It’s Friday, so you know what to do! Slow down, review the passages we looked at this week, and pray. Invite the Spirit to move you to a change of heart and a change in actions.
Reflect
As you read over the passages from this week, consider who Jesus invites to his table? How can we imitate his behavior?
Connect
God has set a big, beautiful, open table, and he’s given us the task of extending his invitation to everyone who will respond. So who are we going to invite?
Too often we gravitate to people who look like us, share the same background, and live the same kind of lifestyle. If we follow our impulses down this path, we’ll exclude others and may even find their differences threatening. But God’s table is not a place of sameness, but a place of beautiful diversity where unity is found in Jesus himself.
As we think about sharing the message of Christ’s love with the overwhelmed in our community, we may have to step outside our comfort zones. Let’s not let ethnic, racial, or class lines keep us from reaching out. We might be surprised at who responds.
Love should flow in and through a God’s family. Love from the heavenly Father who sent his Son to save humanity. Love from the Son who came to serve others and bring the lost home. Love from the Spirit who was sent to teach, guide, and empower. As recipients of such abundant, overflowing love, we should be more than willing to pour out what we receive into the lives of others. Let’s gather around all kinds of tables with all kinds of people and share the love of Christ.
Respond
What is your biggest takeaway this week? How you can you expand your social circle to include a more diverse group of people? What might you gain from getting to know people who are different from you?
Think about who you’d like to share a meaningful conversation with in the next few months. Pray over the names and begin to make a plan about how you might approach them to get to know them better.
The Unity Table is a local organization created to drive people towards Christ and community rather than causes. It challenges us to be intentional about gathering with others who don’t look like us; where questions can be asked, lessons can be learned and perspectives are broadened as we appreciate the special ways that God has created each of us.
Check out some of their resources at unitytable.com. Then pick out one person who is different from you with whom you’d like to share a meal and have a meaningful conversation.