We met at the community table

A few weeks back, our youngest son came to visit for the weekend before my wife’s birthday.  On Sunday, after church, we decided to go out to eat.  We were all craving breakfast food, and we eventually ended up at First Watch.  We had been there a couple of times before, and the food is excellent.  But as we walked up, I groaned.  They were obviously very busy, and there were people waiting outside for a table.  I really wasn’t in the mood to wait for what looked like at least an hour, but we went up to their reception desk to ask anyway.

The place was packed.  Waiters and waitresses zooming around everywhere.  “Yeah, it’s going to be a while,” the reception lady told us.  Then her face changed, like she got an idea.  After looking back over her right shoulder, she asked us, “You only have three people, right?”  “Yes,” I said.  What she offered next completely caught me off guard.  “Well, you could take a seat at our community table.  There are three seats open there.”

I had no idea what a community table at a restaurant entailed, but I was happy to grab a seat and get some food.  She led us back to a long, tall table with four tall chairs on either side.  There were two women facing each other at one end and a family of three at the other.  Just enough room for my wife and me to sit across from our son. 

We were completely surrounded by strangers; close enough to bump elbows and have to shift drinks and plates around so everyone could manage their food.  Everyone politely smiled, saying hellos and good mornings.  The waitress brought us menus, and as we scoped out what we wanted, we realized that our new neighbors had already ordered some of what we were considering.  That right there started multiple conversations about recommendations and personal favorites.  From that point on, you would have had no idea that the people sitting around the community table didn’t know each other just an hour ago.  Sometimes the conversation involved everyone, other times three different discussions were happening at once.  We talked about colleges (our son and the family’s daughter were going to different local universities), travel (the father was from Italy), career choices (the lady to my wife’s left was in the army, the mother to my right had held a variety of interesting occupations), and sports (football vs futbol)…anything that helped tell the story of how we all ended up a community table, eating breakfast for lunch on a Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Everyone else at the table finished before we did, and we ended up leaving before anyone else came to the community table.  We left with stunned smiles on our faces, wondering exactly what we had just unexpectedly experienced.  We couldn’t quite wrap words around it, but we all agreed – that was cool.

Experiences like this make me think that I got a glimmer of what heaven is going to be like.  There are going to be scores of people we’ve never met – each with a life story of how they ended up there.  The tie that will bind all of us together will be that we believed in Jesus for eternal life (John 3:16), but how we came to that point and how God worked in our lives will be fascinating. 

The same John that recorded John 3:16 was later given a vision – a revelation – of what the future of humanity will be like.  When thinking of our community table breakfast, one of things John saw comes to mind:

Revelation 7:9
After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

What a sight that will be!  I can’t wait to see it…and I’m also looking forward to eating at that community table!

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Keep your mouth shut

One of my first jobs was in an environmental testing lab, and, for a time, there were three of us working together in the small sample preparation room.  Due to the equipment all around the room, there was always a steady background noise.  Although we got used to hearing the ambient noise, it did tend to make conversations across the room a little difficult.

One day, I was working on one side of the room while my two co-workers were on the other side.  They were having a causal conversation about something, but I could only hear bits and pieces of what they were saying.  From what I could gather, they were talking about a certain painter, but it was someone who typically did not come up in day-to-day conversation. 

Wanting to somehow insert myself into the conversation so I could also participate, I called across the room, “Hey, didn’t they make a movie about him recently?”.  They both turned to look at me with blank, yet irritated expressions.  After a few moments’ pause (which felt like forever), one of them said to me, “That’s literally what was said like five minutes ago.”  I felt foolish for forcing my way in to their conversation, and I had added nothing to it.  They turned their backs toward me and continued their discussion.  I knew in that moment, I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Figuring out when to speak and when to stay silent is a good lesson to learn when you’re young and starting out in your career.  However, the same desire to insert yourself into conversations or moments can sneak back in, even in things we are confident with.  For example, I like to teach.  It’s one of the reasons why I write this blog.  But as much as I like to teach through writing, there is something special when I get to teach others in a live setting.  I really enjoy watching as the light bulb of peoples’ minds turn on.  Sometimes it’s an instant “AHA!”; other times it’s like a dimmer switch gradually increasing, until they finally grasp what has been communicated to them.

Watching as God brings His light to others and getting to participate in the process is one of my favorite things.  It’s how God has gifted me, and it’s so good to work in the areas that He has gifted us.  But when it’s someone else doing the teaching?  It’s really hard not to jump into the conversation so that I (as a fellow teacher, of course) can “help”. 

Does this sound familiar?  If so, then perhaps we can take tip from Jesus’ disciples:

Before Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He had sent His disciples into town to buy food.  They were not there when Jesus initiated the conversation with the woman.  They didn’t know that Jesus spoke about her failed marriages and sinful living arrangements.  They had not heard her question about worship or when Jesus’ offered her eternal life.  In fact, the text indicates that the disciples arrived right after Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah.

John 4:27
Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman.  Yet no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Although it was taboo – and borderline scandalous – in the customs of Jewish society for Jesus to talk to any woman, let alone a Samaritan woman, the disciples did not openly question Jesus or the woman.  They knew and respected Jesus enough to not question either person.  Even Peter, who stuck his foot in his mouth on several occasions, was silent…

There wasn’t anything the disciples could have added to the conversation.  The teacher had already taught enough for the student to process.  Any additional points or ignorant questions about the situation could have completely derailed the Samaritan woman’s thought process.  Thankfully, all 12 of the disciples observed the situation and came the same conclusion:

They realized it was best, in this moment, to keep their mouths shut.

