Mama Bear Moxie: Bring friends together at the dining table

My mom loves to host parties. She has spent most of her life making sure that her house is a welcoming, safe, and comfortable place. She has had many people come through her doors: from teenage friends who would raid the pop fridge, to countless family gatherings, to acquaintances that she was determined to make into new friends. Some of my most memorable moments as a child were eagerly awaiting the friends that would grace our dining table on weekends. My parents taught me that friendships were important and that they took effort. I remember multiple occasions when my parents would invite friends over with only a few hours of notice. That spontaneity taught me to not be fearful of the sweet blessing that can happen over an unintended dinner party.

I think that this idea of inviting people over really stemmed from the fact that we never lived near family. We had to create our local family by getting to know people better. Although I don’t have near as many people over for dinner as my mother did, I have tried my best to continue this tradition of sharing a meal with friends. The meal usually isn’t fancy because the food really isn’t the point; the important part is the people who surround it. Breaking bread with other people has allowed us to really cultivate a relationship with those families.

The idea of breaking bread over the dinner table isn’t a new one. The Bible is filled with stories of Jesus sharing a meal with others. Sometimes the meal was with his disciples, and sometimes it was with those whom were considered outcasts of society. Probably the most well-known meal is in Luke 19, when Jesus ate dinner with Zacchaeus, a tax collector despised by many.

When Jesus sat and ate with others, it opened the opportunity to build relationships. The relaxed atmosphere must have produced some of the best dinner conversation. I envision Jesus asking questions, smiling, and holding his belly as he tilted his head toward heaven to let out a laugh. I imagine there was pure joy at those tables. Do you think Jesus scoffed at the food? No, because it wasn’t about the food. The meal was shared as a common thread to bind people together. The food was simply a vessel to grow relationships.

Who will be gracing your table this holiday season? Would it be possible to add a chair for a friend? Don’t worry about the dust bunnies, the bathroom door that doesn’t close that well, or the food that you serve. Invite that person in your life that you would like to get to know better. Be Jesus to those people by giving yourself the opportunity to build a friendship.