Humble Faith

Supplies Needed for The Table of Mercy: An Embodied Practice of Building an Altar:

• A cloth or scarf to designate the altar space (placed on a small table or in the center of the room)
• Blank name cards or folded index cards (two per participant)
• Markers or pens
• Optional: objects to adorn the altar (a candle, a small bowl of water, stones, flowers, a cross, etc. You may encourage participants to find objects from around the building that can help decorate this Table of Mercy for this altar building exercise.)
• Facilitators can play some music as participants work to gather objects to decorate the table.

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). In pairs or groups of three, have participants answer, “What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘humble’? Have you ever seen someone act with real humility?”

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Luke 18:9-14 aloud.

Jesus tells this parable to some who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” [What does that reveal about the reader? Do we see similar attitudes today?]

• Two people go to the temple to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector. What strikes you about their prayers? [What do their words and body language tell us about their posture toward God and others?]
• What does true humility look like? [How is it different from self-hatred or low self-worth?]
• Where today do we see spiritual practices or religious spaces used to elevate some and exclude others? [What would faith rooted in humility and mercy look like in those same spaces?]

The Table of Mercy: An Embodied Practice of Building an Altar—Inspired by Luke 18:9-14

Pass Out Name Cards. Give each person two blank name cards and a marker.

• First Name Card – A Voice Too Often Silenced
• On the first card, ask participants to write the name of a person or group who is often excluded, overlooked, or judged in religious or social settings. (Examples: “The unhoused,” “People who doubt,” “Immigrants,” “Single moms,” “My younger self,” “Formerly incarcerated.”)
• Second Name Card – Yourself—On the second card, ask them to write their own name. Remind them that Jesus’ parable invites everyone to God’s table, not based on merit, but mercy.
• Setting the Table. Invite participants to come forward individually and place both name cards at the table.
• As they do, invite them to read the names on their cards.

Reflection: After all the cards have been placed, gather around the table in silence. Let the visual speak: this is a table of mercy, not merit.

Invitations to Share Out Loud or in Silence:

• What did it feel like to name who belongs at God’s table?
• How does this parable challenge the way we think about who is "justified"?

Call to Action: As We Stand Around the Table

Facilitator: You have built an altar—not of achievement, but of mercy; not of perfection, but of truth. This week, carry that altar with you. Let it shape your prayers, your posture, and your relationships.

Here are a few possibilities to spark your imagination:

• Speak a quiet kindness to someone who is usually overlooked.
• Practice humility in conversation. Resist the urge to perform or prove.
• Confess without shame. Find someone safe and share one burden honestly.
• Make space for others at your “table” in your home, work, or church. Invite the ones who don’t usually get invited.

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer:

Merciful God, You honor the prayer that is whispered. You lift up the ones who feel unworthy. As we leave this place, do not let us forget the altar we built— where grace is the only requirement, and humility is the holiest gift we bring. Teach us to see as you see. Teach us to love without needing to impress. And when we forget who we are, remind us: We are the ones you welcomed with open arms, not because we earned it— but because we showed up. Amen.

Dr. Sharon Jacob is a scholar who believes scripture must confront the systems that harm. As associate dean and professor at Claremont School of Theology, she empowers communities to interrogate inherited theologies and reclaim the gospel as a call to justice, not compliance. Her teaching and preaching equip people to “flip the script” and live faith out loud.