Welcoming Voices to the Table
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Light a candle if you wish, and take a moment to center yourself where you are for a time of reflection and prayer. Give thanks for something that you are carrying with you into this moment.
Reflect on the last time you found yourself lost in conversation. What was it about those moments that you found so memorable?
All God's children gonna sit together
Yes, all God's children gonna sit together one of these days
Hallelujah
All God's children gonna sit together
All God's children gonna sit together, one of these days
One of these days
— “The Welcome Table” (traditional)
And the table will be wide
And the welcome will be wide
And the arms will open wide to welcome us in
And our hearts will be open wide to receive
— Jan Richardson
Romans 15:7
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Food For Thought
One of my favorite books right now is I Have an Idea by Hervé Tullet. The funny thing is, it’s a children’s book. I received this book last year in a care package from my mom, and it has become a favorite go-to for our family. We read it almost every night, and every time I read it I grow to love it more.
I Have an Idea takes you on a journey of how an idea comes to be. Our ideas start as tiny seeds, but as you nurture and cultivate them, they can grow into something with the power to change the world.
My favorite line of the book is “with looking, comes finding” — the simple notion that if you are truly seeking a great idea, one can always be found.
Each time I read this book with my daughter, it inspires me to keep seeking and cultivating new ideas, and I can tell these affirming words are leaving an impression on her as well. Periodically, I’ll hear her quote them throughout the day, reminding me that my daughter is watching, listening, and formulating her own ideas both from the stories I tell and also from the stories unfolding, and shared by others, around her.
The idea that our lives are enhanced through the mutual sharing of life and story not only brings us closer together in community with one another; it also creates space around the table for other voices to join in.
May we continue to create and nurture opportunities for grace, conversation, and reflection within our own communities: recognizing within ourselves and others the belovedness that connects us more fully to each other and to God; practicing the radical vulnerability that allows us to be places of healing for one another; creating spaces where we find belonging; valuing our deep connectedness down to our very breath; and embodying the call to truly listen to the stories of one another in ways that can transform us and our world.
When we imagine and create welcoming spaces—where those around us are invited to be heard and to listen, to share and to be seen—we find ourselves welcomed together into new possibilities.
That is what this is all about! Your presence—your story—is a blessing!
How can you welcome voices to your table? What would it look like to start your own discussion group within your community?
Ice breakers are a great way to create opportunities for conversation with someone new and even with those you already know. You might even get a great story out of it.
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
For the Summer of Welcome Kids! reflection Click Here!
For the Summer of Welcome Kids! activity sheet Click Here!
Blessing
God of Welcome and New Possibility,
Help us to open ourselves to the story and ideas of one another. Help us to embrace the belovedness of those around us in a way that leaves us and our world transformed.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Think of an idea that you have had recently. Discuss what led you to that idea. Was it sudden or was it something that evolved over time?
Share a time when someone’s story allowed you to experience the world with new perspective and possibility.
Talk together about what welcoming spaces look and feel like to you. What is one thing you can do to cultivate spaces of welcome for the world around you?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Read I Have an Idea by Hervé Tullet or watch a read through online. Talk with your kiddos about the journey an idea takes before it comes to fruition.
Be creative! Come up with a new game or imagine a new story together.
Talk about what welcome means. What do you think of as welcoming? What makes you feel welcomed somewhere?
Meet This WEek’s Writer...
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
To hear more from TWT Team throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!