April 21, 2024 Reflection

Last May when I was in Italy on a battlefield tour with the Seaforth Highlanders, one of the significant places we went was Ortona. Ortona was a significant place because the liberating of the city of Ortona was a very important battle for the Seaforths in Italy in World War 2.  One of the first stories that I heard when I was being introduced to the Seaforth Highlanders as their potential chaplain – before I was enrolled – was of the Ortona Christmas Dinner.   The chaplain of the Seaforth Highlanders during the war was Padre Roy Durnford.  It was his Bible that I swore on when I was enrolled, which was the one that Padre Durnford had in WW2.  He organized a Christmas dinner in Ortona on December 25, 1943 in a bombed out church – Santa Maria di Costantinopoli.  In his war journal he wrote:  “For the dinner there was soup to start then roast pork…. Christmas pudding and minced pies for dessert…the tables filled and emptied and were filled again all day, and I saw tense forces relax in the friendly warmth that grew up within the walls of the battle-scarred church…. Above the din one could hear sometimes the distant chatter of machine-gun fire and the whistle and cramp of shells landing not far from the church.”

The chaplain of these soldiers understood the importance of sharing a meal.  He knew the significance of the sacrifice of being away from their family and friends and missing the Christmas festivities at home, and so he offered hospitality by creating this special meal for them in the midst of war, a very inhospitable environment.  He prepared a table for them in the presence of their enemies, who were waiting for them to return to the fighting, right outside that church.

 

We went to that church – it is rebuilt now – and I met that priest of that church.  Standing in that church was a very significant moment for me – connecting me with the Seaforth Highlanders of the past, knowing what had happened on that spot almost 80 years before.  When I was in Italy, as I was thinking about the Ortona Christmas dinner – Psalm 23 came to mind, and I used it in the ceremony that I led in Ortona.  It struck me as we were retracing the steps of the Seaforth soldiers, while we were walking in safety in beautiful places, they would have really known and lived the words of this psalm.  They might have spent a fair bit of time feeling like they were walking through the darkest valley. I recalled these words of the Psalm as we heard of the darkness and thick smoke from all the gunfire, that covered the Liri Valley as the soldiers approached the battle line. 

Their every day experiences would have tested them – experiences that for many would be like looking into the face of evil – an experience to be feared.  While the Psalm says “I fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me,” I imagine that there would have been fear in those dark valleys. 

I wonder where they would have found their comfort?  In the memories of their families back home?  Some of them may have found comfort in the words of this psalm.  Some of them may have found comfort in the shared experience and friendships that they had formed with their fellow comrades.  In Italy we heard stories of Canadian soldiers helping out Italian families by bringing them food.  I wonder if helping others would have been a source of comfort for them, as they comforted others.  I wonder if for many of them, finding comfort in the normal things of life was what kept them going.  Perhaps having a traditional Christmas meal to mark the occasion of Christmas, just as they might have at home with their families, likely brought comfort to these troops.  The Christmas dinner became a symbol of civility amid the horrors of war.

Every year in December at the Seaforth Armoury here in Vancouver, all of our current Seaforth members join together for a commemorative meal, the Ortona Supper.  We serve the same menu as was served on December 25, 1943.  This past December after having stood in the rebuilt church in Italy on the very spot of the dinner we commemorate each year, I felt connection with the people there and with our history.                   

The words of this Psalm hold special meaning to me now “you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  My cup overflows.”  I don’t read this Psalm anymore without imagining that Christmas dinner table in Ortona, with the Seaforth Regimental March, Pibroch of Donald Dhu, playing in the background, and the sounds of war and battle beyond.   

 

On Friday I was chatting with a café customer about the café and about this community, and we ended up in a conversation about how sharing food was such an important part of her upbringing.  It is one of the ways that we show that we care for people.  Food is a way of welcome – we give a casserole when new people move into the neighbourhood, we share bread and buns and cookies and lemon curd, and jam and soup with each other. We care for each other when we are sick by setting up meal trains.  Sharing food at a congregational lunch like we had last week, gives us the opportunity to sit together in an informal way, getting to know each other better.  When we get to know each other’s stories, it helps us to feel a little more known in the community, and we know the stories of other folks.  When we build these connections and get to know each other and be known by others, that is when we have a sense of belonging.  When we feel that we are known and truly seen by others, that sense of belonging is more than just fitting in and feeling comfortable – it goes deeper than that – it is a place where we can be seen for who we are and where we are open to seeing others for who they are, “warts and all!”  It becomes a place where we can call home.

 

On Communion Sundays, the welcome that we extend to the table is a wide welcome.  Not everyone may want to partake, but there is nothing that would prevent you from being welcome to partake. The welcome that we extend to the table, is the same as the welcome that we extend to this church each week.  It is one of the ways that we try to reflect the way of Jesus in this place.  There was no barrier for people to receive Jesus’ care and attention.  He showed radical hospitality.  God’s love and grace is for all.  So for us to follow in his way, we would strive to extend that same kind of radical hospitality.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Just as there are no barriers to receiving God’s love and grace, there are no barriers to partaking in the spiritual nourishment offered at the table.

 

God’s extravagant welcome calls us to disrupt the divisions that separate us from each other and draws us into communion with one another, giving us a glimpse into what the realm of God is intended to be.   

Each time we break down those barriers or eliminate them by reaching out to those we see as ‘other’ or by extending hospitality to strangers, we are reflecting that extravagant and unconditional love of God. 

When people feel that they are seen and heard and accepted for who they are, they feel a sense of belonging – the barriers or divisions that kept them apart, are eliminated.  Sometimes those barriers are ones that we put up ourselves to keep us just on the outside of belonging, as a way of protecting ourselves from potential hurt or rejection.  Sometimes the divisions are created by society and expectations.  Sometimes the divisions are due to broken relationships with others who join us at the table. 

No matter what the divisions are that cause us to feel set apart or maybe even unworthy of belonging – God’s grace is such that there is no barrier to God’s love. It is for everyone, without exception. 

 

In reflecting on the story of the Ortona Christmas dinner, I am reminded of the profound significance of sharing a meal in the midst of adversity. Just as Padre Roy Durnford orchestrated a moment of civility and connection amidst the chaos of war, so too do we find solace and belonging at the table of spiritual nourishment. In the presence of our enemies, both seen and unseen, God prepares a table before us, creating a place of home, overflowing with divine grace and love.

 

As we consider the role of food in fostering community and belonging, we recognize that it is more than sustenance for the body; it is a symbol of hospitality and welcome. Whether it’s sharing a casserole with a new neighbor or breaking bread together at a congregational lunch, or bringing a neighbour to eat at our café, food becomes a conduit for building connections and deepening relationships. In the act of nourishing one another, we create a space where all are seen, heard, and accepted for who they are. In breaking down the divisions that separate us and extending hospitality to all, we embody the extravagant and unconditional love of God, inviting others into the fellowship of belonging.

 

So let us embrace the invitation to the table, where God’s love knows no bounds and all are welcomed as cherished guests. May we continue to extend hospitality to one another, disrupting the divisions that keep us apart and drawing closer in communion with one another. And may we find in this sacred space a glimpse of the realm of God, where all are known, accepted, and loved beyond measure. Amen.