Making Room for Others

Several hundred years ago, in Florence, Italy, there was an enormous slab of marble that had been abandoned by artists who believed it was unusable.

The stone had imperfections, cracks, and problems that made it difficult to work with. For decades, it sat there because nobody believed anything worthwhile could come from it.

Then a young artist named Michelangelo came along. He studied the stone, saw something that others couldn't see, and began the painstaking process of carving. Over the next several years, he transformed that rejected piece of marble into one of the most recognizable works of art in history: the statue of David.

There's a story that a young child once looked at Michelangelo's finished work and asked him, “How did you know he was in there?”

I love that question because Michelangelo saw something in that piece of stone that nobody else could see. Where others saw something useless, he saw something beautiful waiting to be revealed.

And I believe God is asking us to do something similar with our tables.

Throughout this series, we've been talking about the importance of seeing the table differently. Not simply as a place where we eat, do homework, fold laundry, or pile up everything we don't know what to do with, but as a place where God can do something extraordinary.

We've talked about the Table of Hope, which is the Lord's Table; the Table of Identity, which is the family table; and the Table of Authenticity, which is the church table. Now we're turning our attention to the fourth and final table: the Table of Hospitality, or the Table of Mission.

And here's what I want us to understand: Grace doesn't make my table smaller. Grace makes my table bigger.

What If Your Table Could Change Someone's Life?

I believe Christian hospitality is one of the most beautiful and distinctive expressions of our faith. In a culture that feels increasingly divided, isolated, and disconnected, hospitality may be one of the greatest ways we can introduce people to Jesus.

And the beautiful thing is that we don't necessarily need another program, strategy, or event to make that happen. Sometimes we simply need to see the table in our home differently.

What if your table could become the place where someone encounters Jesus? What if the person who doesn't know God, who feels disconnected from the Church, or who has been wounded by religion could experience the love of Christ through a simple meal and a genuine relationship?

When we look at the life of Jesus, we discover that He understood the power of the table better than anyone.

Luke 15:1–2 tells us that tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to hear Him. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law were offended. They complained because Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them.

Now, we need to understand something about that culture. Sharing a meal with someone wasn't simply about eating food. It communicated acceptance, relationship, and fellowship. And for the religious leaders, there were certain people who simply didn't deserve a place at their table.

Jesus challenged that thinking.

He was perfectly holy and without sin, yet He consistently chose to share meals with people whom the religious leaders considered unworthy. He wasn't compromising His convictions or giving people permission to continue in sin. He was demonstrating that holiness could move toward brokenness rather than away from it.

Jesus didn't lower the standards of holiness. He challenged the boundaries of hospitality.

Where Theology Takes on Flesh

One of the things I love about Jesus is how often He used a meal to reveal something about the kingdom of God. The table became the place where His theology took on flesh. The invisible realities of God's character became visible through His interactions with people.

At Simon's house, Jesus demonstrated the theology of grace. At a meal with five thousand people, He revealed something about evangelism and provision. At Mary and Martha's home in Bethany, He demonstrated the importance of relationships.

At meals with religious leaders, He challenged their understanding of holiness and the kingdom of God. At the Last Supper, He taught His disciples about sacrifice and what it meant to follow Him. And after His resurrection, He continued using meals to reveal Himself and restore relationships.

Over and over again, Jesus used the table to demonstrate the kingdom of God.

For the Pharisees, the table was often a reward. You had to meet certain moral and religious expectations before you were considered worthy of an invitation. But for Jesus, the table was a place of mission and redemption.

When Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, He wasn't affirming everything about their lives. He was moving close enough to invite them into something new.

And that's what makes Christian hospitality so powerful.

The table is where proximity creates an opportunity for redemption.

We don't have to agree with everything about someone's life to love them. We don't have to wait until someone believes what we believe before inviting them into our homes. We can move toward people with the same grace and compassion that Jesus demonstrated.

Holiness doesn't have to be threatened by brokenness. In the life of Jesus, holiness moved toward brokenness to bring restoration.

The Great Commandment and the Great Commission

Jesus gave His followers two responsibilities that help define the Christian life.

The first is the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, where Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all nations. We are called to share the good news, introduce people to Jesus, and help them become His followers.

The second is the Great Commandment. Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Now here's what I want you to consider.

The table may be one of the simplest places where we can fulfill both at the same time.

When I invite someone into my home, share a meal, and begin building a genuine relationship, I'm loving my neighbor. And at the same time, I'm creating space for that person to encounter the gospel.

I'm not trying to manipulate the conversation or force a particular outcome. I'm simply making room for a relationship where the love of Jesus can be experienced.

The early Church understood this. John Chrysostom, one of the great preachers of the early Church, spoke about the importance of the altar in the church and the table in the home. He encouraged believers to practice hospitality and care for others beyond their church gatherings.

That's the kind of Church I want us to become.

I don't want Stonecreek to simply be one big table where everybody gathers on Sunday mornings. I want us to be a Church with hundreds of tables throughout Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Mahomet, Monticello, Tuscola, and the surrounding communities.

One table where we gather together to worship, and many tables where we live out the gospel throughout the week.

Because the mission of the Church was never intended to remain inside the walls of a building.

The Story of a Father Who Made Room

When Jesus was criticized for eating with sinners in Luke 15, He responded by telling three stories.

First, He told the story of a shepherd who had one hundred sheep but lost one. The shepherd left the ninety-nine to search for the one that was missing.

