Blessed art thou, O eternal, Our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine; Creator of the radiance of the fire; Our God, who brings forth bread from the earth; who feeds the whole world with goodness and with grace, kindness and mercy, gives food to every creature, for your mercy endures forever.
As we gather here in this place, we share our meal, our time, our laughter, our thoughts, our sorrow and our love for you, O God. May the wine last through the night as we drink of your grace; May all be part of the conversation as we rest in your company; May all find succulence in the taste of the food as we find your love to fill us; May all find pleasure in the music of your mercy as we share in this community of you; May this meal be filling yet keep us hungry for justice in this world and hope for the future banquet at the table in your world.
Amen
I love Jewish holy day feasts and festivals! And after the readings for this week (especially Dinner with Jesus & Paul, Peter in the Middle, Typology of Roman Public Feasting), I found myself uttering some of the phrases from the Passover Haggadah. The first part of the blessing is in fact, some of the prayers from Passover.
Other considerations were the appreciation for the wine lasting through the meal, keeping the meal size small to encourage participation and unity from all, the focus on rest & comfort amidst friends, the appreciation for the flute playing and the implication of looking towards the banquet of the afterlife.
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