A Bigger Table

Jesus spent a lot of time at tables. And he ate with all kinds of people. Here is just a smattering of examples from the Gospels.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table… Luke 7:36

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table… Luke 22:14

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper… - Mark 14:3

Who do you sit at table with - whether your table, their table, or some shared space (like a restaurant)? How is the connection around the table different when it’s not just you and your roommates or you and your family?

Take a moment and reflect on this insightful piece by a woman reflecting on what it meant for her to have her dining room table be a place of welcome and memory and hope. See what the Spirit stirs inside you as you read.

Growing up, I insisted on my specific seat at my family dining table, which was rectangular and built from a deep red Brazilian wood. My parents and sister laughed at me for my insistence. The thing is, we moved every few years, and while we carried our furniture with us to other cities and countries, our dining room table took on a new configuration in each new space. It didn’t make sense – the seat I was claiming wasn’t ever really the same one. But I knew with certainty which was my seat. Maybe it was one of the things I decided I could make my own, make stable. That in the moment of eating dinner – a nightly, unbroken ritual – I could feel oriented, in my place.

The best kind of table gives you permission. It allows you to reach for a history, bring what is far near. A table by eases you, opens your mind and compels you to come take a seat and play. 

-Elisa Wouk Almino