named it. But after Lindsay and I got married, all those labels disappeared. We didn’t have to say whose bread was whose. I’d joined a family again. And families share more than food—we share everything: money, possessions, time, and our lives.
In Acts, the believers were devoted to the “breaking of bread.” That’s a phrase we still use today. Ever wonder why we call it breaking bread instead of cutting or slicing? It goes back to an Old Testament practice: bread was broken by hand on the Sabbath to avoid using knives, which could be considered work. It was a small act of reverence in a meal of rest and worship.
But Jesus gave new meaning to the breaking of bread. In the church today, we know it as Holy Communion—or the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus took the bread and likened it to his body. At that final meal, he broke the bread with his own hands, symbolizing the death he would suffer at the hands of others. In offering his sacrificial life, he became a nourishing life to all who believe. Just as bread sustains my body, receiving Jesus brings eternal life to my soul. Jesus devoted his whole life, his very body, to the provision of his family. And at his table, there are no labels for food.
The breaking of bread is more than a memory—it’s our shared identity. In giving us the bread and the cup, Jesus didn’t just offer a symbol; he offered himself. He made us one family, not by bloodlines or backgrounds, but by grace. From pan de muerto in Mexico to puff-puffs in Nigeria to dolci in Italy, every culture breaks bread to celebrate life and connection. But at Christ’s table, that deep human impulse finds its truest fulfillment.
So when we gather around the table, we proclaim the gospel with our mouths and our lives: we belong to God and each other. Break bread with each other. Share burdens. Forgive quickly. Love deeply. Invest in your family. We have one Father who delivered us through His one Son, and by faith we share in His one Spirit.
And now, with humbled hearts, let’s confess our sins to God and one another by praying this confession of sin.
Prayer of Confession:
Father, you welcome us to your table and call us your family. But we confess, we often hoard your gifts, withhold love, and forget that we belong to one another. Lord Jesus, forgive us for ignoring your sacrifice, which makes us whole. Holy Spirit, teach us to share freely, love deeply, and live as one family by grace. Amen.
Thanks for praying! God bless you. We’ll read and pray again next Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Love you
I recently learned that Bethlehem means "house of bread" which is interesting to me because Jesus was born there. He's the bread of life that was torn apart for us!