Arthur never heard speak of a knight
in praise but he caused him to be numbered of his household … Because of these
noble lords about his hall, of whom each knight pained himself to be the
hardiest champion and none would count him the least praiseworthy, Arthur made
the Round Table…It was ordained of Arthur that when his fair fellowship sat to
meat, their chairs should be high alike, their service equal, and none before
or after his comrade. Thus no man could boast that he was exalted above
his fellow, for all alike were gathered round the board, and none was alien at
the breaking of Arthur’s bread.
Roman de Brut, Wace
The
Fellowship consists of men and women with whom we join ourselves on a
psychological and spiritual level. These aren’t buddies with whom we hang out
or great guys we enjoy debating from time to time. These are the men and women
with whom we choose to share our hearts, minds, wisdom, talents, and lives.
These people are our Band of Brothers, the Knights of our Round Table. The
question that demands our attention, intelligence, and wisdom is – Who’s Who?
Who sits at this Table?
Arthur
never heard speak of a knight in praise but caused him to be numbered of his
household. Arthur wasn’t looking for Knights with potential. He sought
Knights whose performance was already so stellar that word had spread
throughout his realm of their prowess and chivalry. The Fellowship should
consist of people who inspire us to be a better man or woman. We need people who
can see through our shticks and call us out. We need fellows whose integrity has
grown to such depths we can trust them to walk around in our heads and hearts.
This
Band of Brothers is where all the New Testament’s “one another’s” are worked
out: love one another, serve one another, walk in the light with one another, confess
your sins to one another, forgive one another, honor others above yourself,
build one another up in love. This doesn’t happen looking at the back of
someone’s head in church but face to face at the Round Table.
Of whom
each knight pained himself to be the hardiest champion and none would count him
the least praiseworthy. The knights we are looking for are “getting it done,”
making a difference, and seeking to make their visions a reality in their
worlds. The Fellowship is there to
“provoke one another to love and good deeds.” The fellowship we enjoy is to
strengthen us for the battles we are fighting. It is not a place where we go to
hide from the world and feel good about our passivity. This is where “iron
sharpens iron,” where our gifts, talents, and skills are sharpened for battle.
It was ordained
of Arthur that when his fair fellowship sat to meat, their chairs should be
high alike, their service equal, and none before or after his comrade.
Thus no man could boast that he was exalted above his fellow, for all alike
were gathered round the board. Here, in this Fellowship, we are peers. This is where no one
pulls rank or hides behind his title whenever a painful conversation arises he
wants to quash.
Sir
Bedevere: Oi, Lancelot, what’s up with those late night walks with Guinevere?
Sir
Lancelot: Knave! Thou darest to challenge the King’s Champion?
Sir
Bedevere: Yeah, verily. And Lance. Stop acting like you are about to fill a
vacancy in the Trinity.
And none was alien at the breaking of Arthur’s bread.
When Arthur called the knights, they
showed up. These knights had a Code of Chivalry to which they were accountable.
The Fellowship is where we give an accounting of our Quests, of how we are
living out The Code, of how many damsels were saved and dragons sleighed. And
there is nothing like a table loaded with meat and mead to help the
conversation keep flowing.
I get it. Fellowships are
scary because they require openness, honesty, vulnerability, and commitment.
Yet, it is only within such relationships that we discover and develop our real
strengths and deal with our weaknesses. It is with your fellow knights where
you learn how love behaves. It is here where you are built up in love and sent
back out on your Quests with increased strength and wisdom. If you want real
scary, cheat your self out of such relationships and then go seek to be a
demonstration of God’s love to the world around you. Believe me: scary is seeking
to be the Lone Ranger when the Lord of the Kingdom has called us to be Knights
of the Round Table.
Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2014
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