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"As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples." -Matthew 9:9-10
There's something undeniably holy about sitting down and sharing a meal with another person. There's something set-apart about inviting others to gather around a table with you to break bread. By doing this, not only are we sharing a common substance we all require to survive and to thrive, but we are making a statement that says "I want to take the time to be present with you and to delight in all you are".
Throughout the gospels, Jesus repeatedly engages in this form of prayer practice where he intentionally eats with strangers and friends, wealthy and poor, popular and disgraced.This got to the point that, when his disciples asked him for an undeniable sign to prove he had returned from the grave, he chose a meal to prove he had been brought back to life.
Something we know very well from his time and ours, is that who you choose to gather for a meal with matters, it says something about who you are and about who they are whether you intend it to or not. That is something we see on full display throughout the scriptures and is something we learned with absolute clarity while in school ourselves. Jesus knew the importance of his invitation to Matthew, he knew the repercussions it would bring from his critics... and yet he chose his audience well, revealing where his heart laid through the simplest invitation to gather.
As you gather around the table with your loved ones this Christmas season, may your bellies and hearts be filled with delight in the family and friends you see, as well as in the neighbors who remain unseen. May you share the deliciousness of our homemade sugar cake with those you hold dear and with who you desire to delight in a little extra this season.
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