Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 
Acts 2:46-47

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If my memoir had a title, it would be Everything I Know about Life I Learned at Church Camp. I just returned from Willow’s Camp Paradise, where God rocked my world yet again.

But for this devotion, I return to a specific place in my childhood camp experience—the tables in The Mess Hall. I wonder if that hall was named mess, not just because we threw food occasionally but because conversations in it got extremely messy around the large round table that sat eight young campers every summer. When you’re with friends and one semi-adult (counselor),  voices grow genuine and honest, especially as we grew into young women and in our relationship with Christ Jesus.

Speaking of Jesus, he was in our midst at all the meals and in all the songs we sang as we pounded on the tables. But one song always brought tears to my eyes. It started with this verse, “He brought me into his banqueting table, His banner over me is love…”

Today, as I read the passage from Acts 2:46-47, I am reminded again about the love of my friends that I experienced around that table at camp many years ago. Hanging with my Christ-following friends helps keep me steady in lifting Jesus’s love banner high in this sad and sorry world. Did you notice in the passage that the disciples of Christ met at the temple and around the table and shared food and their lives? 

Before Dave and I moved to a new-old fixer-upper-retirement house, we accidentally bought a long table that didn’t quite fit into our old house. Sometimes, I wonder if it was the very reason we moved. Does Jesus want to fill that table with new friends, old friends, Christ-followers, and those who don’t know Him yet? 

Of course, he does!

Lately, this is how I picture Heaven: all our tables are long and wide. He invites us all to the table where we sing together, “Grace, grace, God’s grace,” as a completely unified community. We can do that here on Earth, too.

Next Steps

Who is sitting at your table? The early church made a habit of eating together regularly. There is something about sharing a meal that creates fellowship. Consider how you could open the table at your home to friends and strangers alike. Perhaps it’s partnering with a friend to hold a weekly or bi-weekly gathering around a meal. It can be as simple as a good old-fashioned potluck. See what God will do with your willing heart and open door. 

As you consider your table, listen to this song. Maybe even consider leading a group that meets around the table.