Yesterday we gathered around the theme of Shared Tables, Open Hearts — and what a timely reminder it was. In a week of tragedy and sorrow, from school shootings to the loss of voices we’ve admired, it can feel like grief and trauma bury hope so deeply that it’s hard to recognize it anymore.
But that’s exactly where the wonder of Jesus shows up.
A Story That Stuck With Me
Years ago, my friend David Cordova owned an English Tudor home in north Denver. It was beautiful — hardwood floors, a stained-glass window, a regal staircase, and art on the walls. But there was one feature that stood out to me most.
Inside the mudroom, tucked under a small window, was a framed piece of pencil writing on the wall. A child’s handwriting, captured and preserved, read:
“Today, John F. Kennedy died. I cried.”
That little boy’s honest grief, scribbled in a closet, reminds us: there are moments in history we never forget. Times when sorrow and confusion leave us searching for meaning, often alone with our thoughts.
But God never intended us to face such days in isolation.
The Table in Scripture
In Luke 14, Jesus tells a parable of a great banquet where the master invites not the privileged or the powerful, but “the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame” (vv. 21–22). In other words: the forgotten, the hurting, the overlooked.
In Acts 2, the early church gathered daily around tables — breaking bread, sharing life, and finding strength in one another.
And in Luke 24, the disciples on the road to Emmaus only recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread. At the table, despair was transformed into hope.
That’s the wonder of shared tables: they become places where we remember we are not alone, where Jesus makes Himself known, and where hope rises to the surface again.
A Reflection on Charlie Kirk
This past week, we also grieved the loss of Charlie Kirk. For many, Charlie was a voice of conviction and clarity, but more than that, he created community. He gave young people and students a forum to ask big questions about life, culture, identity, and faith.
Charlie championed the hope of free voice — the idea that you could wrestle openly with the hardest issues of our time. And yet, what mattered most to him was not being known for politics or influence, but for his faith in Jesus and his courage to speak of Him.
That’s the kind of hope we need right now. The kind that reminds us: you don’t have to carry your questions, grief, or doubts alone. Jesus welcomes us to His table — and in His presence, despair can give way to joy, and sorrow can be met with hope.
A Question for Us
So here’s the invitation for this week:
- Who needs a seat at your table?
- Who around you might be carrying grief, questions, or fears in silence?
- How can you invite them into community where the presence of Christ can bring healing and hope?
Because the wonder Jesus creates often shows up in the hardest seasons of life — when grief buries our hope, only for Him to lift it up again at the table.
Next Sunday: Wonder, Week 5 — Mountain Top Moments
We’ll continue our journey by exploring how God meets us on the heights to give us clarity, vision, and encouragement for a life that often feels uncertain and unclear. These moments remind us that even when the path below is confusing, God’s perspective is steady and sure. You won’t want to miss it!
Love you all!
Pastor Donnie