God has fashioned the human race in such a way that sitting down for a meal is the center of all family life. Guests are certainly welcome, but in the day-in and day-out pattern of living, the meal is the center. This is one of the reasons we can tell that the modern family is disintegrating . . . there is so little time at the table together. For those who want to do something about that, at least one meal together daily would contribute greatly.
But this is a different Table in many respects, and so the question arises whether it is different in this way also. No, not really. We have spoken often of the Church’s duty to assume the center in our culture and this is one of the basic ways we do it. When we sit down here it is a royal feast, and the King of the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, has invited all his friends, all the nobility of the kingdom of heaven. That would be you.
You might find this laughable—us, kings and priests? The principalities and powers also found it risible . . . until God demonstrated His unspeakable wisdom to them as manifested in the Church. We see the Church “from underneath,” so to speak, and we do not yet see all that God has done in the establishment of His Church.
But even though it is glorious, already, it is still a work in progress. For this work, we need nourishment, and this Table provides that. But never forget that the idea that food is nothing but fuel is an impoverishing notion. This is not just eating and drinking—it is communion, with Christ and with one another. Table fellowship is a central part of this meal. And as we fellowship together, loving one another, God sees to it that this happens in the presence of our enemies, and His kindness to His people is made evident to the entire world.
We are family. We sit down together to eat. This is assuming the center.