Missionary Approach: The Mystery in the Miraculous at the Table
There is mystery in the miraculous that gets shared as we gather at the table. We prepare for it while never planning it; unpredictable, as we never know ahead of time when or what will open the way for the miracle to take place.
The Holy Spirit, already at work in someone’s life, steps in to turn a perfectly normal exchange into a supernatural life-changing event.
Several months back after one of our Sunday evening gatherings in our home, we were asked an interesting question. Our granddaughter, Avi, (who is always asking her mom to come to our Sunday meals) asked: “Why do you do this all the time?
Avi was referring to having people in our home for meals and teaching them about the way of Jesus.
You just never know what a kid is thinking about or the impact we are having on their impressionable life. They watch, listen, and notice more than we recognize.
In the moment, the response was simple and to the point … “We do this because the people want us to do it.” Meaning, those who come want to share a meal and learn about the Jesus way of life. We laughed, hoping this would satisfy her curiosity, so we could turn back to the others in our home.
It’s a moment that would be nice to have back to say something of more substance. What so often appears to be an interruption are often the genuine opportunities of disciple making given to us. Here are some thoughts we would like to have said in a meaningful way she would understand.
There is a mystery waiting to unfold in a meal. Something magical happens when people sit down to a table and break bread together. It is miraculous. They open up and share themselves along with the good food being consumed.
One of the things we discovered is our meals offer a divine moment of grace where miracles take shape. They really are rather normal in many ways while producing some spectacular results over time. Honestly, it seems to be in the accumulation of moments over time that make them so extraordinary. At the time they are just natural points of connection, but put together they turn into miracles.
We have discovered these meals provide a space where the marginalized can cease to be marginal, the hurting can find healing, those who are good can get strengthened, and the lonely can experience friendship as the table shapes and reshapes us. Maybe it is the natural progression of feeling accepted in the Jesus way. Whatever it is, the meal changes things.
Mostly, what we would like to say to Avi is the meal has this mystical way of always making room for one more to join us. The table is a place where the love and acceptance of Jesus goes to work. It just happens this way … the food seems to stretch further, the conversation finds a way to broaden out and involve another person, and the fellowship we share stretches out to include another person as love spreads across our Family on Mission.
When we gather around the table we offer friendship and celebrate life in the Jesus way, making room for all who want to join us. Hope rises up among and in us as hospitality goes to work. It activates transformation in us as a family and as individuals in need of the the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. We learn. We follow. We experience the Jesus way together.
Even though the isolated, lost, and lonely may not understand the longing to be among us, it’s the draw they feel to join faithfully and share in the meal. They come because a need is being met in their lives, and they hunger for what they see active in us.
What we have found is that both, the seasoned follower of Jesus and the lost, isolated person, who dare take the risk and join us in the meal experience miracles. It is the fullness of Christ alive and active among us, and it is so appealing they simply must show up again. They experience the Gospel at work in and through us and are attracted to experience it again. They know us by our love and experience Jesus’ Good News when they are with us.
Here is the thing we need to understand: they don’t know what it is that grabs their interest or catches their attention … it’s our job to gently guide them to understanding, over time, as trust develops and questions begin to arise.
This is the Jesus way of disciple-making and He mastered it well. It flowed naturally as they laughed, ate, and enjoyed the company of one another. The gift of hospitality was at work among them. And this same gift of hospitality, along with the Holy Spirit who empowers us, is still at work today.
It’s so fun to watch this thing we refer to as a Family on Mission take shape as we proclaim Jesus is Lord in unusual ways. It is the Jesus way. This is the Holy Spirit at work in and through us as we meet around the table, breaking bread, and sharing life over a meal. Who knew a little bit of pizza was so powerful?