The What and the Why of "Table Gatherings"
"The Son of Man came eating and drinking ..." (Matthew 11:19) In the church (meaning all gatherings of people who purport to follow Jesus Christ) there is often a discussion of why Jesus came to earth, but not as much emphasis is placed on how he came. Why did he come? Well many reasons are given - reasons to be explored and emulated. He came to seek and save those who were not part of his Kingdom. He came to defeat the power of the devil, the power of sin, and the power of death. He came proclaiming the Kindgom of God. This list is not exhaustive. Again, though, how did he come to earth? Simply, Jesus came with a posture reflecting his desire to present with people . People already within the faith community, people exploring who Jesus is, and those on the margins of society because (spoiler alert!) he loves people. That posture was often demonstrated through his willingness to share table fellowship (fancy for meals and beverages) with people.
