The Last Supper at a Restaurant?

I was reading through the texts of the Gospels that describe what is commonly referred to as the "Last Supper" - the basis for Christianity's institution of partaking of the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This may seem like quite a stretch, and its definitely not a historically researched analysis. But the references to this particular meal stood out to me as unique in their description of Christ sharing a meal with his Disciples.

The descriptions seem to indicate a restaurant of sorts, different from other accounts of Christ visiting the home of someone, and their hospitality to offer a meal to our Lord and those visiting with Him. So, it got me asking: what is the first restaurant, or more precisely, first Christian restaurant?

Webster's defines a restaurant as a business establishment where meals or refreshments may be purchased. While researching(?) the origin of restaurants, Webster's online site states the following: [An] Establishment where refreshments or meals are served to paying guests. Though inns and taverns served simple fare to travelers for centuries, the first modern restaurant where guests could order from a varied menu is thought to have belonged to A. Boulanger, a soup vendor who opened his business in Paris in 1765. The sign above his door advertised restoratives, or restaurants, referring to his soups and broths. By 1804 Paris had more than 500 restaurants, and France soon became internationally famous for its cuisine.

Webster Source

While no monetary transaction is described in the Gospels during the Last Supper, the description seems to be apply to a tavern or inn, as opposed to just being invited over to someone's home for a meal. This makes sense because Jesus and His disciples didn't live in Jerusalem, but traveled there along with many other Jews to partake in the Festival of Unleavened Bread. They would need a place to stay and "break bread" for the Passover meal.

The Gospel of Matthew: "On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?' He replied, 'Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve." (26:17-20)

Mystical (Last) Supper Orthodox Icon

Icon Image

The Gospel of Mark: "On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, 'Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?' So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, 'Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.' The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve." (14:12-17)

The Gospel of Luke: "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.' 'Where do you want us to prepare for it?' they asked. He replied, 'As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters,  and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.' They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table." (22:7-14)

Although the comparison of the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper with modern-day descriptions of a restaurant doesn't necessarily add up, it does seem to describe an ancient tavern or inn. Our Lord and His disciples came to Jerusalem for the Feast and needed a place to prepare their meal. Jesus prophetically tells his disciples where and how to set up their meal. The unnamed man (most likely, Jewish) shows them a "large guest room upstairs, all furnished." If he was Jewish, along with his family, they would partake in a Passover meal as well. But looking over the description, it seems that he wasn't inviting Jesus and His disciples over to share the same meal OR Jesus wasn't inviting himself over to share that family's meal. The disciples were making preparation for their own Passover meal at his residence, which he might have "rented out" to those who traveled to Jerusalem to partake in the Festival.

With all that said, the location for the Last Supper seems to be a tavern or inn-type operation, a forerunner of the restaurant industry. The restaurant comparison for the Last Supper comforts me when some argue that its better to celebrate with a meal at home instead of going out to a restaurant. My new response: "Even our Lord dined out on occasion!"

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

The Time I Snuck Out of the Parish Council Meeting

I was stuck in (I mean attending) another Parish Council meeting last night. Don't get me wrong, in a large parish, there is so much going on (for the glory of God!), but the meetings can be overwhelming at times. At the same time as our meeting last night, our associate pastor, Rev Fr Symeon Kees, was leading an Intro to Orthodoxy class down the hall.

My confession is that I haven't had a chance to attend, but I hear its quite the mix of attendants: those inquiring about the Orthodox Faith, those preparing for their own reception into the Life of the Church, and Orthodox Christians (mainly young adults) seeking further understanding of their Faith.

Our meeting was getting to be a bit too much; I needed a break, so I snuck out for a brief minute and walked down the hall to eavesdrop on how the class was going. I couldn't stay long for obvious reasons: a delayed absence from our Parish Council meeting would seem odd AND I would look ridiculous to the few class attendants distracted by the stranger in the doorway. But I did get to hear a few remarkable words of Fr Symeon (I'm sure clergy love being quoted haha), but he told the class:

"If our view of God is off, then so to is our salvation."

These simple, yet profound words kept my attention, as I went back into our Parish Council meeting. That phrase got me thinking (not always a good thing, but I'll make an exception in this case). Three main things came to mind that I tell the teens at St George Houston (over and over again, they must be tired of me saying it, but oh well):

1. "This is must be our foundation: God is the Creator, and we are His creation." -I take credit for the quote, but I'm sure I stole it from someone, just no clue who

2. "If you're not struggling towards salvation, you're not doing it right!" -V Rev Fr Alexander Atty, my former parish priest and spiritual father, now Dean of St Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary

3. "I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior." 
-John Newton, Anglican clergyman of the 18th century and author of the hymn, Amazing Grace (For more info, read HERE)

Although I'm not expounding upon these three sayings now, I do hope you make your own assessment into their correlation. Anyway, this has been another installment of...

