Last Spring I started to get notifications about a neighborhood initiative that was being called “The Longest Table.” Calls were going out for people to help organize and contribute to a kind of dinner/block party that was going to take place later in the summer. One of the side streets near where I live was going to be blocked to traffic for one evening, and anyone who was available was invited to participate.
Tables and chairs were procured. Table Captains welcomed over 500 guests—people who were relatively new to the neighborhood ate alongside those who had lived there for decades. Some folks brought linens, others brought plates, napkins, utensils. Lovely flower arrangements were scattered on top of a huge U-shape running parallel to the sidewalks. And everyone brought food. Pasta dishes and salad, bread, cakes and cookies of all kinds, and almost every variety of takeout you can imagine!
An article in our Block Association Newsletter used these words to describe the celebratory event: “The magic of The Longest Table is that it’s simple—just a meal at a table—but it turns out that can be enough to make a big city feel like a small town.” By the end of the night, old friends and new were exchanging numbers and making plans. At a time when there was much to fear and divide people from one another, guests at The Longest Table found solace in community.
It was a beautiful event. I confess that I smiled when I read the recap, because Christians know the power of the shared meal. We understand the comfort of gathering together; how important community is to our individual and collective spirit. We enact our own liturgical version of The Longest Table each Sunday when we celebrate the Eucharist. Christ’s table expands to accommodate everyone who is present. We each have something to offer when we pray and sing together. We are all stronger when we share the sacramental connections so central to our faith.
from The Longest Table website: https://www.longesttablecommunity.org
