| Church DevelopmentMaking Disciples At Tables
By Dr. Roger K. Swanson,
Director of Operation
Evangelization
 Some
years ago during Lent my wife and I attempted a weekly 24-hour fast
together. Breakfast and lunch were easy, as we usually ate those on our
own. What we missed were our moments together at the evening table,
sharing not only a meal, but also our day with each other. We missed it
so much that, after a week, we tried another model that allowed us our
evening meal together.
I recently heard a speaker cite a statistic
indicating that most American families do not sit down daily at one
table at one time to share a meal. What is lost is spiritual and
relational, if not nutritional. Sharing food together around a common
table is an act of intimacy that nurtures community—of the family of
faith, as well as one’s personal family. In a word, mealtime can be
spiritually formative. Kitchens and dining rooms offer sanctuary for
busy families to touch one another. In such circumstances any food
shared becomes “soul food.”
As we know, so much of Christian spirituality
originated in a table fellowship—in the Upper Room and at the supper
table at Emmaus. It was when Jesus sat at table as the guest of
Cleopas and the other disciple that their eyes were opened and they
recognized Jesus.
The mission of the United Methodist Church is to
make disciples of Jesus Christ. That mission is pursued in every
congregation in a mosaic of methods. The emphasis may be on worship,
small groups, stewardship or evangelism. But we might all miss the
point if we forget the kitchen and dining room tables in our
congregations and the potential for making disciples around them.
Christian leaders need never be so busy that they are not themselves
nourished at such tables. Congregations should not be so
activity-obsessed that people spend more of their time in church than
in family.
How about this: in addition to Wednesday night
at church, each congregation declares a weekly family night. The
church building is locked up for the night, all lights are off, and
folks are home, sitting at table, renewing the relationships from
which faith so often grows! Congregations might also try their hand at
preparing family devotion booklets to use around the table and prayer
guides. Timothy, Paul’s young companion, might well be the patron
saint of such meals. Remember that he was a third generation Christian
(2Tim.1:5) who might well have been made a disciple around the table
at which his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, sat.
|
