13 Jun, 2011
Grubwithus
New York - The scene unfolding at the Thai restaurant in Brooklyn was like that of any other casual dinner party. A small group of people sat around a wooden table, passing large dishes of spicy red curry and fried rice, and swapping war stories about apartment hunting in New York.
But the twist was this: Before about 8 that evening, none of us had met before.
My newfound friends came courtesy of a Chicago start-up business called Grubwithus, an online service with the seemingly modest aim of bringing strangers together to have a meal. The concept is simple enough: People browse through a list of dinners in their cities and buy tickets, usually for around $25. Before the event, they can share a few online tidbits about themselves with their dining partners, a precautionary measure against awkward lulls in conversation and a way to ease fears about meeting up with a bunch of unknowns.
But the service has deeper ambitions. It is using contemporary techniques to foster a kind of social networking that predates the dawn of services like Facebook and Twitter: old-fashioned conversation among casual acquaintances, without keyboards and screens.
Image & story courtesy of - nytimes.com
Mark 2:15-17
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus was radical in so many ways. He touched the untouchable members of his society, he called out authority figures for oppressing people, he allowed women leadership roles in his ministry, he confronted injustice whenever he found it. Jesus knew what the founders of grubwithus.com are attempting to capitalize on with their social networking site, that the dinner table is a sacred space for relationship and community.While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus used the dinner table as a space to celebrate, to wash feet, to forgive sins, to preach the good news of the kingdom, even to explain his death on the cross.
Whenever we eat a meal with the ones we love or take communion together, may we remember how important the dinner table was to Jesus, and work to create more space in our lives for the same Christ-like, life giving community to happen.
How can I connect today's God Story to my life?
- As you read the gospels focus on the stories where Jesus is around the dinner table. Make a list of all the ways in which Jesus used the space in his ministry and reflect on their meaning for your life today.
How can I connect today's God Story to others?
- Invite someone over for dinner. Cook them a great meal and ask them good questions about their life.
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