Why We Do What We Do

When asked about Gathering Table, one of the most frequent questions that is asked, in one way or another, is basically "Why?". Why do you guys put on these community dinners? Why do you guys have bee hives and sell honey? What's the purpose of them?

I think this question is asked so often to us because people want to know our motives. What they really want to know, is "So, what's in it for you?" In fact, as humans, we ask these kinds of questions everyday. We want to know what motivates someone's actions, especially if the actions are good ones. And people recognize that it is a good thing to bring people who are different from one another together for a meal. So, understandably, they want to know, "Why?"

Our answer to this question can be summed up in one word:

Reconciliation

Photo: One of our recent Pop-Up Dinners in Old Town Clovis.

We can describe the purpose of Gathering Table in many ways: Community. To bring people together who are different from each other. To listen to each other's stories. To build empathy. But the word "Reconciliation" describes the answer beneath all these answers to "Why" we do what we do.

Simply put, reconciliation means the restoration of friendly relations. 1 Now, you may thinking, "Right on! Reconciling people to one another. Now there is a noble cause." And we would agree with you that that is a noble cause indeed! At our Pop-Up Dinners, we have seen radical Conservatives share a meal with radical Liberals; Christians, Atheists and Muslims sharing bread; pro-life with pro-choice; LGBTQ with anti-LGBTQ; Black, White, Hispanic, Indian and Asian ethnicities all around the same table. While we would agree with you, that reconciling people to one another is indeed a noble cause and part of the reason for the Pop-Up Dinners, that is not our primary purpose.

In Biblical terms, the word reconciliation has an even deeper meaning than simply restoration of friendly relations with each other. It means to be restored to the favor of God, or to recover God's favor. 2 Another way to put it, the primary purpose of Gathering Table is:

Breaking down barriers between people and God

Photo: Gathering Table's spot at the Collective 103 in Old Town Clovis, where we sell Spoon Rings and Raw Honey from our bee hives to support the ministry of Gathering Table.

We cannot be reconciled to each other as human beings without first being reconciled to God through Christ. Period. We have seen this front and center over the past 5 years in our world. People championing the cause of reconciliation to each other, yet finding out that their efforts are only breeding further division. This is why our cause is not reconciliation to each other, but reconciliation to God - sharing the message of reconciliation, that God has reconciled the world to himself through Christ. 3 When reconciliation to God happens first, reconciling to each other is a second natural byproduct that follows.

(Now, a side note here, I know this is a complex matter of being reconciled to each other, so I don't mean to oversimplify it, but this is the truth. Without being reconciled first to the one who created us and rules over everything, how can we even think that we can be truly reconciled to each other, both individually and as groups of people?)

You see, the barrier between people and God is sin. Our status of being in God's favor was lost the moment sin entered the world. 4 And ever since then sin, like a plague, has been causing separation from God in our individual lives and from each other. We can't escape it - you can't, nor can I. You know, those evil thoughts lurking deep down in our hearts, that no one else can see. The things we say or do or think, behind closed doors that we would be ashamed of if others knew. We all experience it, regularly. Sin is real. And it is the problem. Our problem - yours and mine. And worst of all, we have sinned against God. Broken his laws. Disobeyed his commands. And lost our good-standing with him. Because of our sin, we are at enmity with God, which is another way of saying we are his enemies. But the good news is that Jesus broke down this barrier once and for all through his death on the cross 2,000 years ago. Though he was without sin, he took our sin, so that we could receive his perfect, sinless life accredited to us by faith. 5 Because of Jesus, God does not count our sins against us. He only sees the perfect life of his Son Jesus when he looks at those who have been reconciled to him.

Now, this is not something that we earn or work to obtain. Jesus earned it for us. All that is left to do is receive it. For example, when a father leaves an inheritence to his son, there is nothing the son can do or not do to earn it. All there is for him to do is to receive it, because he is the father's son. If the inheritence is not received or taken hold of, then it is useless to the son. He gains no benefit from it. In the same way, God the Father gave us his Son Jesus so that we might have an inhertience with all the same benefits of his Son. All that is left for us to do is to receive it by faith.

The question is have you received it? Have you been reconciled/restored to the favor of God? Have you received the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ?

This is the ministry and the message of Gathering Table: "Be reconciled to God." 6 This is our "Why." Why we put on the community Pop-Up Dinners. Why we sell spoon rings and honey. Why we are crazy enough to go into bee keeping. Reconciliation. That by both our words and our actions, people might know that there is a God who loves them and has reconciled them to himself. He no longer counts their sins against them, and he has made them friends, and even more, as sons and daughters. And that all there is left to do is to receive this gift through faith.

Photo: An up close look into one of our bee hives.

Disclaimer - You do not have to agree with us about our why to sit at our table or to read this blog. In fact, we welcome those who disagree and have different views than us. We want you to stick around. But our conviction stays the same. We are convinced that these things are true. And we welcome honest conversations about them. So please, comment below, come to one of the dinners, let us get to know you and get to know us. We might find out we have more in common than we realize.

Blessings,

Jeff

Sources:

1 - Internet definition of Reconciliation, Restoration of friendly relations https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/reconciliation#google_vignette

2 - Biblical definition of Reconciliation, to be restored to the favor of God https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2644/niv/mgnt/0-1/

3 - 2 Corinthians 5:19 The message of reconciliation https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20corinthians%205%3A19&version=NIV

4 - Romans 3:23 all have sinned https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%203%3A23&version=NIV; Romans 5:12 sin came through Adam https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205%3A12&version=NIV

5 - 2 Corinthians 5:21 the great exchange of our sin for Jesus' righteousness through the Cross https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20corinthians%205%3A21&version=NIV

6 - 2 Corinthians 5:20 scripture's call to be reconciled to God https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20corinthians%205%3A20&version=NIV