Greetings from the Editor
Dear Friends,
Throughout the centuries, feasting has served God’s creatures in many ways including the redistribution of wealth and the nurturance of solidarity among the feasters. The topic of the current issue is meant to be comprehensive for many cultures and historical periods; however, our authors remind us right away that feasting is rooted in the important events in the history of God’s people. No wonder that in Judaism “the feast” customarily refers to the Passover. Roman Catholic families also proffer their liturgical concept of the feast of feasts, that is, Easter.
Even a glance at dictionaries would invite us to imagine that the most distinctive feature of a feast is a large amount of food laboriously prepared, elaborately presented, and vibrantly consumed. Our authors offer us a sound corrective, calling attention to the sacred origin of feasting, often linked to the locus of worship. Feasting has enriched the life of the community that has given birth to the custom of feasting in the first place.
With our authors as a guide, we have a chance to pause and lift up a thanksgiving over every critical mark of feasting. Feasting as a communal event tells us it is in fact possible to have a bountiful meal with a morsel of bread broken to share among the participants. The special nature of the festal food is predicated not on the load but on the mode of celebration. Feasters may prefer a crowd, but it is already a common practice among ethnographers to define a feast as an event of celebration that involves two or more. Christians among us would add that, where two or three gather in his name, Jesus said he would be with them—presenting a first-century instance of a prayer quorum.
Our preachers have often challenged us to cherish the gift of life that God has given to all living beings and acknowledge our indebtedness to nature that yields abundance. In feasting, we find opportunity to care and experience the abundance of heaven.
Peace be with you!
Jin H. Han, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
