The Greek word for eat literally means to bite, gnaw, and chew aggressively. It was a word used to describe grazing animals. Can you image that? We all herd around the altar like cows gunning for the grass, smacking and chomping on whatever we can find.

It is a strange and violent image, but it is also a delightful one. Relish eating with Jesus - well, eating Jesus - fellowshipping with him, becoming like him, being his people - so much so that we taste and savor every bit, drinking every bit to the last drop!

Beloved, what if our loyalty to God so rearranged our relationships that we gave our lives to each other with utter joy and delight? What bf God gave us such grace that when push comes to shove, when the hard times come because we've chosen a hard way, so that the question is posed,"Do you also wish to go away?" we can say with Peter,"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."

There's nowhere else we'd rather be - nowhere else we CAN be - than here at your table, in your household, subjecting ourselves to one another because we've been feasting on you, because we've chosen to be loyal to you, no matter what, no matter where.

In Wichita. In Shechem. In your marriage. In our church.

Amen.