November has become a season of gratitude – often expressed through daily posts on social media. While we strive to count our blessings every day, the steady rhythm of “Day 17: I’m thankful for…” appearing in our feeds serves as a communal reminder to pause and reflect on the good in our lives.
This month also marks the conclusion of Charge Conferences across our districts in the North Carolina Conference. While these gatherings serve an important administrative function, they are also shaped by a spiritual theme. This year, we’ve centered our time together around “Building a Bigger Table.”
The question we are asking is simple but profound: How do we love boldly? What does it mean to construct, widen, and extend the table – in our churches, in our communities, and within our own hearts?
As I’ve shared reflections on 1 Corinthians 13 and the nature of love, I’ve found myself wrestling with how we might deepen and strengthen our capacity to love as God’s people. How do we grow in this love? How do we recognize and reach out to new friends with an authentic, well-placed invitation into Jesus’ embrace?
Recently, in my devotional reading, I came across a powerful passage on prayer from Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson. It speaks directly to this journey of bold love and trusting God with the work ahead:
“Our confidence in the power of prayer is rooted in the promises that God is continually working for good in the midst of ambiguous situations and that God’s purposes will prevail in the end. The divine Word does not return to God empty. Love is the only power of enduring all things. It remains immovable after all else has fallen away. Therefore we can ask for eyes to see where God is already at work and a spirit ready to cooperate with God’s activity in any given circumstance. The more fully we entrust ourselves to God, the more freely God’s love purpose can be worked out.”
(Soul Feast, p. 39)
This reflection reminds me of three important truths:
- God hears us. We must trust that our prayers are received by the One whose purposes never fail.
- Love endures. When we pray—especially when we feel uncertain or discouraged—we are rooted in a love that outlasts all things. Persistent prayer can help us begin to see with new eyes.
- God is already at work. We may have missed it in the noise of our busyness or the limits of our perspective. Prayer helps us reset our vision and tune our hearts to God’s timing and greater purpose.
As we continue through this season of gratitude, charge conferences, and table-building, may we pray first. May we ask for bold love, clear vision, and courageous hospitality. May we trust that God is indeed at work, inviting us to join in building a bigger table, one act of love at a time.
Day 1: I’m grateful for each of you and the ways you are building your tables out into the communities! Thank you, and thanks be to God for this beautiful life we share.