Shoulder to Shoulder, Arm in Arm

Table Talk



Setting the Table

You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.

Can you recall a time when someone unexpectedly reached out to you to provide help or meet a need? What was that experience like for you?

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou

“When we deeply believe that we are enough, we deeply know that there is enough.”
- Angela Conicelli, Creator of Work of Life

Psalm 68: 9-10
O God, you cause abundant showers to fall on your people. When they are tired, you sustain them, for you live among them. You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.


Food for Thought

Between 2011 and 2015, I lived in New York City. I lived uptown and worked downtown, so every day I commuted by train. If I left my apartment early enough in the morning, or if I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to get home at the end of the day, I would enjoy a pleasant ride on the local train, which made more frequent stops than the express train but was FAR less crowded. However, occasionally, I was forced to endure “rush hour on the express train”.

Rush hour on the express train brought out the worst in everyone. In a city where space was notoriously limited, fighting for your place on public transportation was like a gladiator sport. Shoulder-to-shoulder didn’t even begin to cover it! It was as if a primal, survival instinct would kick in – people would push, claw, bite their way onto the train for fear that they might have to wait 5-10 minutes for the one right behind it.

One such day, I had managed to squeeze my way onto the train and was even able to weasel my way over to a stanchion pole so I could hold on and not get tossed around by the start and stop of the train – prime real estate!

Then at one of the stops, a frail, older man made his way into the railway car. Unsteady on his feet, he looked around for something to hang on to. He quickly became disheartened and frustrated when he realized he’d gotten stuck in no-man’s land - trapped by his fellow passengers, just out of reach of any pole or handrail, and too short to touch the ceiling. In a matter of seconds the train doors would close, leaving him at the mercy of gravity.

I saw the panic begin to set into the man’s eyes, and I looked at my hand grasping firmly onto safety. With a resigned sigh, I released my grip and reached out to the man to offer him my space. He gave me a gracious “Thank you!” and hurried over to the pole. ‘Way to go, June,’ I thought to myself, ‘now you’re in no-man’s land!’ A little taller than the man, I reached my hand up and pressed into the ceiling, engaging every muscle in my body so that I might resist being thrown into the people around me.

Then, right before the train took off, I felt a hand on my back. It was deliberate, gentle, and protective. I turned and met the kind eyes of a stranger. “I’ve got you,” she said, simple and reassuring. She had been watching my exchange with the older gentleman. She wanted to let me know that I was not in no-man’s land at all – she would steady me should I lose my balance.

That moment, small as it was, has stuck with me for years. I don’t even remember what the woman looked like - the features of her face - but I remember how she made me feel. In an environment that seemed so hostile and cutthroat, she made me feel seen, appreciated, and supported. She made me feel welcome in a place that already had too many.

Sometimes, despite God’s loving promise of provision, it can still feel scary – stupid even – to sacrifice our own security for someone else’s, even if they need it more than we do. Because doing so may legitimately cause us to fall flat on our faces. We’ve seen this fear play out, and often win out, throughout the ages – from the timeless struggle of trying to teach a child to share, to the seemingly endless fights for land, opportunities, power, jobs, resources…Where is our faith?

The Psalms are filled with the promise of God’s provision. In a world where we are often made to feel that there isn’t enough to go around - enough food, enough money, enough room on the train - our faith calls us instead to believe in the abundance of God’s goodness. God who is our refuge. God who fills our hearts and our hunger. God who withholds no good thing. In this life that requires us to walk so much by faith, we are called to act toward one another in ways that reflect God’s love and compassion, believing that God will be there, with a gentle, protective hand on our backs saying, “I’ve got you.”


What is something material that makes you feel secure - money, food, clothing, etc.? What are some ways you can give of that thing for the betterment of your community - offering financial support to a cause that means a lot to you, donating food or clothing to an organization in your area, etc.?

Blessing

Our loving provider,
Help us to extend welcome, support, and love to one another without fearing what it may cost us.
Give us the courage to release our hold on what’s safe and secure so that we may offer a steadying hand to one who may need a stronghold.
Amen.

A little Table Talk for your table...

  • Consider together or write down what things make you feel safe and secure.

  • Share a time when you risked your own sense of security for someone else in a moment of need. How were you provided for in that moment?

  • In what ways can we lean into God’s promise of provision?

Try taking it to the Kids Table...

  • Ask your kiddo what makes them feel safe.

  • Talk with them about a time when they shared a favorite toy with a friend.

  • Brainstorm ways you can practice sharing together - perhaps by bringing some of your canned goods to a food drive, giving away some of your clothes or toys that you don’t use anymore, etc.

Meet our Welcoming Voice!

June Dare Bunce is a native North Carolinian and one of the founders of The Welcome Table. Outside of TWT, she’s been a professional actor for the past thirteen years and has had the honor and pleasure of working as a drama instructor for organizations such as The Harlem Children’s Zone and the YMCA. When she’s not working on a script or at the office, you can either find her at the gym or on the yoga mat, walking around her adorable hometown, or working on the art of relaxing at home (it really is a skill).

To hear more from June throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!

June Bunce