I’m struck in the Gospels how much time Jesus spends with people around a table or sharing a meal. One of my favorite scenes in John is found in chapter 21, when Jesus invites his disciples to breakfast. This is after Jesus has died and has been raised from the dead. The disciples are once again out on their boat fishing and are catching nothing. Jesus yells from the shore and tells them to try the net on the right side of the boat and they catch a huge haul of fish. Here’s what follows in vs. 9-14, “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
I can just imagine the scene and it is so intimate and ordinary. There are many scenes like this one during Jesus’ ministry. I can’t help but think how transformative they were for the people who got to be with Jesus. There is something about sharing a meal, about conversation around a table that opens the door for deeper relationship and shared story. That’s what we have discovered throughout our years of ministry. Some of our most sacred times have been while we have hosted people in our home or have been invited to a meal at someone else’s home. This past month it struck me how this ministry around the table continues even as we are on ECC Ministry Assignment. 

One of the things we are most grateful for are the evening meals at the table with our boys. They have turned into really special times of sharing from our hearts, talking about how we respond to current events, telling each other what we are learning. There is often laughter and sometimes tears. It feels really sacred to share these spaces and times with our teenagers and we don’t take it for granted.

This month we have visited ministry partners and have been hosted in homes and much of the time has been spent around a table or sharing a meal. On Friday we shared soup and chili with friends from the Covenant churches in Biwabik and Virginia. There was time to answer questions and learn about the people around the table. On Saturday we had a meal with friends at Salem Covenant in Duluth. Again, the personal setting provided time to really share with each other and for us to feel more connected. As we are hosted in homes we are extremely grateful for the connections that are made over a cup of coffee, a delicious breakfast, or yummy chicken curry. This weekend we were reminded how connected we are, as we found out one of our hosts was a pastoral intern at the church Katie grew up in when she was five. It was fun to look at pictures and see familiar faces. It was also really sacred to be welcomed into the home of two young leaders and their children and for the conversation to be real and transparent. These are moments we cherish as we are able to share and encourage, and also be transformed by those we sit at the table with.