The Table of Grace

“When we break bread and share it with one another, we are participating in the very life of God.” — Henri Nouwen

I will never forget the day our church hosted its first all-church lunch gathering after the pandemic lockdowns. We were outside so people could go mask-free and sit together to eat.  We had fried chicken and a variety of delicious sides.  There was laughter — awkward at first, but real.

People who had worshiped together for years were seeing each other’s whole faces again. New members who had joined during the pandemic sat side by side with people they'd never officially met, pulling up folding chairs, holding their plates in their laps, sharing stories and a meal. 

For a few hours, the world outside seemed a little less divided, a little more human.  There was such incredible joy in the air.  

That moment felt sacred, and it reminded me that gathering for a meal has always been one of God’s favorite ways to build community. From manna in the wilderness to Jesus breaking bread with His disciples, the table has been the setting of divine grace.

When Jesus wanted to reveal the nature of His kingdom, He didn’t deliver a lecture — He hosted a meal. He welcomed the uninvited, the outcast, and the overlooked. Tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, fishermen — all found a place at His table. The bread He broke wasn’t just food; it was fellowship. The cup He passed wasn’t just wine; it was belonging.

In the early church, every meal became an echo of that first communion. They ate with “glad and sincere hearts,” not because life was easy, but because love was real. They understood that when you sit at a table where everyone has a place, you catch a glimpse of heaven.

Today, our tables can still be altars of grace. Every shared meal — whether in a kitchen, a coffee shop, a shelter, or a sanctuary — is an opportunity to embody the hospitality of God. When we feed others, we reflect the One who feeds the world. When we sit down together, barriers soften, and blessing begins.

And when we come together as a family of faith to share Holy Communion at the table that Jesus established with his followers with his Last Supper, we embody what it means to eat and drink together, united with all those who have come before us, and who will come after us.  

The vision of God's kingdom is glimpsed when the sacrament of the Lord's Table is open to everyone.  Jesus sets the table, not us.  

As it turns out, one of the best images of the kingdom of God is a dinner table.

Prayer

God of abundance,
thank You for every table where grace is shared.
Teach me to see meals not as transactions but as holy moments.
Let my home, my church, and my heart
be places of welcome and nourishment.
Bless the food we share and the people who gather,
until Your kingdom comes and every soul is fed.
Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Who has welcomed you to a table that made you feel seen and loved?

2. What would it look like to make your table — literal or figurative — a place of grace this week?

3. Who might need an invitation from you to share a meal, story, or sense of belonging?