A Feast for the Soul?

Tonight my Dad, Kathy, Adrianne and I travelled to Winston-Salem to a "real" Moravian Lovefeast in the Home Moravian Church in Old Salem (no, not Love Fest -- that would be something else entirely, and probably not done in a reputable Church).

The notion of a Lovefeast began in the Moravian Church in the 1700's, simulating early Christian meetings which usually included a meal. I suppose if the Romans AND the Jews are both trying to expunge you from the earth, or at least nail you to a tree or toss you to the lions, sharing a meal makes for a good cover. "Honest, we were just having dinner! There's no secret meeting!! See the plates????"

Anyway, the Moravian church began celbrating Lovefeasts in the 1700's with a church service including a simple meal. A Christmas Lovefeast typically includes a candle ceremony as well.

My own church (Methodist, not Moravian) does a Lovefeast each year in December, and it was a little gratifying to see that our Lovefeast was nearly the same as a "real" Lovefeast. The differences were subtle, and mainly in hymn choice and when the candles were lit.

The meal in a Lovefeast is usually a sweet bun (for some reason they always look like uncut hamburger bun), and a cup of coffee. I'm not sure why that is, but that's what we eat. The coffee is pre-sweetened and creamed; it's quite tasty, even for me who NEVER uses cream or sugar!

The service got me thinking about theology a bit, though. We hear of "mega" churches, and contemporary churches, who try different services to encourage more people to come to church. Some of these include having a "coffee house" style service, taking Bible Study out for dinner, etc.

Many people who attend "traditional" churches are wary of these non-traditional services, but it strikes me that they're simply doing what some of the early Christians did; thinking and talking about their faith wherever they happen to be. And, in fact, the Lovefeast, which has existed for over 200 years, essentially serves a latte and a scone (not quite, but similar enough for my purposes....), and yet it's treated with reverence and is a much-loved tradition. Go figure.

(DISCLAIMER: For the record, I do attend a traditional church, and like it! But sometimes I think it's silly that we spend so much time worrying about How we worship rather than Why.)