"Called to the Table"

“Called to the Table”

Recently Jesus keeps calling me to the table.  Sometimes I listen, stop, sit and visit; sometimes I’m in a rush and quickly pass by; sometimes I’m at the table but too full of myself and my concerns to be fully “present.” But this is an invitation I should not ignore.

I enjoy a good chat or discussion with coffee in hand and I grew up having “tea” with my Gran while listening to the story of her life. So the image of being “Called to the Table” resonates with me.

Jesus calls us to follow Him – to walk with Him on the dusty paths of Palestine; to sit in the synagogue as He reads of his Father’s deep love for mankind and of His own mission to bring healing to the brokenhearted, to walk with those who suffer. And, as we follow, I believe that at significant moments Jesus calls us to sit down and find nourishment for life - to be taught and mentored by Him, to be nurtured and encouraged.  When we are full he anoints us with oil and sends us forth with His benediction. This is God’s divine hospitality.

A few examples:

Psalm 23  My first acrylic painting was an impressionistic landscape. As I watched a deep dark crevice wind its way up the canvas to the light I thought about the valleys and the difficult moments of life we endure and how, even in the midst of our enemies, God calls us to a table of refreshment that He has prepared. Here He restores, nourishes and strengthens us so that His life continues to flow into and through us.

1Kings 19:4-9  Elijah, caught in the “land between,” full of self-pity, uncertainty and bewilderment, runs away. An angel of the Lord provides for him “a cake baked on hot stones and a jug of water” and after 40 days of nourishment in the wilderness Elijah hears God’s voice and regains focus and strength to once again be God’s voice to God’s people. 

John 21: 9-14 Peter watched Jesus go to the cross and in those moments denied three times that he knew Jesus.  Days later Jesus calls Peter and the other bewildered disciples, who have returned to their fishing, to come to shore to a “fire of coals and fish laid thereon.”  A table of love, grace, and forgiveness where hope is restored and healing happens.

John 3:1-13 Nicodemus comes, under cover of darkness, to sit with Jesus and ask the hard questions that disturbed his soul and confused his mind. When I have doubts and uncertainty I am encouraged to know that, like Nicodemus, I can come and discuss these with Jesus and not be brushed off or belittled.

When we gather around the table, or simply sit with cup in hand and napkin on our lap, we find ourselves in a place of invitation. We are invited into another’s dwelling place -  or we invite another into ours. This is a place of hospitality and as we offer hospitality to our guests we discover that they gift us with their presence.  As we invite, we too are invited into one another’s inner world of thoughts and feelings, sharing gifts of heart and mind. 

“The purpose of journeying together in spiritual friendship and spiritual community is to listen to one another’s desire for God, to nurture that desire in each other and to support one another in seeking a way of life that is consistent with that desire.  Spiritual friendship is not for advice giving, problem solving and fixing. Rather it is to assist one another in paying attention to the movements of God in our lives through the spiritual disciplines and to support another in responding faithfully to God’s presence.”   [ Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms]

The journey was never meant to be taken alone.  Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry chose disciples to “be with Him” in order to “learn from Him” to “do the ministry with Him.” Yet in our frenzied, time-pressured lifestyles do we take the time to consciously develop life-nourishing relationships with fellow travelers?  Do we know the strength and enjoyment that comes from following Jesus together?

Around the table spiritual friendship and community happen. Around the table we become purposefully present to the Spirit of God expressed through the lives of one another and in doing so we follow Jesus together.

As we gather hospitality becomes presence - we become present to one another, to the physical and creative along with the spiritual and emotional. 

God’s divine hospitality is offered to us through His presence in Jesus – the Incarnation and we are called to extend this hospitality to others. As we come together we receive others into our hearts and are blessed. We accept people as they are - not requiring that they be “like us”… we allow them to reveal themselves as they choose…we do not condemn… we value and respect the life of others. Around the table we connect, we relate, we encourage one another, we rejoice in each others joys, weep over their pain, and pray that God’s peace – his wellness will settle over us as the oil of gladness to make our hearts sing and to receive His benediction to give us strength to walk through another day.

God’s hospitality is also shown in Creation.  In the beginning God made a dwelling place for us that was good, harmonious, and peaceful – it was created for our nourishment and joy. Because we are made in God’s image we have the incredible ability to create. I love how God, in the story of the Old Testament, settled His Spirit on the artisans of the tabernacle, giving them the ability to create beauty in a place of worship for all.  I love that the woman in Proverbs 31 not only clothes her household - but clothes them with “scarlet, purple and fine linen.”  God gives us the creative ability to go beyond the ordinary, to be “dynamic expressions of His character” in both how we live and what we create.

I am looking forward to being "Called to the Table" at our Thanksgiving Celebrations because we will be surrounded by family we love and friends new and old whom we seek to love.  We will celebrate creativity as it brings nourishment, warmth and beauty to one another and to God. We celebrate the life of Jesus in the life of others. We affirm and encourage one another and, in the name of Jesus, receive His wisdom and blessing to walk us through the days ahead.

The Divine acts of creativity and presence are experienced as we respond positively to being “Called to the Table.”