The Dinner Table
Turkey. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Macaroni and cheese. Whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, or New Year’s, the holidays tend to draw us back to the table to enjoy food, family and friends in a way that doesn’t simply enrich our stomachs but our souls as well. There’s something special about breaking bread with others, especially those we love. That special something isn’t reserved only for the holiday season, though. The dinner table is a sacred space where we can cultivate our relationships with our children and help them explore their faith.
Arguably, Jesus’s most notable miracle centers around food and a child. The Feeding of the Multitudes is His only miracle recorded in every gospel account (Matthew 14:31; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17; and John 6:1-13). It’s as if the gospel writers couldn’t tell the story of Jesus’s life and ministry without mentioning this event. One remarkable and often forgotten note is that the food Jesus multiplied came from a child.
“Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish. But that is not enough for so many people.” John 6:9, ICB
Jesus took this young one’s humble offering not only to perform a miracle but also certainly expanded the boy’s faith experience. Although we may not be miraculously feeding the masses, we still can significantly impact our kids by creating a rhythm around the dinner table. Research and data reveal the benefits of regularly eating dinner with our children, such as better academic performance, higher self-esteem, lower risk of substance abuse, lower risk of teen pregnancy, lower risk of depression, and a more extensive vocabulary for preschoolers.
The social benefits are an added benefit to spiritual fruit that we can nurture in our kids. Dr. Wayne Schmidt once said that “Jesus discipled more people at the dinner table than at the temple.” The dinner table is where conversation and debate happen. It’s where we discuss world issues and recount life milestones. It is at the table where we make and explore memories.
As parents, guardians, elders, and mentors, we have a great opportunity to disciple our children at the dinner table. We can teach our kids to pray as we bless our food, share testimonies of God’s faithfulness, and navigate the difficult times of life as we lament personal and national trials. Every evening, a world of possibilities simultaneously exists for us to grow closer to our children and for them to grow closer to their heavenly Father.
This year, don’t reserve the power of a family meal to a few joyous days; instead, let it become the norm that shapes our children’s faith. Happy New Year and
Bon Appetit!
~Pastor Caleb Fleurant currently serves as an attorney in the New York City area and is a resident pastor at Resurrection Life NYC.
