Leave Your Comfort Zone

In classic buddy movies two people are thrown together, typically as police partners. At first their stark differences create conflict. But after going through a life-and-death experience together, they become deep, lifelong friends. The church is a community full of differences that humanly speaking ought to result in conflict. But we have a shared life-and-death experience. We're sharers in the death and resurrection of Jesus. His death is our death and his life is our life. Nothing expresses this more than baptism (Romans 6:2-3). Now this life-and-death experience binds us together in community: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27-28). And that means there can be no distinctions around the meal table.
--Tim Chester, A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission around the Table, p. 53