December 14, 2024 – A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community

“[Jesus] had friends in low places too. That was the strategic beauty of his scandalously diverse guest list. By not being selective with his invitation, Jesus affirms the value of his disparate meal companions to them and to those watching from a distance. In a world where we so often are content to preach only to the choirs of those who agree with us, to wall ourselves off in a social-media echo chamber of our amen-ing cheerleaders, Jesus models a better way. He fully engages all sides and teaches them about one another in the process. For him, the table is a tool of connection. It transcends difference. It bridges disagreement. It declares the other welcomed and worthy of hearing. It recognizes the other and declares commonality with him or her. I don’t see very much of this in the modern Christian expression here in America. I don’t know if we’re really all that interested in proximity with those who differ from us. I’m not sure we care to follow Jesus all the way to the table with those we have contempt for from a distance, and yet this is the path of the disciple.” (Pavlovitz, John. A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community (p. 80). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.)

“In a world where we so often are content to preach only to the choirs of those who agree with us, to wall ourselves off in a social-media echo chamber of our amen-ing cheerleaders, Jesus models a better way.” Social Media and socially connecting apps have been a real boon for our world and our society. They may also be the single source of our demise as a society. It is amazing that we can talk with each other in real time when we are on opposite sides of the earth. It is amazing.

But it is also minimizing and scary. The longer we interact on these apps and find groups of like-minded thinkers, the smaller our world becomes, and the more limiting our ability to communicate with people who look differently, think differently, live differently, and love differently. The smaller our world of thinking and preaching becomes, the greater the chance for hate to grow instead of love.

Jesus models a better way. In Matthew 5:5-9, Jesus says that those wishing to reflect the character of G-d must be “meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, and makers of peace.” “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

At the center of this teaching was the idea of giving people access to wholeness, sustenance, justice, and joy – no matter their color, creed, or race. It was not merely some internal understanding – Jesus wanted it to be a visible response from the church whenever their individual value was disregarded.

Social Media apps may appear to be inclusive – but in reality they simply highlight the ability of our world to exclude, demean, and denigrate. This is not what Jesus taught – it is not.

Pastor Dave

December 13, 2024 – A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community

“…[Jesus] he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:44-50

“This is the heart of the Gospel: the ever-expanding hospitality of God. Jesus, after all, was a carpenter. Building bigger tables was right in his wheelhouse. What struck me when I began to read the Gospel stories was Jesus’ table ministry, the way he so often used the act of sharing a meal, the act of breaking bread, as a way of letting people know that they were seen and heard and known and respected. With great regularity, Jesus used the common moments to incubate the sacred—everything becoming a sort of a living parable to illustrate the tangible reality of spirituality.” (Pavlovitz, John. A Bigger Table, Expanded Edition with Study Guide: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community (p. 78). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.)

Jesus’ actions are a mix of contradictions. He eats with a Pharisee, one of the spiritual elites, but ministers to the sinners among the crowd. He does not just visit with and minister among the poor and the outcasts – he also accepts the invitation of the religious elite and wealthy members of the Jewish community. Jesus is, as Pavlovitz says, a “living parable of spirituality.” What could he mean? Well, as I can determine, Jesus lived the ministry he spoke. He walked the walk and talked the talk. He didn’t just say love one another, he demonstrated the many and various ways we can do the same through our acts of love and grace.

If the church of today wants to be at the center of spiritual growth, we need to find ways to do the same. If we are not genuine with our love and ministry, people will smell our hypocrisy. The stench of empty ministry and false Christianity is strong in our world today. When the woman anointed Jesus’ feet, the aroma of her love would have filled the entire house. Shouldn’t the aroma of our Christian love do the same?

Pastor Dave