Love isn’t the work of the tender and the gentle;
Love is the work of wrestlers.
The one who becomes a servant of lovers
is really a fortunate sovereign.
Don’t ask anyone about Love; ask Love about Love.
Love is a cloud that scatters pearls.
~Rumi
Acts 2:43-47
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-35
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Acts 6:1-7
Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
The above passages show a progression in the life of the early Church. All was good, until it wasn't. Division started to arise out of language and culture differences among the believers. The Hellenistic widows were being neglected, and those who could spoke up about it.
There are several themes that I found in my research surrounding this story in Acts 6. The first has to do with the distribution of power and with the nature of ministry. It becomes clear with the ordination of the Seven that ministry is being laid out in a tangible way upon more than just the Apostles. Ministry is spreading out to more disciples to do seemingly ordinary things for the sake of God's work. I also want to point out that it seems that this passage points to ordination arising from the needs of the people. Ordination and a call to ministry is not something dictated from on high. Ministry happens when a passion in a person meets a need in the world. That's exactly what happened for the Seven chosen here.
The next theme revolves around the idea found in Luke-Acts of "Table Fellowship." In the Greco-Roman as well as Jewish world views, meals shared together had very real social implications. In the Greco-Roman world, a shared meal helped to define a fictive kinship. In other words, who is a part of the chosen family. For Jewish households, meals defined the people of God. Who was "in" and who was "out" could easily be seen based on who was permitted at the table. In both cases, sharing a meal is a way of defining who belongs. But it is also a way of defining who doesn't belong, and therefore is inherently a way to create margins in which to put people.
In Luke's Gospel, the "table" is mentioned either in discourse or narrative form 16 times. It's clear that Luke is concerned with table fellowship, so it's no surprise that the table is where we see the first bit of disagreement among the believers. Table fellowship is called into question with the Hellenist widows, who were doubly outcasts. They were in the minority with their language and their culture, and as widows were already among the most vulnerable in society. The Hellenists who stood up on behalf of the widows knew that the fellowship taking place at the table was important. When it was brought to the Apostles' attention, they too recognized the need of inclusion and protection for the vulnerable as a core value of those who follow Jesus.
Some look over the ministry of the Seven as a menial task to wait on tables. After all, in our culture it is often seen as a lower task in society. Servers are not looked upon with the same respect as the owner, for instance. But make no mistake, the ministry of the Seven is anything but a menial task. They were charged with a ministry so important to the actual functioning of community. And the Apostles knew that. When the Apostles gave over waiting tables to the Seven, it was not as if the Apostles said, "This is beneath me" but rather, "I can't do everything, and I need help with this important task." Rather than being seen as a menial task, the Seven are commissioned with providing a setting where table fellowship was open and possible for even the outcasts and the oppressed.
It's easy to look at head pastors and assume that's "real" ministry. I don't want to discredit that as a form of ministry at all. But ministry, as the Seven show us, can take on so many other forms than under the guise of paid, institutionalized religion. Ministry can happen in small moments, when we take the time to notice and speak to a stranger and offer them a smile. Ministry can happen when we buy a meal for that person without a home that stands on the corner begging for mercy. Ministry can happen when we march for justice on the streets of our towns and cities on behalf of those whose voice has often been silenced by our society. Ministry can happen when we attend and make our voice heard at that council meeting, advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Ministry happens when we wait tables. It happens when we show up at the margins of society with love and kindness and seek justice on the part of those who live at those margins.
Finally, I want to highlight something that may, at this point, be obvious but still needs to be said. The ministry of the Seven, like the ministry of the Apostles, was an extension of Jesus's own ministry. Table fellowship, for Jesus, was of the utmost importance. He was condemned by the religious elite for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. Those whose tables he occupied were indeed at the margins, and he sought them out and called them worthy and loved. For the Seven to be given the ministry of tables is an extension of this core value of the faith of Jesus. That value that is to look at those the world would rather look away from, and say "Come, there's room for you here."
I encourage you, dear reader, in your own ministries. Continue seeking out the downtrodden and forgotten of this world, and continue to build longer and more open tables that will include them. Open your hearts and your homes to those who often feel they have no place in this world. You don't have to have the extravagant gifts of the Apostles to be a minister. You don't have to stand in a pulpit to be of use to the Reign of God. The world needs those who wait on tables.
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