What exactly do we bring to the table?

I  recently had the joy of having lunch with friends. It was truly a pleasurable experience for more than one reason. Firstly, I enjoyed the company of the people around me, they were people I wanted to be with and with whom I could easily spend hours on end. Secondly, there was wholesome, delicious food to eat and refreshingly enjoyable drinks. And thirdly, it was in a home that was welcoming and warm.

The hosts were easygoing, happy and ready to serve. The table was filled.  What a perfect setting for an enjoyable and memorable lunch experience.

As we were feasting on one delicious dish after the other, we realised that the hosts have prepared the favourite meals of the invited guests. So, even before we arrived, we were already in the minds and hearts of our hosts. They knew us, they knew what we enjoyed and they prepared just that for us.

While we were eating, our hosts were continuously saying things like, “take some more”, “can I pass this on to you”, “would you like some more to drink?”. These questions and suggestions to the guests speak of the host’s desire for the guests to share with them, to be part of their meal and to enjoy deeply with them.

During the meal we recalled other memorable occasions and then shared those with each other to enjoy once more.

Around such a table we experience the true nature of community. To be intimately close with others, serving, caring and sharing with each other. An enjoyable lunch is not just about the food; we bring ourselves to the table.

The most exquisite meal can be tasteless when there are tensions and hostility around the table. It is only when we bring ourselves completely and we place ourselves at the service of others and we are willing to share about ourselves around the table that we really enjoy the feast–the food and the people.

In our organisations, this is also true. Each board room and meeting room is the table where colleagues gather. Our plans, ideas, progress reports and presentations and so on are the dishes we place on the table for each other to enjoy. Our attitudes of understanding, constructive feedback, genuine praise, appreciation and congratulations are what we feed from during the meeting to experience the sense of community within our organisation.

Often this is not the case, however. Many times we bring suspicion, hidden agendas, attacks and unfair criticisms to the table.

And we reap the results of that as well. How many times have we not heard people say: “Oh please, not another meeting.” Such expressions speak volumes of what happens during meetings and what the state of community within the organisation is.

The meeting table is also a place where we have to bring ourselves, to truly share where we are at, what we are struggling with, where we are succeeding and this needs to be received with an attitude of genuine appreciation for what is going well and positive, constructive feedback on how we can move forward in the areas that are challenging.

Whether it is a lunch table or a meeting table: the table is the place where we can become food for each other. It is a place where we can experience Christ who has prepared a table for us.