More Than A Table: The Power of Community and Connection
Community and connection are great experiences that shape how you see the world. Followers of Jesus carry the Holy Spirit wherever they go, helping others shape their perspective on the world. Can you remember when a conversation changed how you saw the world, others, or yourself? Chances are it happened around a table or a meal, gathered around something uniting that was the space for great conversation!
Throughout the Bible, God uses people around a table or a meal to help share His love with others. In the book of Matthew, we get to see how Jesus used a tax collector, whom his community would have hated, to gather people around a table so that Jesus' heart and mission could be shared with those who needed it! This story in Matthew 9:9-13 helps reveal three important aspects of gathering around a table.
1) Gathering around tables is relational: Since the beginning of time, people were not meant to be alone (Genesis 2:18). It has always been a part of God's plan for people to surround themselves with community. In Matthew's house, the invite list was complete! But not in the way that was expected. Instead of religious leaders and people of power, Jesus surrounded Himself with the social outcasts. Crossing social divides and sitting with people marginalized and rejected by the town, He reshaped how the community could be experienced. Yes, gathering around a table with people you live with is essential for deep and meaningful connection. But Jesus teaches that everyone has a seat at the table.
2) Gathering around tables is formational: Jesus was in the presence of people who needed to hear the promise and love of living a life with Him! It creates space for conversation to spark, leading to the heart's transformation. The Message version of Luke 14:12-13 says, "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and families and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be - and experience - a blessing".
3) Gathering around tables can be missional. In Matthew 28, followers of Jesus are commissioned to make disciples of all nations! Jesus calls you to live as His disciple and become a disciple-maker! The space around a table is an amazing opportunity for conversation to spark, which leads people to a life with Jesus!
Dive Deeper
If you're ready to step into the calling Jesus has set out for you, think through these questions:
Who needs an invitation to your table?
Who's life could be transformed by an introduction to Jesus around a table you set?
What support might you need to extend a bold invitation?