Then Jesus told the story of a woman who lost a valuable coin. She searched her entire house until she found it.

And finally, Jesus told the story we often call the parable of the prodigal son.

A younger son demanded his inheritance while his father was still alive. In that culture, it was an extraordinary insult, essentially communicating that he wanted his father's possessions more than he wanted a relationship with his father.

Yet the father gave him the inheritance, and the son left home. He wasted everything through reckless living until he found himself desperate, hungry, and feeding pigs. Eventually, he came to his senses and decided to return home.

But there's another son in the story.

The older brother never left home. He stayed close to the father, followed the rules, and did what he was supposed to do. Yet when his younger brother returned, he was angry that the father would welcome him back.

And that's where Jesus reveals something profound.

The younger son represents the sinners who had wandered far from God. The older brother represents the religious leaders who were offended by the grace Jesus was showing. One son was lost outside the house, while the other was lost inside it.

But the most important character in the story isn't either son. It's the father.

The father represents God, and what he does is extraordinary. He doesn't wait for his son to prove himself worthy of forgiveness. He sees him while he's still a long way off, runs toward him, embraces him, and welcomes him home.

Then he gives three instructions.

First, he calls for a ring to be placed on his son's finger, restoring his identity and position in the family. Then he calls for new clothes, replacing the evidence of where his son has been. And finally, he tells the servants to prepare the fattened calf so they can celebrate.

In other words, the father says, “Let's eat.”

The father doesn't simply forgive his son and send him on his way. He restores him to the family and makes room for him at the table.

That's the heart of God.

The story isn't merely about a son who wandered away. It's about a father whose grace was greater than anyone expected.

And I wonder if our tables could become places where people experience that same kind of welcome.

Learning to B.L.E.S.S. Our Neighbors

Last week, we talked about a simple way to build Christian community around the table. We can eat together, ask questions, read the Bible, discover how to live it out, and always remember the empty chair—the person who isn't there yet.

Now I want to take that idea one step further.

How do we use our tables to bless people who don't yet know Jesus?

There's a simple framework that I want to share with you, and it's built around the word BLESS.

B — Begin with Prayer

Who are you praying for who doesn't know Jesus? Who has God placed in your life, your neighborhood, your workplace, or your circle of influence? Before you ever extend an invitation or begin a conversation, start by praying for that person.

Ask God to help you see them the way He sees them. Pray for their needs, their family, their circumstances, and their relationship with Him. Hospitality begins long before someone sits down at your table.

L — Listen

One of the greatest gifts you can give another person is your attention. Before you begin telling someone everything you know, take time to listen to their story.

Jesus was constantly asking questions. He was curious about people, and He made room for them to speak. We need to learn to be curious about people rather than simply certain about them.

When we listen, we begin discovering points of connection. Maybe you share an interest, a life experience, a struggle, or something you both enjoy. Those little moments of recognition become bridges that allow relationships to grow.

E — Eat

There's something powerful about sharing a meal with someone. I've traveled around the world, and some of the most meaningful experiences of hospitality I've had were simply sitting in someone's home and enjoying a meal they prepared.

Food has a way of opening doors and bringing people together. It creates an environment where conversation happens naturally and relationships can develop without pressure.

You don't need to prepare an elaborate dinner. You simply need to make room for someone.

S — Serve

How can you practically demonstrate the love of Jesus to someone?

Maybe it's helping with a project, meeting a need, offering encouragement, or showing up during a difficult season. The goal isn't to serve someone so they'll eventually attend your church or agree with your beliefs. It's to love them without expecting anything in return.

True Christian service isn't manipulation. It's a genuine expression of the grace we've received from Jesus.

S — Share Your Story

Finally, as the relationship develops, look for opportunities to share what Jesus has done in your life. You don't have to explain everything you know about the Bible or answer every theological question. Sometimes the most meaningful thing you can do is share a part of your story that connects with what someone else is experiencing.

Tell them how Jesus has met you in your struggles, how He's changed your life, or how you've experienced His grace.

And trust the Holy Spirit with the outcome.

The goal of BLESS isn't to control people or manufacture conversions. It's to make room for people to encounter Jesus through genuine relationships.

Grace Makes My Table Bigger

As we come to the end of this series, I want to return to the picture of Michelangelo standing before that enormous piece of marble.

Others saw something that wasn't worth their time. They saw imperfections, problems, and reasons to walk away. But Michelangelo saw something beautiful that nobody else could see.

I believe God wants to give us that same kind of vision for the people around us.

We live in a world where it's easy to categorize people, dismiss them, disagree with them, or decide they don't belong at our table. It's easy to surround ourselves with people who think like us, believe like us, and live like us.

But that's not how Jesus lived.

Jesus moved toward people others avoided. He shared meals with people others rejected. He made room for people who had been told there was no place for them.

And He calls us to do the same.

Grace doesn't make my table smaller. Grace makes my table bigger.

So here's my question for you: Who needs to be at your table who hasn't been there yet?

Who is God placing on your heart? Who in your neighborhood, workplace, family, or community needs to experience the love of Jesus through a genuine relationship?

Maybe the first step isn't inviting them to church. Maybe the first step is inviting them to dinner.

Begin with prayer. Listen to their story. Share a meal. Find a way to serve them. And when the opportunity comes, share what Jesus has done in your life.

You may never know what God can do through something as simple as an invitation.

Because your table might be the very place where someone discovers that Jesus has been making room for them all along.