In the wake of an election that has left some angry, others confused and still others tentatively hopeful, people are hungrier than ever for spaces to break bread with, be heard, and build bridges across lines of difference.
Throughout human history, sharing a meal has stood as one of the few things all of us have in common. As Christians, we’re always gathering around a table for one reason or another. We gather for the eucharist. We gather for dinner and a Bible study. We gather for a meal as part of a celebration of a life now gone from us. We gather for picnics and parties and as part of observing our holiest days.
So you are invited to participate in something that could have a profound impact in our local communities creating a groundswell of change. It’s small. It’s personal. It’s deeply rooted in the way of Jesus and yet, universal to the human experience. It’s something you probably participated in yesterday.
Dinner.
Over the first 100 Days of the the new presidential administration, we are hoping that at least 100 dinners will be held in homes, worship spaces, community centers, schools – anywhere across the nation – to foster renewal and healing in marginalized communities, for bridging across difference, and for real conversation that reminds of us of our shared humanity and worthiness. This too, is the work.
That’s it. #100Days100Dinners.
Will you set your table? Will you pull up a seat?
Red Letter Christians has partnered with 100Days100Dinners – a campaign of Faith Matters Network, Hollaback and The Dinner Party to invite people to host or attend simple dinners in their communities. As Red Letter Christians interested in following the words of Jesus, this is the perfect opportunity to move from prayer and safety pins to radical hospitality and welcome around the ancient tradition of a shared table.
#100days100dinners encourages people to host a dinner either with folks you know, to encourage belonging and individual and collective healing (Track 1: Be and Belong) ; or with folks you don’t know, with the goal of bridging difference (Track 2: Where do we go from here?). All hosts will receive hosting guidelines, template emails, and facilitation tips. They will also be invited to participate in a weekly dinner host call and to join the #100days100dinners peer community on Facebook to share what’s working and what’s not. Last but not least, hosts will get a 30-minute call with an expert facilitator who’s practiced in either holding space for victims of trauma or in navigating conversation across the political aisle.
If you have been saying, “What do we do now?” This is what we do. We offer radical hospitality. We welcome the other. All this and more can happen around the table.
- Host a dinner – You can sign up to HOST a dinner here: https://www.100days100dinners.us/host-a-dinner/ .
- Attend a dinner – You can sign up to ATTEND a dinner here: https://www.100days100dinners.us/join-a-dinner/ .
- SHARE – Spread the word with your networks! https://www.100days100dinners.us/ on your social media. Encourage folks to invite people to their tables. Share stories of hospitality for renewal or bridging across difference.
Jesus invites us to the table. You know that. Jesus invites us to tables that nourish us with plenty, mercy, compassion and of more than enough. I don’t know that sitting down to dinner with your neighbors or friends will serve all that goodness, but it could provide some of the nourishment we could all use right now – which could sustain us for the continued struggle for justice. And we could all use a little more nourishment right now.