Here is the “back page” for the 15 October 2017 (19th Sunday after Pentecost, year A) bulletin at Fishkill United Methodist Church. Our services start at 10 and you are always welcome to come and be a part of the worship.
How many of you remember Steve Allen? If I were to describe this talented individual in one word, I would say that he was creative. Whether it was in the arts, the theater, or music, Steve Allen found new and creative ways to express his thoughts. And one of those ways was through a television series he prepared for PBS, entitled “Meeting of the Minds”. In this show, he brought together notable individuals of history (portrayed by actors) to meet and discuss ideas, common or otherwise (I first referenced this in “Guess Who’s Coming To Breakfast?”)
My notes don’t give me all those who sat at his table but it would have been nice to have Paul, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer there to discuss the nature of Christianity.
If you were given the opportunity, who would you invite to sit with you at your table and discuss topics of common interest? And what would you do if any of the individuals you invited could not attend? Who might you then invite?
Would St. Augustine be an acceptable substitute for Martin Luther? Would you invite Attila the Hun, even if you knew he had bad table manners?
What if they didn’t let you know until the last minute? Might there have been someone you overlooked because they were not famous?
Who might you invite to this metaphorical table if it meant that the course of history might change because you did.
We have chosen the path we will walk. And who we walk with along the way tells us something about that path. Who will you invite to walk with you today?
~~Tony Mitchell
Thoughts From The Heart On The Left 