about

 

Thank you for taking the time to find out more about Matthew’s Table. We hope to spark in your imagination what God is doing in birthing new forms of Christian community, stimulating radical discipleship, & rousing us to innovative mission. After you look through our website, consider attending a gathering and become a more active part of our growing community of faith by joining the conversation.

WHY WE ARE CALLED MATTHEW’S TABLE 

The stories in the gospels, far from being soothing bedtime stories for baptized children, are the radical and daring element central to the Christian experience. In the gospels we learn how the lordship of Christ is not only revealed in his working of miracles but is most clearly illustrated in an everyday event of life—Jesus eating and drinking and with whom he did so.

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples (Matthew 9:9-10, NIV).

 

Meals in Jesus’ day defined social boundaries in terms of who was approvable and who was not. In the 1st Century, mealtimes were far more than occasions for individuals to consume nourishment. Being welcomed at a table for the purpose of eating food was richly symbolic of friendship, intimacy, and unity. To be invited to eat, because of the rich symbolism, became the occasion in which a person would sense that they were an integral and accepted part of a group. By dining with sinners, Jesus gives a concrete example of God’s ultimate forgiveness and unconditional acceptance of all people who respond positively to the call the follow him. Therefore, at Matthew’s Table, we follow Jesus’ example and practice this kind of radical table fellowship as a strategy to cultivate Christian community.

We invite you to visit us any Sunday at 6:00 pm. We are currently meeting @ Java Joe’s located at 1029 West Main Street, Lebanon, TN (click here for map).