Food, Family, Marriage, Celebration – Ken Williams

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God loves food, marriage and celebration:

Revelation 19:9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

In Revelation 19:6-9 the apostle John writes how God concludes the history of humanity with an invitation to come to his marriage supper celebration. All are invited! My hearts eyes focused on “…the marriage supper of the Lamb.” I long for the day our Groom returns from heaven but couldn’t help thinking, “I wonder what’s on Jesus’ menu?”

Jesus enjoyed eating with others. He accepted invitations to eat with others and invited many to share the food that he provided. I reconsidered Jesus’ model prayer and focused on “Give us this day our daily bread.” While all need daily bread to survive God made it enjoyable. The nations and cultures of this world create nutritional meals of beauty, aroma, taste, texture, and scents that flow from God’s cornucopia of “daily bread.”

Food and Family.

David, our son, a handsome, mid-western American man, fell in love with Nadia, a beautiful French woman whose family is from Morocco. They first met at a coffee machine outside Nadia’s office. After weeks of rendezvous at the coffee machine they started enjoying meals together in local Atlanta, GA restaurants. Their friendship grew, David and Nadia enjoyed her parent’s hospitality in Lyon France, Nadia’s hometown. They traveled to Rochester, NY and participated in our family’s hospitality. Their mutual appreciation for food, family, and friendship drew them together, heart to heart. David proposed marriage to Nadia, and she accepted.

Food, Family, and Marriage.

David and Nadia’s wedding ceremony took place in Lyon France, just north of where Nancy and my favorite French wine is produced, in the Cotes du Rhone appellation. Nancy and I met with them and her family a couple days before the ceremony. We were grateful for her family’s warmth and generous hospitality that helped us relax and overlook our lack of a common spoken language. Nadia’s mother prepared a Moroccan meal that included some kind of beef, lamb, or chicken, greens, couscous, bread, vegetables and good tea properly aerated when poured. Her father and mother encouraged us to receive their generous hospitality. The meal included homemade cookies prepared for the wedding celebration. Nadia told us that Moroccan marriages require platters of these delightful cookies, or it isn’t authentically Moroccan. What a great tradition! We bonded as we enjoyed food, beverage, and our common love of family.

The days of preparation concluded at the Lyon city hall, where the couple’s civil ceremony took place. Either the mayor or other magistrate conducted the service. The vows exchanged expressed the love, respect, and commitment Dave and Nadia have for one another and their marital union. It was beautiful and touching. A Moroccan percussion band led the couple outside the venue and introduced the celebration that would follow. Family and friends filled the air with expressions of joy.

Food, Family, Marriage, and Celebration!!!

Neither Nancy nor I imagined how Moroccans celebrate after the marriage ceremony. Having served in pastoral ministry for twenty-five years made it possible for us to participate in many marriages and celebrations but nothing compared to the exuberant, wholehearted expression of joy we participated in after Dave and Nadia’s wedding. The celebration venue was a large 15th century sandstone building, built before Columbus sailed the Atlantic. It was converted into the meeting hall where they served the sumptuous marriage supper. We westerners drank a little champagne while Moroccan family, and friends drank other beverages. Nancy and I enjoy good wine, the few of us who toasted with some champagne were present but the room was filled with Muslims so it was God’s joy that filled the room, not alcohol.

A D.J. provided music and special effects while the Moroccan percussion band brought family and friends together. David and Nadia made four special appearances during the celebration and started with Nadia appearing in her wedding gown. The D.J.’s spotlight and the band brought our attention to the couple’s entrance. They repeated this each time Nadia appeared in three other beautiful gowns. Family and friends shouted joyfully, danced uninhibitedly, while the band played loudly.

…Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb

Jesus is the one Seed promised to Father Abraham whose Cross is the blessing for all nations. The Lamb of God is the meal and beverage at the Lord’s table. All nationalities and cultures will be seated at his table when we come together, forgiven and reconciled, to toast our Host with new wine in our Father’s Kingdom.

Jesus gave all of us our common love of food, family, marriage, and celebration. We’re more alike than not.

O.K. but what’s on the menu?? I can’t wait!

Ken and Nancy Williams served for some 25 years in pastoral ministry, and then almost another 20 years serving and mentoring other pastors.  With the heart of a pastor Ken continues to write and blog from upstate New York where he and Nancy live close to their grandchildren.