{"id":10741,"date":"2025-09-10T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10741"},"modified":"2025-09-10T08:02:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:02:20","slug":"longer-tables-for-the-lost-and-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/longer-tables-for-the-lost-and-found\/","title":{"rendered":"Longer Tables for the Lost and Found"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prepare<\/strong> (This section is preparation for the leader, not content meant for the whole group.)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

The heart of this passage is the pair of parables about the lost sheep and the lost coin. Yet the two sentences before them provide essential context for understanding the stories Jesus tells. Crowds continue to follow him, but this particular group receives special mention: tax collectors and sinners. It\u2019s worth unpacking the baggage these titles carry. Tax collectors were seen as corrupt, wealthy collaborators with Rome, collecting what Rome demanded\u2014and often a little extra for themselves. \u201cSinners\u201d is a broader term used throughout the New Testament to describe anyone with a reputation for wrongdoing and an unwillingness to repent. In short, these are society\u2019s outcasts. And it is precisely these people with whom Jesus chooses to share his meals.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not new in Luke. A major theme of the gospel is table fellowship. Meals are never just meals; they are moments of revelation, teaching, reversal, and inclusion. Luke uses shared meals to reveal whom Jesus welcomes, challenges, and brings into God\u2019s kingdom. This is why Jesus is accused of being \u201ca glutton and a drunkard\u201d (Luke 7:34): he eats with anyone and everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

What follows from the religious leaders\u2019 complaint\u2014that Jesus welcomes and eats with those he shouldn\u2019t\u2014is Jesus\u2019 explanation of why he does so, told in story form. The parables highlight the extravagant welcome and relentless pursuit of outsiders. In an agrarian society like Jesus\u2019, no shepherd would realistically leave ninety-nine sheep to search for one; the cost of losing more would be too great. Likewise, the woman\u2019s persistence is underscored by the painstaking tasks she undertakes to ensure her coin is found. In both cases, the conclusion is the same: celebration. Each throws a party that seems excessive. And yet that is exactly what God\u2019s welcome, love, and grace in Jesus are\u2014extravagant, relentless, excessive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening Exercise<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Watch this news segment on a special lunch served in Denver, CO.<\/a> After watching the video, participants get in pairs or groups of three and talk about a meal they shared that was meaningful to them and why?<\/span><\/p>\n

Read Aloud<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Luke 15:1-10<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Longer Tables for the Lost and Found<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Mile Long Table in Denver \u2013 Credit: Longer Tables<\/p><\/div>\n

In late July over 3,400 people ate at the longest table in the United States. People from all over joined together for a meal. The event was put on by Longer Tables<\/a>, a nonprofit whose mission is to \u201cbring people from all walks of life together to create connection and belonging through shared meals.\u201d Tom Jones, the founder, calls the table \u201cthe most powerful connector.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s right. Longer Tables wants all people\u2014no matter their story, background, or identity\u2014to connect, be seen, and feel like they belong. In a time of deep polarization, rising loneliness, and widespread isolation, this work is vital.<\/span><\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing: as beautiful as that vision is, it\u2019s not new. The church has known and practiced this for nearly two millennia. And perhaps no one knew it better than Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luke tells us again and again that Jesus shared meals with people. So much so that he earned a reputation for being a glutton (Luke 7:34). And it wasn\u2019t just that he ate with his closest friends\u2014he ate with all sorts of people. Poor fishermen. Women. Massive crowds. High-ranking religious leaders. And yes, tax collectors and sinners; the ones society saw as corrupt, immoral, or beyond redemption. These were the very people Jesus welcomed at his table. And that made the religious leaders grumble.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where our passage in Luke 15 picks up. When accused of eating with the wrong people, Jesus explains why through two parables: the lost sheep and the lost coin. Both stories showcase God\u2019s relentless pursuit of those who have wandered off or been pushed aside. No shepherd would risk ninety-nine sheep for one. No woman would throw a party over finding a single coin. Yet Jesus insists this is exactly how God works\u2014going to ridiculous lengths to seek, welcome, and celebrate the lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

In that light, Jesus is doing something even more radical than Longer Tables. He made sure that the very people no one wanted at the table\u2014the outcasts, the ones with the wrong reputation, the ones everyone else avoided\u2014were not only invited but present. And when they were found and welcomed, heaven itself rejoiced.<\/span><\/p>\n

That raises a hard but important question for us: Who is sitting at your table? Who isn\u2019t? Who should be? With school in full swing, this is the perfect time to pause and ask: Who have we left out? Who needs to hear, through us, a word of welcome and belonging?<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s the person with whom you disagree politically. Perhaps it\u2019s someone who has hurt you or carries a reputation you\u2019d rather avoid. Or it\u2019s the neighbor who feels forgotten. Whoever comes to mind, remember: these are the very people Jesus sought out and welcomed.<\/span><\/p>\n

That welcome is still the model for us today. It\u2019s the kind of connection the world is starving for. And when it happens\u2014when the lost are found, when the table is extended, when grace is shared\u2014it\u2019s always worth celebrating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection Questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n