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Ss Sophia & Her Daughters: Faith, Hope, & Love

On September 17 in the Life of the Church, we commemorate the Holy Martyrs Saint Sophia and her Daughters Faith, Hope and Love. I don't know many who like to hear stories of torture and suffering, but when these stories (or lives of the saints) are directed towards showing examples of those who love Christ, its a valuable lesson for us all! Even young children are martyred for our Lord; their example truly lives out their namesakes.

Born in Italy, their mother was a pious Christian widow who named her daughters for the three Christian virtues. Faith was twelve, Hope was ten, and Love was nine. St Sophia raised them in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. St Sophia and her daughters did not hide their faith in Christ, but openly confessed it before everyone.
 

Holy Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope, & Love

Image Source

An official named Antiochus denounced them to the emperor Hadrian (117-138), who ordered that they be brought to Rome. Realizing that they would be taken before the emperor, the holy virgins prayed fervently to the Lord Jesus Christ, asking that He give them the strength not to fear torture and death. When the holy virgins and their mother came before the emperor, everyone present was amazed at their composure. They looked as though they had been brought to some happy festival, rather than to torture. Summoning each of the sisters in turn, Hadrian urged them to offer sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. The young girls remained unyielding.

Then the emperor ordered them to be tortured. They burned the holy virgins over an iron grating, then threw them into a red-hot oven, and finally into a cauldron with boiling tar, but the Lord preserved them. The youngest child, Love, was tied to a wheel and they beat her with rods until her body was covered all over with bloody welts. After undergoing unspeakable torments, the holy virgins glorified their Heavenly Bridegroom and remained steadfast in the Faith.

They subjected St Sophia to another grievous torture: the mother was forced to watch the suffering of her daughters. She displayed adamant courage, and urged her daughters to endure their torments for the sake of the Heavenly Bridegroom. All three maidens were beheaded, and joyfully bent their necks beneath the sword.

In order to intensify St Sophia's inner suffering, the emperor permitted her to take the bodies of her daughters. She placed their remains in coffins and loaded them on a wagon. She drove beyond the city limits and reverently buried them on a high hill. St Sophia sat there by the graves of her daughters for three days, and finally she gave up her soul to the Lord. Even though she did not suffer for Christ in the flesh, she was not deprived of a martyr's crown. Instead, she suffered in her heart. Believers buried her body there beside her daughters.

Life of the Saint taken from HERE. 

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Family Night 2012 at St George

Family Nights are BACK at St George this Fall. It is truly one of the highlights of the Parish Community of St George in Houston, TX. Every Wednesday, we worship together during Daily Vespers, followed by discussions/activities for all ages, and finish up the evening with a Lenten dinner and fellowship in our Church Hall. Our Teen Discussion Series continues this Fall; previous topics include: "We are a People of the Resurrection," "I'm Orthodox, My Friends are Not," and "Our Creed: Knowing What We Recite & Believe." Below is the flyer for our upcoming Teen Discussion Series:

 

Family Night 2012

Teen Discussion Series

 

"In the Beginning"...A Look into

the Book of Genesis

 

Join us on Wednesday Evenings beginning September 12 thru December 2012; Vespers at 6:30p at St George Houston followed by Discussion Series and Food/Fellowship

 

Orthodox Icon of the Creation

Everything goes back to Genesis - to know about ourselves and our own personal relationship with God. It is necessary to examine and understand the Church’s teaching on the Creation story, and God’s divine interaction with His chosen people. Vital facts and questions that we shall discuss:

God is the Creator; we are the creatures!

How and why were we created?

How do the actions of Adam & Eve truly affect us?

What is "original sin?"

Are we still in a “fallen nature” and how does Christ’s Incarnation affect us?

 

Discussion Series led by Paul Fuller,

Youth and Young Adult Director

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Nativity of the Mother of God

As the Church New Year (September 1) has recently past, the first Great Feast in the Liturgical Life of the Church is celebrated on September 8 - the Nativity of the Mother of God (Theotokos).

This Great Feast is celebrated by the Church as a day of universal joy. Within the context of the Old and the New Testaments, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was born on this radiant day, having been chosen before the ages by Divine Providence to bring about the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. She is revealed as the Mother of the Savior of the World, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Orthodox Icon of the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos 

Image Source

The Most Holy Virgin Mary was born in the small city of Galilee, Nazareth. Her parents were Righteous Joachim of the tribe of the Prophet-King David, and Anna from the tribe of the First Priest Aaron. The couple was without child, since St Anna was barren.

