Dearly Beloved,
Sometimes words fail. And in those moments, I like to turn to others, turn to stories, turn to images. I've been paging through John Pavlovitz's book "A Bigger Table: Building messy, authentic, and hopeful spiritual community."
He writes: 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. The table was an altar around which he welcomed the world to experience communion with God and with one another. We easily forget that faith is a relational experience, that it is almost impossible to move into Christlikeness without other souls to extend compassion and mercy and love to, or to receive those things from.
In this particular moment, when so many of us and those we love are experiencing fear, grief, perhaps shock at the rollback of things that we, our parents and perhaps even our grandparents worked so hard to achieve, may we remember that faith is a relational experience. That we cannot know and love God without knowing and loving each other. May we remember that all of us, each of us -- whatever our particular social, religious or political persuasions -- is struggling with something. May we be kind, extending compassion, mercy and love to one another.
And may we pay attention to those in our midst, those in our wider community and country who are especially in need of compassion, mercy, and love. Perhaps protection as well. For the reality of our faith is that Jesus' table ministry came at a cost. The simple acts of letting people know that they were seen, heard, known, and respected led to Jesus' execution. I can't help but wonder at how many tables Jesus or his disciples felt uncomfortable? At how many tables did they worry for their own safety? At how many tables did these seemingly small acts of radical inclusion and love involve great risk?
What tables are we being called to set, God's beloved? What risk will we take? And what love and holiness awaits us when we answer God's call?
In lament and hope,
Thandiwe
p.s. Don't forget: will hold our annual meeting this Sunday following worship. We'll vote on the proposed 2025 budget and our slate of leaders nominated for 2025. We'll also have a chance to *meet* our summer interim, Delaney Beh (they/them) who will be joining us online. If you are joining us remotely, you can simply stay online following worship or you can access the meeting using our regular Sunday Worship Zoom link.
