The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.” Matthew 11:19

 

Ever find yourself navigating political posts and celebrity opinions on social media platforms?

Real problem-solving and real relationships don’t happen as a result of clever posts on a social media platform. Meaningful connections take place at a table when people take the time to get to know each other over a meal. Platforms are for monologues. Tables are for genuine conversations – because, as one sociologist put it, “People are hard to hate up close.” [1] People listen and learn from each other in places of safety, connection, and care. Across a table with someone, over a slice of pizza or a dish of noodles, it’s harder to fear, vilify, and reject each other.

Jesus often sat at a table with diverse and unlikely combinations of people. He made space for social outcasts, who weren’t typically included at any table. Jesus brought together people from different backgrounds, economic statuses, political views, and personalities. People even referred to Jesus as a drunkard and a glutton because He was so often sitting at tables connecting with people face to face, over a meal! (Matthew 11:19)

So if you want to follow Jesus’s command to, “Love each other in the same way I have loved you” (John 15:12), find a table and invite the least likely to be invited over, the excluded, the outcasts. Invite your neighbor and your enemy, those like you and those different from you. It will be scary and worth it.

Who comes to mind right now? Who would be shocked to get an invite from you? A lonely coworker? An irritating neighbor? Let’s build real relationship by expanding our tables as Jesus did.

[1] Brown, Brené. Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone. Random House, 2017. Pp 28.