The Table & The Gift of Hospitality

In the book of Acts, we read about the early church:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” — Acts 2:42, 46

From the very beginning, the church has been more than a weekly gathering. It’s not just an hour and a half on a Sunday morning. Church is a people, a family, the body of Christ walking side by side through the joys and sorrows of life. It’s building relationships, sharing meals, and carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

At first, opening our hearts (or even our homes) can feel uncomfortable, but when we come to the end of ourselves and allow the Lord to surprise us, grace and joy abound. True community begins when we step out of our comfort zones, take a risk, and trust God to meet us there. Vulnerability in safe places with safe people is where the Spirit does the most beautiful work.

Here at Rutherford Bible Chapel, we practice this through The Table. The Table is a simple yet powerful way to follow Jesus’ example of table fellowship, making room for strangers and friends, and allowing God to weave our stories together over a shared meal.

Our next (and final) Table gathering of the year will be Sunday, October 19, 2025, from 6–8pm. Everyone is welcome! Simply sign up, and we’ll connect you with a group of about eight people in a host home. Just bring a dish to share, and come ready to give and receive fellowship around the table.

If you’re not able to attend, maybe you can invite someone from church to coffee, share a meal with a young family if you’re an empty nester, or meet at a park for a walk. Hospitality isn’t about a perfect home, but about creating space where others feel seen, loved, and welcomed.

Sharing a meal together can bridge us in so many ways:

• between generations, as older saints encourage the younger and younger ones bring fresh energy and joy

• between cultures, as we learn one another’s traditions, flavors, and stories

• between life stages, as singles, couples, parents, and grandparents share wisdom and laughter around the same table.

Meals remind us that though we are different in many ways, we all hunger, we all receive, and we all are nourished together.

One of my favorite parts of the RBC community is the rich cultural and ethnic diversity represented in our body. Ghana, Trinidad, Italy, the Czech Republic, Jamaica, Nigeria, India, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, Egypt, the Philippines, and even Midwestern America—just to name a few! Together, we form the body of believers that is Rutherford Bible Chapel today. This is what heaven will look like one day, people from every tribe and every nation worshiping the Lord (Revelation 7:9). How beautiful it is that we already get a taste of that here and now, walking with one another, tasting each other’s cooking, hearing each other’s stories, and experiencing the goodness of God in the unique image He has placed in each of us.

As I’ve been walking through the RBC Connect Spiritual Formation Cohort, I’ve been reminded that hospitality is more than opening a door; it’s opening our lives. To show hospitality is to say, “You matter. You bear God’s image. You are welcome here.” This practice not only reflects the heart of Jesus but also shapes us to become more like Him.

Reflection & Next Steps

• Is there someone you could invite into your week, around your table, for a coffee, or on a walk?

• What holds you back from practicing hospitality, and what small step could you take to move past that?

• How has God shown you His generous welcome, and how might you extend that same grace to others?

• Where can you lean into the diversity of our RBC community, perhaps by learning a new recipe, asking about someone’s story, or simply listening to the richness of another’s experience?

  Prayer

Lord, thank You for welcoming me into Your family through Jesus. Teach me to open my heart and my home with the same grace You’ve shown me. Help me see each person as made in Your image, worthy of care, love, and attention. Surprise me with the joy that comes when I step out of my comfort zone and into true community! Let my table, and my life, become a place where Your love is made visible. Amen.

Don’t miss it! Our last Table gathering of the year is Sunday, October 19, 2025, from 6–8pm. Sign up today, bring a dish to share, and join us as we taste and see the goodness of God together. Here’s the Sign Up Link - https://forms.gle/MHKJ7EYe3d9sh8zF9