By Maggie Morey
The first piece of Wilshire worship I ever watched was mid-pandemic. In June 2020, for an online service, a few folks played “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen. The clip got shared and shared again until it ended up on my Facebook feed. They sang of an open table, of support and encouragement and care. They sang of community. During a time when tables were sparse, and connection was few and far between, that song was a balm to the heart.
Five years later, though we are out of quarantine and have long since been back together, does it feel as though our communities are becoming more connected or disconnected? Five years later, how are our tables, and how are our hearts?
In worship today, we will hear a new song by our own R.G. Huff and Ralph Manuel, “Make More Room at the Table.” Take a moment and read the lyrics in the worship folder. What words or phrases stand out to you? What images come to mind? If you imagine yourself at a table, where do you sit, and who is around the table with you?
This time of contemplation, as we prepare to worship with one another, let us turn our attention to this table the song reminds us of and that we are called to. The table, both as a place of community and a place for food, at the end of the day, is a place of sustenance. As we gather at the table — whether that is the table in our homes with friends and family or around the Lord’s table to share in communion — we are living out the abundant life of Christ. So often in the Gospels the kingdom of heaven is compared to a table or a banquet. We are made for and called to the fullness of the table.
This morning, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper; we will we pass the bread and the cup, and we will share in communion with one another. As we hear music of the table, may we feel the Spirit moving, adding chairs and expanding the table for shelter, for rest.