Nourished by Love

My grandparent’s house had a large round dining table where I remember eating many family dinners.  My mom has two sister, and I have 4 cousins.  We are a close family.  All 17 of us travel to Holden Beach together every summer.  We are all different, yet we all love and serve God.  We are able to sit around table and laugh, tell stories, listen to heartaches, acknowledge our differences, and nourish each other with love. 

I have spent this week at a training event for Boards of Ordained Ministry.  United Methodist leaders from all over the country joined to share best practices and challenge one another in our pursuit of forming excellent clergy for a lifetime of ministry.  We sat around table to talk, discuss, share stories, laugh, sing, pray, and nourish each other with love. 

We gather at a time when some in our denominations are so focused on our differences that they have suggested schism as the solution.  Thoughts of schism break my heart.  I love the United Methodist Church.  I am a product of this denomination baptized as an infant, confirmed as a 6^th grader, and ordained as a young adult.  I acknowledge that our differences on social issues are great, and I know we all love the same Jesus. 

I was struck today by the reminder that we all sit around the same table.  Despite our differences that lead us towards schism or full inclusion, I pray that we can continue to sit at the same table.  The living Jesus invites us to the sit together, perhaps at opposite ends; yet together bound by the love expressed through broken bread and spilled out wine.  Around the table may we be nourished by love.