the table is set
Psalm 23:5 "You set a table in the presence of those who trouble me."
That sneaky little line from Psalm 23 often seems to sneak past our attention. Most of the psalm is quite pleasant, but when we get to that "valley of the shadow of death" part: look out! We'd rather, generally, stay beside the still waters where the shepherd safely guides us.
The psalm would be all platitudes without that valley, and without "those who trouble me," because it would not be as real as life. The valley is real, and the troublesome lot is real. They may be sitting near you while you're reading this. You may be in the walking through death valley right now.
In my tradition, on Sundays we read a cycle of readings we call the "lectionary." (Reading a set course of scripture across the annual seasons.) It's pretty cool, to me, that in a number of denominations, we're all hearing the same readings. We hear two readings from Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) and two from the New Testament. They are set by the Gospel reading, and it is filled in with other scripture looking from the perspective of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
What I value most about being "assigned readings" is the confrontation of Scripture. I don't get to choose the texts that I am called upon to preach from each week. They are given to me, given to us. They confront us. I am challenged, and we, as a community, are challenged to hear the complexity of the Bible without censorship! (and some of these stories seem to warrant censorship!)
What a great set-up for preaching! It is very-much like living life in a church community! In many of today's communities, we are able to self-select the people with whom we rub elbows. Not so in the church, you never know who you'll be kneeling next to: Get ready democrats, you will be breaking bread with republicans! Simply interested in being in a choir? You may get have to spend coffee hour with an advocate for social-justice! If you're an unquestioning believer, God may throw you in a pew with someone who's barely starting to wonder about the spiritual dimensions of life. That's church. Thrown in together, just like we're tossed onto this planet together; all God's children.
In the middle of it, there's a table that's been set for you. It's not your table (and it's certainly not mine!) It's not a table with your agenda, or a table from which your favorite Bible verse is always spoken. It's not a table for only your family, your race, your particular sexual orientation, your favorite food, or your trade. It's a table for God's Children. All of us.
God sets a table in the presence of those who trouble me. If you and I don't see eye to eye. God has a table set for us to share in the grace of Jesus Christ. That makes me uncomfortable because I sometimes mistakenly think I have things figured out. That's when God introduces me to a new dinner partner. That also means that when I feel like God is nowhere to be found (think: valley-of-the-shadow) I find a table set to sustain me, and I'm likely to be dining with the seemingly most-unlikely dinner guests.
That's how God works. The unchosen scripture. The unchosen dinner guest. The unlikely table set in the surprising places of our lives. What's set upon the table is God's own dinnerware, with God's own body on the plate, and God's own blood in the wine glass. God feeds us with God's own self. Our broken world is fed by God's broken body. And that may be the most troubling (and healing) part of it all. The broken places of our lives become unbroken by God's brokenness; when we dine together at THIS table, God and we become whole: One. All God's children.
That sneaky little line from Psalm 23 often seems to sneak past our attention. Most of the psalm is quite pleasant, but when we get to that "valley of the shadow of death" part: look out! We'd rather, generally, stay beside the still waters where the shepherd safely guides us.
The psalm would be all platitudes without that valley, and without "those who trouble me," because it would not be as real as life. The valley is real, and the troublesome lot is real. They may be sitting near you while you're reading this. You may be in the walking through death valley right now.
In my tradition, on Sundays we read a cycle of readings we call the "lectionary." (Reading a set course of scripture across the annual seasons.) It's pretty cool, to me, that in a number of denominations, we're all hearing the same readings. We hear two readings from Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) and two from the New Testament. They are set by the Gospel reading, and it is filled in with other scripture looking from the perspective of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
What I value most about being "assigned readings" is the confrontation of Scripture. I don't get to choose the texts that I am called upon to preach from each week. They are given to me, given to us. They confront us. I am challenged, and we, as a community, are challenged to hear the complexity of the Bible without censorship! (and some of these stories seem to warrant censorship!)
What a great set-up for preaching! It is very-much like living life in a church community! In many of today's communities, we are able to self-select the people with whom we rub elbows. Not so in the church, you never know who you'll be kneeling next to: Get ready democrats, you will be breaking bread with republicans! Simply interested in being in a choir? You may get have to spend coffee hour with an advocate for social-justice! If you're an unquestioning believer, God may throw you in a pew with someone who's barely starting to wonder about the spiritual dimensions of life. That's church. Thrown in together, just like we're tossed onto this planet together; all God's children.
In the middle of it, there's a table that's been set for you. It's not your table (and it's certainly not mine!) It's not a table with your agenda, or a table from which your favorite Bible verse is always spoken. It's not a table for only your family, your race, your particular sexual orientation, your favorite food, or your trade. It's a table for God's Children. All of us.
God sets a table in the presence of those who trouble me. If you and I don't see eye to eye. God has a table set for us to share in the grace of Jesus Christ. That makes me uncomfortable because I sometimes mistakenly think I have things figured out. That's when God introduces me to a new dinner partner. That also means that when I feel like God is nowhere to be found (think: valley-of-the-shadow) I find a table set to sustain me, and I'm likely to be dining with the seemingly most-unlikely dinner guests.
That's how God works. The unchosen scripture. The unchosen dinner guest. The unlikely table set in the surprising places of our lives. What's set upon the table is God's own dinnerware, with God's own body on the plate, and God's own blood in the wine glass. God feeds us with God's own self. Our broken world is fed by God's broken body. And that may be the most troubling (and healing) part of it all. The broken places of our lives become unbroken by God's brokenness; when we dine together at THIS table, God and we become whole: One. All God's children.
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