Our Mission: Reconciliation.

Every week, we gather around tables to share a meal, worship, study the Scriptures, and discuss what God is up to within and among us as we turn our lives towards Jesus. Our way of getting people together for a church service flows directly from our mission: we are reconciling people to God and each other in Christ.

The Ministry and Message of Reconciliation.

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, the apostle Paul writes:

From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Paul writes to a group of home churches struggling to find their common identity and unity in Christ. Several differences in this community make gathering awkward or difficult: class, gender, ethnicity, political views, and personal histories. Not much different than any other congregation you will find today. Paul wants us to see here that in Christ, we have been made new and that central to following Jesus and representing him well is giving ourselves to the ministry and message of reconciliation. Discipleship (following Jesus and helping others do the same) requires us to do the hard work of true unity in Christ. Ultimately, the goal isn’t superficial unity or tolerance but mutual belonging anchored in the person and work of Jesus.

The ministry of reconciliation encourages us to be honest about differences, evaluate our beliefs, cling to what is good, and set aside that which conspires against our common faith and church family.  We belong to God and each other in Christ, and discovering this will take time, grace, truth, and patience.

At The Table, our gatherings should lend themselves to the ministry and message of reconciliation. We hope that people come and sense God’s Spirit, bringing them together with others around the good news of Jesus. The church is not some apolitical, quiet, moderate, or middle-ground community. Rather, it is a counter-cultural community whose communal life, words, and deeds are themselves a witness to the goodness, beauty, and truth of Jesus.

The God Who Reconciles.  

The first question in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:9 and comes from God: “Where are you?” This is not a geographical question (God knew where Adam and Eve hid…). Instead, the question is relational and spiritual– there had been a rupture between God and his people. Now, the human condition is one of lostness and alienation from God. As the story continues, we see that the rupture between God and his people led to the fragmentation of human relationships, as Adam and Eve find themselves in conflict with one another (Gen. 3), Cain murders his brother Abel (Gen. 4), and humanity unravels into total self-absorption and evil.

Yet, one can see throughout the story of Scripture that God moves towards us in grace and mercy, seeking what has been lost. God is not content with humanity remaining distant, so he comes to us in Christ, who reconciles. As Paul puts it in Colossians 1:19-20:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

The ministry and message of reconciliation are the totality of Jesus' ministry. Jesus himself states, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).” In Luke 15, we discover parables of lostness that reveal the core of our need and God’s love coming in Jesus to meet that need: The Lost Coin, The Lost Sheep, The Lost Sons. When each is found, there is an explosion of joy and feasts! This foreshadows that day when Christ returns, gathers his people, and we sit with God and each other again in total harmony (Rev. 19:6). The reconciliation of all things is a nice summary of the mission of Christ, and sharing a meal tends to be a meaningful space of joining God’s mission and practicing it in real-time.

The Church that Reconciles.

We want to join God in the message and ministry of reconciliation, a relational and spiritual task. The Church is the body of Christ, which means we continue the incarnational (intentionally present) work of Jesus in the world. This body is enlivened by the Holy Spirit, who breathes life into us as a "new creation community." By the power and presence of God's Spirit, we are mobilized to facilitate the ministry of reconciliation in our communities.

So, when you come to The Table, a good question to ask might be, "How can I play a small role in cultivating an environment of reconciliation?" Sometimes, it looks like lending an ear; other times, it means speaking a kind word. Still, other times, it might look like introducing someone who is sitting alone to those at your table. What better way to join God and practice this important mission than to sit down, share a meal, and talk about Jesus?