Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner ?

Recently, Panera Bread ran a brilliant ad in USA Today. Imagine such polar opposites coming together at a table:
The Secret Service & The Party Crashers; Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker; Glee Club Singers & Football Players; Barack Obama & Joe Wilson; The Mac Guy & The PC Guy; Brett Favre & Wisconsin; Wall Street Execs & Everyone Else; Martina Navratilova & Andre Agassi; Sons-In-Law & Mothers-In-Law; Introverts & Extroverts; Mike Tyson & Evander Holyfield; Ohio State & Michigan; Yoko & The Remaining Beatles; Tori & Candy Spelling; Optimists & Pessimists; The Right & The Left; Lou Dobbs & CNN; People Who Are Always Right & People Who Are Never Wrong; Vampires & Werewolves; Kanye West & Anyone with a TV; Hallmark & Paris Hilton; Those Who Think It Tastes Great & Those Who Insist It’s Less Filling; Bart Simpson & Sideshow Bob; Insomniacs & The Inventor of the Car Alarm; Jessica Simpson & Perez Hilton; Red Sox Fans & Yankees Fans; Billy Corgan & The Smashing Pumpkins; Nerds & Dweebs; Rosie O’Donnell & Donald Trump; Prius Drivers & HUMMER Drivers; Batman & The Joker; Mariah Carey & Eminem; Guys Named Beau & Guys Named Bo; Joe Lieberman & Democrats; Popeye & Bluto; Bill Gates & Steve Jobs; Those Who Install Toilet Paper Over & Those Who Prefer it Under; Skiers & Snowboarders; Teenagers & Parents; Bud Selig & Pete Rose; The FiOS Guy & That Other Cable Guy; Importers & Exporters; Iceman & Maverick; Conformists & Nonconformists; Freudians & Skinnerians; Housewives in Orange County & Housewives in NYC; Michael Moore & George W. Bush; Early Birds & Night Owls; Sarah Palin & Tina Fey; Goth Girls & Homecoming Queens; Big Dog People & People Who Put Dogs in Handbags; Susan Boyle & Sharon Osbourne; Slobs & Their Roommates; Dick Cheney & Hunters; Financial Planners & Spendthrifts; Magic Johnson & Isiah Thomas; Rosie O’Donnell & Elizabeth Hasselbeck; and Benjamin Netanyahu & Mahmoud Abbas.
It has been said that a mind stretched with a new idea can never return to its former shape. Can you just imagine the controversy at such a dinner? As unthinkable as such a gathering, it is at the heart of Kingdom principles. Isn’t that what Jesus did when he came to the table? The Kingdom of God always stretches our expectations. When you get together with Jesus, the question always has to be asked, “Guess who’s coming for dinner?”
But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” Matthew 9:10
I love you, St Markians, Dcn Ash