Table Fellowship: Setting the Table 1

One of the earliest examples of Christian witness in the world is recorded as "table fellowship". It went something like this: Christians would gather for meals, often the Lord's Supper. These were events that outsiders may well see. The admonition was to make sure that both poor and wealthy, slave or free, male or female, Jew and Gentile, were not seated according to secular priorities or political correctness, but that the Lord's table was conspicuously mixed. Maybe even giving the "inferior" guest the place of honor. This was a testimony to the nature of the Good News, of the radical inclusion in the kingdom of God.

Danny Meyer, a New York restaurateur, has written a best selling book entitled: Setting the Table (See my book recommendations.) He has one particular section called: The Virtuous Cycle of Enlightened Hospitality. I want to glean a few suggestions from his book as a way of illustrating the radical inclusion of the Kingdom message of Jesus.

Meyer suggests there are five stakeholders in "Enlightened Hospitality". He begins with his employees.
“When I first walk into any restaurant or any business, I can immediately guess what type of experience I’m in for by sensing whether the staff members appear to be focused on their work, supportive of one another, and enjoying one another’s company. If they are out to help one another succeed, I know I stand an excellent chance of having an excellent experience accompanied by a feeling of welcome."

One of the powerful witnesses to the world is to counter the cut-throat, I'm in it for me mentality. How is it accomplished? By first being for one another. The Gospel of John records Jesus' words in the 13th chapter, verses 34-35 - "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Over Christmas, I walked into a "Malt Shop" at Heathrow Airport in London. Malt, in this case, is not ice cream, but rather it is Scotch whiskey. I was thinking about bringing home a gift for a friend. Even though I could buy it here for about the same price, it would have been a nice gesture. Once in the shop, the two salesmen were having a disagreement. They were arguing over another employee who seemed to have taken a sale (a $5K sale) from one of them. As I examined different bottles, they continued ragging on one another and the absentee colleague. After awhile, I simply walked out. Had they shown me some interest or courtesy or stopped bickering, I might have been interested. (Not in the 5K bottle - but since no one else was in the shop but me - at least a bottle.) They failed to win me, why? Because they weren't there "for" me.

Early in his book, Meyer writes this: Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side. The converse is just as true. Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those two simple prepositions – for and to – express it all.

First off, Jesus wants us to be "for" one another. When we are for one another, it means there is room for others. If we are against one another, how can we include anyone else? This is one of the commonest complaints against the church - that we don't actually like one another, how in the world is there room for anyone else? Who wants to be part of something like that?!

Let us learn how to be "for" each other. Let's do things "for" one another, not "to" each other. The first step in welcoming the world is to welcome each other.