Supper

"Christianity is now, and has always been, a meal-based religion."

Amistad gathers at dusk on Friday evenings.  In company with our Jewish sisters and brothers down the ages and throughout the world, we light candles in blessing and in thanks, and to mark the end of the day, the end of the work week, and the beginning of Holy time together.  Here are 2 Jewish prayers for lighting the sabbath candle:

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe,
who has sanctified us with Your commandments,
commanding us to kindle the lights of Shabbat.
                                                                                              Traditional

Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling the flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart strong enough to stop beating in dignity.
Blessed is the match that is consumed in kindling the flame.

Hannah Senesh in "Dancing with Miriam: A Jewish Feminist Haggadah"    

And in company with followers of Jesus Christ in all times and all places, we gather around a table on which bread and grape juice are a central, constituting presence.  
Here is a picture of our table:

We give thanks to God for the food, and by the time we have given thanks for all the hands that have touched the food and brought it to our table -- bread and salad, chips and salsa, grape juice and Snapple®, olives and strawberries and the pie yet to come -- well, we have given thanks to God for people who have worked in fields and food processing plants, warehouses and trucking firms, packing plants and supermarkets and in our own kitchen this evening. 

Here are some photos of our Friday evening sabbath supper on August 4, 2000.  
Click each thumbnail to see the full-size picture:

click here to return to the Agape Meal page

click here to return to Amistad home page