Visions From the Early Church: Breaking Bread

"And they devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer." Acts 2:42

What in the world is Luke talking about when he says that the early Jesus followers devoted themselves to the breaking of bread? The other activities to which they devoted themselves seem pretty apparent: teaching, fellowship and prayer. The one that gets us is the breaking of bread.

Some people have taken it to mean simply eating together. They take it as people coming together to share a common meal. After all how many times have we spoken of having a meal with someone as breaking bread together? Such an activity would not seem out of place in the first century world. People would regularly share meals with friends and strangers who arrived from out of town. What would make this sort of bread sharing different was that they were sharing it with total strangers…with people from different social classes…people of different backgrounds. It was a more expansive sharing.

Other people have taken bread sharing to mean coming to the Lord 's Table…or an "agape" meal (a love feast). There are many scholars who see in this reference the very beginning of a formal remembrance of the of Jesus last meal with his disciples. These new formal meals began to take place early on in the life of the church. We can see this from Paul's letters where he quotes the already established table liturgy (on the night in which Christ was betrayed he took bread…). Again, this would be a new vision for a Jesus centered community because it would replace the Jewish Passover and Sabbath rituals which focused on the Exodus with one focused on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

While I suppose it would be nice for us know for certain, I am not sure it is all that important which the correct understanding is. I say that because each points to the same reality…which can be summed up in the Spanish word "companeros." One of my Spanish speaking friends introduced me to the word and the concept. It is formed from the ideas of "com" meaning with, and "pan" meaning bread. It refers to people who are buddies because they share bread together. It is an intimate term referring to those who share more than a common meal. They share a common life.

This idea of sharing a common life through a common meal calls us to rethink our connection to one another. Whether it is sharing food at a pot-luck supper, a Wednesday night meal, a Dinners for Eight or at the Lord's table, these are all reminders that we are called to be more than strangers eating at another fast food restaurant. We are called to be companeros. We are called to be a family connected in Christ who share our lives with one another.

(How to: First Presbyterian offers a number of ways in which we can connect with one another. Why not try signing up for a Dinners for Eight group, a Covenant Group, a Sunday school or Wednesday night group, come to Wednesday Night Connect dinner, and use that time to meet and come to know others. In this way you will find the joy those early Christians found in being companeros in Christ.)