On My Mind: The Power of the Table

Last month, I had the pleasure of hosting two New Members’ dinner parties. It’s part of our process for joining the church: first, you attend a class that explains the nuts and bolts of The Peoples Church, our history, our beliefs, and our governance; then you come have dinner at my house. The class is interesting and informative - but the dinner is just fun!

Neil and I love hosting these dinner parties. There is something special about sitting down to a meal with other people, especially people you’ve just met. Sharing a meal creates a relaxed atmosphere where people can talk, laugh and get to know one another. That’s why New Members’ dinners are an important part of joining the church. Once we’ve sat together at a table, it feels like we are connected.

In the ancient world, table fellowship was carefully arranged according to social position and status. Guests were seated in order of importance, starting at the right hand and left hand of the host. People without connections or power sat in the lesser seats, at the lower end of the table. Sharing a meal was a sign of hospitality, but you still maintained the hierarchy. The Pharisees went further, maintaining a purity of the table, meaning they would not eat with anyone who was unclean. This included tax collectors, lepers and anyone else who was deemed to be a sinner. Why? Because sharing food with a sinner could taint you by association. People were careful about who they invited to sit at their table.

It sounds a bit like Junior High, doesn’t it? I remember anxiously standing in the lunch line, waiting to get my tray of food, scanning the lunchroom to see where my friends were sitting. Would there be room for me? What if my friends weren’t there? Would someone else invite me to sit with them? The worst thing that could happen is if you asked if you could sit with a group of people, only to hear them say, “No, that seat is taken.” Oh the drama.

Jesus knew the power of the table. He knew that inviting people to dine with him was a sign of acceptance, which is why he ate with the very people the Pharisees excluded. In Matthew’s Gospel, we read the story of Jesus sitting down to dinner with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11-12). Luke’s Gospel tells of the time Jesus called a tax collector to be a disciple and the man, Levi, not only rises up to follow Jesus, he throws a big feast for him. (Luke 5:27-28). Jesus also knew that gathering around a table was a great way to get to know one another. He does a lot of teaching around meals. He even reveals himself in a shared meal on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35)

The Peoples Church also knows the power of the table. Every Wednesday night, we throw a dinner party for anyone who wants to join us. People who are hungry and unhoused come to dinner. People who are successful and accomplished come to dinner. People who can barely read sit next people who have written books. Young and old, rich and poor, we sit at the same table and share a meal. We learn each other’s names and hear each other’s stories – and once we’ve sat together at a table, we feel connected. And every once in a while, I can see Jesus in our midst.

Come and join us for dinner one Wednesday night. We’ve saved a place for you.

Peace,
-Rev. Dr. Shawnthea Monroe