Meeting Jesus at the Table by Cynthia M. Campbell

Author:Cynthia M. Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781646982943
Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing

ARTIST’S REFLECTION

The story that follows the challenge of where to sit at the banquet doesn’t conclude the challenges of Jesus’ teaching at this particular dinner party. Questions of who should be invited and who should be left out abound in this parable. The reader is forced to consider what makes real and authentic community. Certainly, there is an expectation of inviting the typical neighbors, those who are likely to return the favor. However, when they refuse, an alternative guest list must be considered. The meal should not be wasted; community is still needed. So, the host invites those who would not have originally come to mind but who appear to be available. Perhaps there is a harsh lesson here for the initial invitees, but the bigger question is: What is the commentary on community created by the initial excuses? The host doesn’t seem to think positively about the responses of the initial invitees; rather, he seems frustrated. I believe this is an attempt by the storyteller to ensure that the listeners and readers recognize the lack of honest and sincere interest in the relationship being expressed. Community cannot succeed without commitment, care, and honesty. For community to be effective, everyone must be comfortable being their authentic selves and not obsessed with false representation to keep up appearances. And there must be commitment to unselfish behavior that enriches the whole community.

If we see ourselves as the original invitees in this story, we are challenged to think about the excuses and misrepresentations we often produce when we are invited to share our honest perspectives. Our churches are full of pretenders who feel that if they express their true selves or expose their vulnerability, bad things can happen.

This thinking inspired my approach to the illustration. I imagined a traditional potluck dinner hosted by nearly every church that has ever existed in modern America. Who is invited? With whom do we sit? Do we make extra effort to make everyone feel welcome? How do we encourage authentic sharing, authentic diversity, and authentic acceptance? We may avoid the real truth in lieu of community-sanctioned truth that only reinforces our own membership.

What if our church communities invested their time in reaching out to those who are not obviously part of the dominant culture? What if churches made a priority of seeking out those who have disappeared as much as we emphasize the need to connect to the big financial contributors? We spend our time polishing our worship, stocking our coffee bars, and making sure we entertain. What if we understood our primary obligation as a church was to set the table for nonjudgmental community?

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