Matthew 25:35
"for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,"
We started a new church in the summer of 2019 in the simplest way: we ate together. Over crunchy summer salad and slightly charred chicken, we shared stories. And then, the next week, we did it again.
Week after week we sat at the table. As we ate and drank together, strangers became friends. Each week we left full and more fully known, because we shared food and shared our lives.
It's remarkable. If we are hungry, thirsty, and lonely, all three needs can be met when we sit down at the table. We can be fed, we can be quenched, we can be known.
And of course, ours is a table-centered story.
At Passover, we are the freed. Over dishes of manna and quail we are the cared for. Over wedding wine we are the joyful. At the Last Supper, we are the friends of the messiah. Over grilled fish on a beach, we are the restored.
Over meals we became who we are. Such is the power of sharing the table.
After so long, the chance to gather around tables again is coming soon. We can decide now to save a seat for the stranger, fix a plate for the hungry, pour a glass for the thirsty. We can share our table, and in so doing, see Christ.
Christ who ate and drank at the table, may we be eager to make space where others are fed, quenched and known. When we share our tables, help us see you there among us. Amen.
Art: Dea Jenkins | "The Mockeries of Separations #1" | mixed media: watercolor, ink, thread, handmade pastel paper | 2020
Practice: Racial Justice Guidebook
Whose land are you living on? Have you considered the generations of people who came before you?
Developing an equitable, anti-racist society is incredibly challenging work. We are not able to do this work alone.
1 | Connect with 2-3 other people you know who are also doing the work of developing an anti-racist, healed world.
2 | Together, read through the "Racial Justice Guidebook" (click here) curated by The People's Supper to learn more about how you might contribute to this movement.
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