As believers who have freely received grace, mercy, redemption, and so much more...we are called to give it to others freely. We share the kingdom. It’s what we do, and it’s who we are! And one of the reasons I can make such a definitive statement is because Jesus gave us a beautiful picture of this in the New Testament. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet.

Matthew 22:1-14

At the very beginning of the parable, Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son”… The illustration describes how the original invitations were rejected and that the king eventually instructs his servants to go and invite anyone they find to the banquet.

I love how Jesus points out that “the banquet is ready,” which evokes images of warm food and all kinds of appetizers in my mind. And side dishes… an elaborate feast fit for a king just waiting for folks to come and enjoy it.

For most of us, the family table is where time is spent with one another. It’s where new friendships are formed, and old friendships are continued.

Essentially, the table is a place where relationships develop. The table is a picture of shared fellowship with others. It’s where we both get to know and allow ourselves to be known. The table is where relationships develop. It’s where we turn away from the disconnected dissonance the world offers and drink deeply of divine fellowship with fellow citizens.

It’s where we are most fully KNOWN.

Theologian and author J.I. Packer says;

"The Greek word for fellowship comes from a common or shared root. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what they have. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in everyday life of the body of Christ." Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal.

Knowing and being known are two of our deepest needs as relational beings. The communal nature of our faith wasn't an accident; in fact, it was designed this way with great intention and purpose. We were created for life-giving relationships and fellowship with one another. We are better together, and that's the way God intended it!

Yet we desire to be more connected digitally while being more lonely physically than ever before. Digital personas are just as showy as they are shallow. We're made to thrive in fellowship with others. And yet the world tells us all the time that the best way to live is only for ourselves. Cutting yourself off from others is the safe way to live, the simple way to live, and yet the worldly way to live. Get what's yours, and don't let anyone or anything stand in your way. But this is not Jesus' way of living.

A famous African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

In today's society, we fight the urge to "FIT IN" with the world, and now we desire to be more connected digitally...and more lonely physically than ever before. And in this fast-paced, disconnected digital world we live in, it’s easy to have all the followers, connections, and fans but still feel utterly alone in the physical world. You see, we are designed for more than relational conflict. We are the image & likeness of the triune God; for the community, fellowship, and kingdom-centered relationships. Knowing and being known are two of our deepest needs as relational human beings.

Depending on who you ask or what article you’re reading, America faces an “epidemic of loneliness.” Again, the statistics vary, but about half of the population experiences significant loneliness when surveyed. The numbers are regularly higher among young people and the elderly, and obviously, the global pandemic affected everyone, worsening an ever-increasing problem of loneliness! The good news is that we serve an all-powerful, all-loving, and all-knowing creator God, Elohim, who knows us more deeply than anyone. He created humanity to be and do more, as relational human beings born into families and wired for fellowship.

Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? Galatians 4:8-9

Idolatry is a one-way dead-end road. God knows you; Idols don’t know you because Idolatry is a one-way relationship. And you can’t even call it a relationship because a relationship implies reciprocation and interaction. And yet still, all of us choose to see how far down it goes at some point or another. But there comes a moment when we realize just how far gone we are, just how dark the road of idolatry has become, and we turn back to God. We look to re-establish our connection and commit or recommit ourselves to an actual relationship with the creator of the cosmos, God.

When we come to know and understand God, we realize, as Paul identifies in our Galatians passage, that God already knows us. He knew us from the beginning, and He knows everything about our lives… nothing is hidden from Him. (cf. back to Psalm 139) He’s there when we sleep and when we rise. He’s there in the pain and the triumph. He’s always watching over us.