Having reached old age, Joachim and Anna did not lose hope in God's mercy. They had strong faith that for God everything is possible, and that He would be able to overcome the barrenness of Anna even in her old age, as He had once overcame the barrenness of Sarah, spouse of the Patriarch Abraham. Sts Joachim and Anna vowed to dedicate the child which the Lord might give them, to the service of God in the Temple.

Childlessness was considered among the Hebrew nation as a Divine punishment for sin, and therefore the righteous Sts Joachim and Anna had to endure abuse from their own countrymen. On one of the feastdays at the Temple in Jerusalem the elderly Joachim brought his sacrifice to offer to God, but the High Priest would not accept it, considering him to be unworthy since he was childless.

St Joachim in deep grief went into the wilderness, and there he prayed with tears to the Lord for a child. St Anna wept bitterly when she learned what had happened at the Jerusalem Temple. Never once did she complain against the Lord, but rather she prayed to ask God's mercy on her family.

The Lord fulfilled her petitions when the pious couple had attained to extreme old age and prepared themselves by virtuous life for a sublime calling: to be the parents of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the future Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Archangel Gabriel brought Joachim and Anna the joyous message that their prayers were heard by God, and of them would be born a most blessed daughter Mary, through Whom would come the Salvation of all the World.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary surpassed in purity and virtue not only all mankind, but also the angels. She was manifest as the living Temple of God, so the Church sings in its festal hymns: "the East Gate... bringing Christ into the world for the salvation of our souls" (2nd Stikhera on "Lord, I Have Cried", Tone 6).

The Nativity of the Theotokos marks the change of the times when the great and comforting promises of God for the salvation of the human race from slavery to the devil are about to be fulfilled. This event has brought to earth the grace of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Truth, piety, virtue and everlasting life. The Theotokos is revealed to all of us by grace as a merciful Intercessor and Mother, to Whom we have recourse with filial devotion.

Feastday Source

For Orthodox Christians, the pinnacle of "freedom through obedience" is the Mother of God. The Queen of the Heavens, Mary the Ever-Virgin Mother of God, is a constant intercessor for all of us. Through her example of a life spent in purity and love, as well as her dedication and faith in the Lord (her Son), she is the vessel of our humanity having the ability to attain to the divinity of her Son.

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Dormition of the Theotokos

Orthodox Christians celebrate the solemn Great Feast of the Dormition or "Falling Asleep" of the Theotokos on August 15th in the Life of the Church.

Image Source

The Gospel lesson for this Feast is taken from that according to St Luke (as a side note: Church Tradition credits the Evangelist Luke as the first iconographer, and he depicted the Virgin Theotokos with the Christ-child) 10:38-42, 11:27-28 which describes the story of Mary & Martha, the sisters of Lazarus (raised from the dead after four days).

In this story, we hear of a sibling squabble, Mary sitting at our Lord's feet hearing Him speak, while Martha busy with serving. Upset at her serving alone, Martha complains to Jesus about Mary's lack of work. Our Lord tells Martha not to worry about such things, and that Mary has chosen correctly to listen to His words.

Then follows of the Gospel lesson: "And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!' But He said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'"

Very fitting that this Gospel is recited on the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. First, an obvious reference to the nurturing quality of Christ's Holy Mother; Christ does not dismiss this woman's words about His Mother, but states her even greater importance, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

This calling towards obedience has the Theotokos as par excellence, for without her free-will of obedience to God, being the vessel of our Lord's Incarnation (God becoming Man; literally the Divinity taking upon Himself "flesh"), we as created human beings would not have the opportunity for salvation!

Holy Tradition teaches us the following about the events during this Holy Day in the Garden of Gethsemane of the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos: Seeing Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden" (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her to enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God.

Image Source

A great article discussing the differences between the two points of view, Assumption & Dormition (Catholic & Orthodox), written by Very Rev Fr John Breck can be found HERE.

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Teen SOYO Service Project

On Thursday, August 2, a group of teens from the St George Teen SOYO visited the Houston Food Bank for a service project. We spent the morning packaging brown rice, basically assembly line work, for the poor and needy in Greater Houston.

Enjoy some pictures from our SOYO Service Outing:

St George Houston Teen SOYO

"St George Youth Group" listed near the bottom of the different groups volunteering.

Teens working hard, packaging brown rice.

Teens working hard, others hardly working!

They love their hair nets!

Artistic pic!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director