I really didn’t have a lot of rules for our sons as they reached their college years and living at home. Now they may disagree with that, but it is my perspective looking back.
Our evening mealtime was, perhaps, the most important time of the day for us as a family. We would eat dinner, then would spend some extended time at the dining room table talking about all sorts of things. The topics ranged from the day’s events, school, sports, theology and everything in between. There were some serious things, but mostly we told stories and laughed a lot. There were plenty of nights that it would go on for an hour or more, depending on homework or other parts of the daily grind. Sometimes when our sons’ friends joined us for dinner, they would ask if we did this sort of thing all the time. Some of them thought it a bit weird, but many of them found themselves right at home in the conversations. To us, it seemed normal. Olga and I both grew up in households where dinnertime was spent together with our parents, with very few exceptions. We didn’t seem to do it intentionally, nor did we demand the time together, but those times would become part of the fabric that wove our little family together. It was always assumed that was where we would be every evening, and it simply happened.
It was pretty easy, at least when they were younger. As they got drivers’ licenses, had after school projects, cub scouts, youth events, soccer, basketball and, well, you get the picture. We had a weekly home Bible Study for many years that disrupted the time as well. Good things all, but interruptions of our evening time together.
As time moved along, one rule that I insisted on every day was that they both were expected to be home for dinner every night. If they were going to miss it altogether or be late, they were to call their mother and let her know. Olga spent time every day preparing the evening meal and that was the minimum courtesy they could give her. We didn’t want them showing up after dinner with a “Hi mom” and proceed to shove down a dozen of her warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies on their way to their rooms. That’s another story. Anyway, calling their mom and letting her know what they were doing for dinner, wasn’t only courteous but reminded them both that this was an important time for us as a family.
Unarguably, the most significant evening meal in history was some 2000 years ago in a tiny little borrowed room on the second floor of a house somewhere in Jerusalem. That little “family” dinner would be largely ignored by most people at that time. It was at that table where the Son of God spent his final evening meal before he would face evil men and give His own life for sinners.
Because of the small amount of dialog recorded in the Scriptures, we might think the time was brief. There’s no way to know for sure but I think it is entirely possible that they spent some significant time at that Passover meal discussing current events. Luke 22:19 records for us Jesus’ oft quoted words as He broke the bread, “Do this in remembrance of Me”. Following that, Matthew 26:29 reminds us of His promise “I (Jesus) will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom”. If you’re making excuses today for not coming home for that dinner, you need to reconsider. You are invited but it’s up to you to respond to Him.
Take a moment tonight during your evening meal and thank Him for leaving us with a visible reminder of what He did to open His kingdom for all who place their trust in Him.
