The Summer Table

​​ Dear Friends, 
There is a rhythm to summers in Edgewood. The days grow longer, the pace of life shifts, and here at FPCE, the very way we inhabit our building changes. On the first Sunday in June, we will make our annual migration from the Sanctuary into the Gathering Place, with our service starting at 10AM and offering sabbath to the choir. 

When we pull our chairs closer together, we embody the close-knit community that Christ calls us to be. 

Throughout scripture, God meets people not just in the high, vaulted spaces, but in the ordinary, crowded rooms. In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah rush to prepare a meal under the oaks of Mamre for three mysterious travelers. What began as an act of radical hospitality turns into a moment where they host God unaware. When we gather this summer, we are reminded that hospitality isn't about perfection; it’s about making room for one another. 

Paul echoes this in Romans 12:13, urging us to "Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." This summer, our hospitality is bursting beyond our church walls through community dinners, the annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 13, and Edgewood’s Community Day later in August. 

Because the Table is so central to our faith, we must remember Paul’s words to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 11). Paul wasn’t writing about a generic dinner table argument; he was addressing a deep divide of privilege. He reminded the Corinthians that the table belongs to Christ, not to any single group or individual. The wealthy members of the church were arriving early, taking over the dining space, and consuming the meal before the working-class members and laborers could even finish their workday. By the time the rest of the community arrived, they were left with leftovers and pushed to the margins. 

This isn't a warning about running out of food—if we run out because we welcomed everyone, that's a beautiful problem to have! Rather, Paul’s warning reminds us how easily our own comfort or routines can accidentally dictate the terms of a gathering. When our own preferences take center stage, we risk undermining our witness. In other words, we must leave room for the Holy Spirit to do her work. Our summer Community Dinners are a sacred act of witness to our neighbors, where everyone should experience the peace, grace, and joy of the Gospel through our collective hospitality. 

Jesus takes this a step further, telling his host: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors... But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind" (Luke 14). 
At a kingdom banquet, we are invited to lay down our need for predictability. We gather not to execute a flawless program, but to serve as hosts who are entirely focused on making our guests feel safe, seen, and loved. 

In Christ, 

​Pastor Jason Dauer