Yesterday, Debbie and I attended a gathering for a business group that we are part of at the home of one of our members. His newly renovated and spacious home reflects the good taste of its owners, and their intentional desire to accommodate larger groups where food and conversation are not inhibited by space or crowding. The folks who gathered were part of a group I have known for years but included people that neither of us had ever met before.
Now, lest this be lost on us consider that the home, as such, has played a critical part in gatherings of all kind that have mattered throughout history. There was a time, quite removed from ours when at death, the family gathered at the home of the deceased , grieved with the family over the body, which was likely situated in the parlor, and shared a meal, maybe two, maybe more, where stories were shared, memories reviewed and encouragement provided to the hurting family. This was very real to my mother, growing up in the country, just outside my hometown. Equally compelling are the memories of my own wedding. Our year-long engagement shrank at light speed upon the discovery that my future mother-in-law’s cancer had returned and what we once thought was “down the road” was now an “up close and personal” four weeks. But there we were, in the living room of Debbie’s home, her dying mother laying on the couch with glazed eyes reflecting the wonder of the Christmas tree in the background and her daughter in the foreground. And likewise, there was the wedding party, her Canadian relatives, and our own families– all of us celebrating our new life together while we watched Tina’s life slip away; in the very room her parents had used to entertain and engage the lives of many others for years before my time. It was in fact, an enduring model that Deb’s mom instilled in us; opening her home and her dining table almost weekly to soldiers just like me. That table became the focal point for discussions that went far beyond the stuff of pot roast and potatoes and often landed in the realm of belief and practice. As we established our home, we committed ourselves to creating a table where people might fee comfortable to relax and encouraged to open their lives to the leading of God’s spirit in their lives.
So I must ask, where has the family room gone and along with it the fellowship that builds the lives invited and those that sit regularly at that table? Over the years our kids have been privy to missionaries, members, and visitors alike, and along the way have learned valuable lessons of service, new perspectives, and shared communication with others outside of their normal world. My children all attend churches were small groups meet in member homes, and in one of our son’s case, they meet rather tightly in their 1870’s era farmhouse, but they do meet– to eat, to laugh, to pray and consider the great truths of God. So, when I attend secular events in people’s homes, I’m reminded how much we miss when the church surrenders its monopoly of its original blueprint for building lives (Acts 2). People need connections with other human beings and the food and drink that often overshadow more secular gatherings are merely cover for the real needs that we all possess.
I’m stuck on two commanding texts from Scripture. ( Matthew 9:10; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:29) Three Gospel writers record that following the call of Levi, Jesus was invited to what can only be understood as a dinner party given to celebrate the new turn in Levi’s life. And there they all were, Jesus, Levi, and all those sinners, reclining around the table, sharing a meal, and kicking around the nature of life, belief, commitment, and a Savior for those living in a real world. What a party that must have been! And then, there’s Acts 16, the missionary team has landed in Macedonia’s leading Roman enclave at Philippi, have discovered the absence of a synagogue but the presence of women who were interested in the spiritual nature of things. One gal in particular, proved to be an entrepreneur and longed for a bigger vision of the world. God opened her heart to the fundamental truth of Jesus Christ and nothing after that was ever be the same. But here’s the thing– This one woman was so impressed with the life changing truth she had heard and the value of their fellowship, that she opened her home to the missionaries, in fact, begged them to say with her, if only the fellowship she has discovered, might linger on and fill a very real need. What happens when we open our home to others? We bring about the soothing of tired souls, we encourage the best that godly fellowship brings, and we partner with others to hone the spiritual vision and growth that God wants us all to enjoy.
So, can I guess who’s coming to dinner?
MJC
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