Tomorrow, we begin our Wednesday series “Summer Together: Celebrating our Family of Faith.” Our first “Summer Together” will be about telling our stories, and it will be a great opportunity to get to know one another better. Rev. Deal has prompt cards to inspire us to share our stories with each other, and as we share, we will better know who the other people are in our family of faith.
Our church is like many churches. Some people know each other better than others. Some have known one another for many years, and others are just getting to know one another. Over time, we share laughter and tears, watch each other grow, and experience life’s ups and downs together.
When we take the sum of these various relationships, the natural result will be that people will know some people better than others. Even people who have known one another for 40+ years still don’t know everything about each other. Asking questions, sharing experiences, and spending time together is how we build stronger relationships. It’s how we get to know one another and grow stronger as a community of faith.
Matthew 9:10 says, “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.” This simple verse reminds us of a time when Jesus was doing a normal thing with some of his followers. They were sharing a meal. During this everyday activity, others joined him. In this case, “many tax collectors and sinners” joined because Matthew was a tax collector, and “tax collectors and sinners” were who he knew.
When we gather around tables, we engage in a holy activity. The table fellowship we share builds community. And, times like our “Summer Together” series make this fellowship a bit more intentional. Instead of gathering with no agenda, we gather with the idea that we are going to share something about ourselves. The conversation prompts that Rev. Deal will lead us to use will push us to tell our story to the other people at our table.
No one has to share anything they don’t want to share, and the entire experience should be uplifting, joy-filled, funny, and edifying for the body of Christ. I hope you plan to come to “Summer Together” tomorrow (Wednesday, June 12) at 5:30pm.
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