When walking into someone else’s conversation, especially a spiritual conversation, it’s often best to stay silent.  Even if we want to add something.  Even if we think we can “help”.  Crashing the conversation with our own questions/accusations/comments will have a bigger chance of derailing what God is doing instead of enhancing it.

Perhaps they (and God) don’t need our input at this particular time.  Maybe they will invite us into the conversation or ask us a question.  If that happens, then by all means, jump in and help as best as you know how. 

So let’s trust God not only with our words, but also with our silence.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A funny thing happened on the way through Samaria

Jesus and His disciples are traveling, on foot, from the southern region of Judea to the northern region of Galilee.  In between the two was the region of Samaria.

John 4:4-8
He had to travel through Samaria; so He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from His journey, sat down at the well.  It was about noon. 

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
“Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because His disciples had gone into town to buy food.

She came alone and at noon.  Both details are unusual.  Women would normally go to wells in groups for safety and during the cooler parts of the day.  Based on other details we will learn later, this woman was likely treated as an outsider in her town.  Although she was giving up on having safety in numbers and she was working during the hottest part of the day, her choice would at least ensure that she could avoid interacting with those who disapprovingly looked down on her.

This tactic sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  Even today, we avoid contact with others if we expect a negative situation.  We go to great lengths to avoid conflict.  And we will choose avoiding conflict even if it puts us at a disadvantage in other areas of our lives.  To avoid tense situations, we’ll go at it alone, even though we know that life is supposed to be lived in community.  We choose to do our work at the hottest part of the day, just to avoid dealing with that person.  We often choose to hide rather than risking the uncomfortable tension that could happen.

One of the disciples would have been carrying the typical traveler’s vessel (made from animal skin) for drawing water, which they could let down the well with a rope.  However, Jesus had sent His disciples into the town to buy food.  As such, Jesus has no means to pull up water from the well.  The text tells us that He was worn out from His journey, and He was likely thirsty, too.  However, asking for assistance from an unfamiliar Samaritan woman was way out-of-bounds in ancient society.  And yet, Jesus still initiated a conversation…which totally caught the woman off-guard:

John 4:9
“How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him.  For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

A proper Jewish response to the situation would have been to out-right ignore her, pretending she wasn’t even there.  Knowing Jewish custom and prejudices, she is very surprised that Jesus spoke with her at all.  But to ask for a drink of water from her vessel?  Totally unheard of.  And, if we think about it, Jesus’ request also implies that she’d have to draw it for Him.  Fulfilling His request would mean doing all the hard work of sending the water jar down the well via a rope, scooping the water, and pulling the jar back up before presenting it to Him.

The point here is that Jesus started a conversation with an outcast, someone that society’s rules said He wasn’t supposed to associate with – let alone use their dishes!  By initiating this conversation, Jesus broke through two levels of prejudice: first, He spoke to a Samaritan, and second, He spoke to a woman. 

For a Jewish man to speak to a Samaritan woman was so unusual in society, and she probably had never experienced a similar conversation.  One could even argue that she represents an oppressed minority, which is still a common reality in much of today’s Middle Eastern culture.  However, Jesus was neither racist nor sexist. 

As their conversation progresses, Jesus will offer her His free gift of eternal life.  It’s not that she deserved His offer of eternal life as much as the Jews, because none of us deserve eternal life.  However, Jesus loves her enough that He will offer it to her – an oppressed minority, a social outcast, a person who avoids others out of shame and guilt.  Jesus met her where she was and offered her eternal life.

So we see that cultural prejudices and societal restrictions are not barriers to the good news of who Jesus is.  Those same prejudices and restrictions also do not hinder our ability to believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Jesus was willing to reach across those lines.  We should be, too.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Getting face time with God

I rarely get into long conversations via phone.  Since I live many states away from most of my family, I’m sure this drives them nuts.  Part of my hang up with phone conversations is how only hearing someone’s voice hinders our ability to communicate.  It can be hard to focus on the person we’re speaking with when they are not physically in front of us.  We lose out on seeing facial expressions and body language – both of which are significant contributors to how we communicate with each other.  It’s just not the same as face to face.

Prayer can sometimes feel similar, like an incomplete discussion or like we are have a one-way, long-distance conversation.  How much better would it be to sit on the couch and talk with Jesus than to sit on the couch and pray to Jesus?

In John’s final descriptions of the New Jerusalem, he tells us that

Revelation 22:3-5
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will worship Him.  They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.  Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.

There are some special privileges listed here for those servants.  The first one to note is in verse 4 – They will see his face.

There were many key people that God partnered with in the ages, many who shared a close friendship with God and did great things for him.  One of God’s most intimate friendships was with a man named Moses.  God and Moses met together on numerous occasions, and God’s presence was constantly manifested with the nation of Israel during Moses’ leadership.  If you were looking to identify which individual in history has had the most direct interaction with God, it would be very difficult to argue against Moses being that guy.

On one occasion, Moses reverently asked God “Please, let me see Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18).  Check out God’s response:

Exodus 33:19-23
He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you…” But He added, “You cannot see My face, for humans cannot see Me and live…you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”

Although he was thisclose with God, Moses was unable to see God’s face.

Many years later, Paul – who had his own direct encounter with the glorified, risen Christ – wrote this to the believers in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

How different is it talking to someone on speakerphone verses calling them on Skype?  How much more intimate is it to speak with someone face to face, rather than talking with them from separate rooms?  Seeing God’s face is a new level of intimacy with God that will be available in the New Jerusalem. 

And that is something to look forward to.

Keep Pressing,
Ken