Intermissionary and the Table
Intermissionary Retreats #1 and #2 are in the books, and quite possibly my favorite question to arise around the dinner table was this:
Where do I go from here? How do I maintain this sense of community in the real world?
Are you moving through a big life transition with trepidation: Afraid you will miss the will of God for your life, fearful you will never again do something as cool as you were doing; afraid you'll be lonely forever and forced to settle for whatever the "real world" hands you?
May I suggest you have a lot more control over the "real world" than you think you do, child of the Most High King.
Community Communion.
We celebrated communion on Friday night of both Intermissionary weeks. Jesus said, "do this to remember me." So we did. But like so many things in my faith, I didn't know how to "do" communion. I grew up in the Catholic Church, so I know how they do it, but how did Jesus do it?
The gospel of Mark explains it in exactly four verses.
They weren't even done eating. They didn't clear the table. Jesus didn't clink his wine glass with his fork. Nobody stood up. He just grabbed some bread, thanked God for it, blessed it and passed it around. Explaining to his chosen, favorite fishing buddies, something they could not yet understand.
So we just did that.
The Table
It happened around our table in Chamonix, France, casually, over a meal we prepared together. We just stopped, passed each other bread and wine and remembered Him.
So how do we maintain a sense of community back in the real world, my friend asked.
"You do this," I replied. "Make food, set it on a table and invite people over to eat it. While you're at it, ask a few good questions about things that matter and listen to the answers."
And remember Him.
Jesus does his best work over food. The Last Supper. Feeding the five thousand. Surprising the disciples with breakfast on the beach, when they thought he was dead.
He always invited them in to sit, eat and talk. To be together with Him. This is not magic, this is community.
So if you are struggling with loneliness in the wake of some transition, wondering where you fit in the world, don't wait for someone else to set the table and invite you. Do it yourself. Then give Jesus your table and let him run with it.
Registration for Intermissionary Colorado September 16-23rd is open. Early bird pricing is good until Friday July 14.