By: Rev. David Wilson Rogers
There is something uniquely special about the kitchen table. It is, perhaps, the most multi-purposed piece of furniture in the whole house. It is also a powerful symbol of authentic Christian faith and practice.
The kitchen table is typically a simple piece of furniture. Generally speaking, it has four legs and a flat surface. It may be larger or smaller, it may be expandable, it may seat only two, perhaps a few more. Yet, it remains a simple table.
It is at the kitchen table where life happens. It may be a place to collect bags of newly-purchased groceries while they await storage elsewhere in the kitchen. It is where kids spread out the day’s homework. It is dirtied up by the messiness of making meals and then cleaned for a space where the family may sit down and enjoy the meal. It is where bills are spread out and plans laid out. It is at the kitchen table where the family discusses the basics of life—how one’s day went, what happened at work today, and where one will be tomorrow. The kitchen table is where good friends sit down for a warm cup of coffee and where cookie dough is rolled out so friends may enjoy the blessing of sweet treats.
Sometimes life’s difficult times happen around the kitchen table as well. Disagreements over everything from politics to school work, or a family argument can spark heated discussions around the kitchen table. Couples may fuss and fret over making ends meet at the table. Broken hearts are poured out and angry frustrations are vented at the kitchen table.
Unlike its formal cousin in the dining room, the kitchen table is a place where formality gives way to familiarity. At the kitchen table, it is “come as you are” and there is little need to put on the formal presumptions. It is where people can relax and be who they are.
Although modern furniture and customs are tremendously different today than they would have been in Jesus’ day, the spirituality of the kitchen table remains a powerful example that Christ truly embodied. Jesus ate with people. Jesus called people in just as they were and shared with them in the blessings of conversation and companionship. At the table with Jesus, people felt welcome and inclusion; blessing and hope. Jesus never limited his table to only certain types of people, but welcomed everyone to join in the blessings of companionship and love shared around the table. Jesus also saw the time around the table as a time to teach. Whether it was reminding the people of the tremendous sacrifice soon to take place (“this is my body, broken for you and this is my blood, shed for you), or using the occasion of the shared meal to illustrate the abundance of faith (consider feeding over 5,000 men on just a few loaves and fish), table time for Jesus was sacred time; godly time!
A school teacher once reported that the overwhelming majority of students rarely, if ever, experience the simple ritual of sitting down at a kitchen table with family and enjoying a meal. In some cases, homes have no kitchen table, or if they do, it is rarely used to its fullest potential or is replaced by fast food and TV trays. Yet, there is so much to be gained by families gathering around kitchen tables to join together in the messiness, craziness, and ambiguity of life. It can be the true center of a beautiful life lived in and through Christ.
One may think of this as a kitchen table spirituality—a spiritual life and way of living that mirrors the kitchen table in life. A spirituality that is not afraid of getting soiled while preparing nutrition for others. A place where life’s ups and downs are straightened out, where lives come together and blessing happens. A spirituality that is real, tangible and biblical.
