Agape Dinner Blessings
This entry was posted on 3/27/2006 3:35 PM and is filed under Church News.
Over the years we have stated that we are a church that doesn't want to get bogged down in meaningless tradition. I think that is still true of us. One of our traditions has been to hold full congregational fellowship dinners which we call Agape Dinners (it doesn't have the confusing connotations that the term "Love Feasts" would have for those in our culture).
These dinners have been marked by true fellowship--the sharing of life together--that the Scriptures speak concerning the life of the church in Jerusalem in Acts 2:42-47. We have laughed together, cried together, comforted one another, prayed for one another, disciplined the unrepentant and restored the same when he or she repented, and always enjoyed good food and lots of singing and praise. We've met new friends and bonded them into our fellowship even as we shared in the Lord's Table. We've laid hands on members and prayed for them as we've sent them out to minister for Christ in other places. And we've consoled ourselves through tears as we've said "good-bye" to those whom God has moved to other parts of the world.
But has this tradition lost its meaning? Are they getting to be too much trouble? We used to do them every month when some of us were quite a bit younger and with fewer children. We now only hold them in the months of September, November, January, March, and May, with an occasional summer picnic.
What do you think? Are they worth it? Should we continue them? I have my own opinion. What's yours?
Tradition is not a bad thing in and of itself. I guess we have to decide whether the tradition has lost its meaning or not.
Wanting to hear the voice of the people, Pastor Brian
