Jesus Wants an Awkward Thanksgiving Dinner

When I look to Instagram, Pinterest, or the blog world for advice on hospitality, I often see a lust for perfection and a subtle class hierarchy hovering over every shot of an artfully arranged table. Some Christians, too, get trapped in this rut and focus on “extending our tables” simply by creating cozy gatherings, nothing more. Beauty and comfort are all well and good, but what we really need to work on is flipping the narrative: How can we find ourselves at the tables of people who are different from us? How can we be in real, long-term relationships with those we might only see once a year as we drop off a Thanksgiving food box? How can we eschew outreach programs—which sometimes create and highlight divides—for mutuality, and how can we trade charity for compassion (which literally means “suffering with”)?