Stephen Baldwin
Psalm 121
Luke 14.1, 7-14
Table Manners
What kind of table manners were
expected of you as a child? What table
manners have you taught your children or grandchildren?
Did you know Jesus took time to
talk about table manners? That’s what
this passage is about. Not table manners
like which fork to use or outlawing all talk of religion and politics. The table manners Jesus cares about are
different. He wants people to sit down
together and break bread. Especially if
they are different from each other.
That’s a core value for Jesus.
Table manners.
How many of you had sit-down
dinners with your family as a kid or Sunday dinners at grandma’s? That was a staple of life in the recent past,
but how many of you still have nightly family dinners?
I’ve been reading a lot about
parenting--trying to prepare for something you can’t be prepared for--and I
came across a great study this week titled, “What is the most important thing
you can do with your kids?” I thought
the answer might be read to them, put their needs first, or play outside in
God’s green earth like we’re doing today.
But the answer was, “Eat dinner with them.” Table manners. Maybe Jesus was onto something.
Why is
having a family dinner so important? It
teaches children how to talk to people, and they learn more words from those
conversations than they do reading. Ten
times more words at the dinner table than from a book. And the more words they learn, the more
quickly their brain develops. In fact,
students who had regular family dinners together score much higher on
standardized tests than students who don’t, and family dinners are a better
predictor of school success than homework, grades, and participation in
sports.
Not to
mention the nutritional benefits.
Regular family dinners lead to healthier eating habits, healthier
people, and healthier families. So stop
by Wendy’s for a 50 cent Frosty on your lunch break--boy, that’s a great deal I
can’t pass up--but save dinner time for family.
Family
dinners are also good soul food. That
time together reduces stress, makes kids feel more supported, and even lowers
the chances of depression or suicidal thoughts.
Smoking, drinking, and acting out in other ways are also significantly
diminished when families eat dinner together.
Why do
table manners matter so much? Because
that’s the most time we spend together each day, and it gives us the chance to
be involved in each other’s lives.
This is a
good time of year to start new traditions as school begins and cooler weather
sets in. Consider having family dinners
more often. As Jesus said, “You will be
blessed.” Amen.
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