May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen
During
my postulancy (a training period while working to become an Anglican priest), I
spent a year visiting various churches around the city. My goal was to quietly
sneak in, observe worship and preaching, take notes of what I liked and didn’t
like about it all, and quietly sneak back out again. What I found interesting
was the rarity at which I was approached. I was a stranger to these churches. I
wasn’t a face seen in the pews each week. And yet, it was a rare occasion when
someone greeted me. I was quite surprised, but perhaps I was spoiled. I come
from a parish whose greeters knew every parishioner and when someone new
arrived, they were given a handshake, asked what brought them there, and then
directed as to how to follow along with the bulletin during worship.
The
church can be a great source of community, a community of mutual love. This
mutual love is the foundation of doing good and sharing what you have. This
mutual love is the foundation of being in relationship with God, and with each
other. Our ministry of community stems from worship and fellowship. As leaders
in our church, we are tasked with making the space inclusive and welcoming – in
words and in actions. It is not our job to gate keep or to guard the pews. We
do not get to decide who is allowed to be part of the community and who is to
be kept outside. And the main place of that inclusivity is at the table. We
call ourselves Christians, but Jesus Christ did not create the Christian church.
I’ll leave that as a lesson for another time, but my point is that while Jesus
may not have birthed a church, he did birth a table. A table at which he even
included his betrayer.
Luke’s
gospel includes more meal-time scenes that all the others, with several stories
ending with a festive meal. A couple of examples are the parable of the
prodigal son in chapter 15 and the ultimate meal of the Last Supper in chapter
22. For Luke, eating around the table is the place where lessons are learned,
where there is intimacy and relationship, and where it is made clear that everyone
is allowed to be there.
This
intimacy and relationship can be found around our own kitchen and dining room
tables. Whether it be with family or friends, gathering around the table, eating
dinner together, sharing stories from their days with each other – this all
leads to loving and meaningful relationships. The sharing of meals brings
people closer together, and it also gives us the opportunity to possibly meet people
we may not have met before, bringing inclusivity to that table. I read somewhere
that rather than limiting the seats at the table, just make the table bigger.
That
is what Christ’s table is all about – being open to everyone. Later on in the
service, listen closely to the words of invitation to communion that I will be
saying. Listen, and take them to heart. Christ has invited everyone to join him
at the table. Our job to is make more room at the table, and to ensure that we
are making room for all, not a select few. We are creating a loving community
in order to follow in the loving footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Making
room for the stranger may upset the balance of the church, but opening the
doors of the church is not meant to be a threatening situation. Making room for
the stranger reaffirms the humanity of all persons. Our humanity is not based
upon the ability to walk upright on two legs, or on our intelligence quotient,
or on our capacity for knowledge. What it means to be human is shaped by our
understanding of the importance of the community and the affirmation that we
are all created in the image of God. Each of us springs forth from the
imagination of God regardless of who we are.
Jesus
spent his whole life breaking down barriers and bringing forth the inclusive love
of God. We are all called to the same generosity in sharing that love with everyone
we meet. We have a chance to show that generosity every day, and especially on
Sundays when we have a banquet in Jesus’ name. The invitation to this banquet,
to Jesus’ table, must be inclusive, with no exceptions – featuring a welcome to
share in the ministry of Word and Sacrament, as well as the many other ways
that the church enriches people’s lives. As Christians and as the leaders of St
Peter’s, we are on duty as hospitable servants of Christ. We are to welcome not
only one another but also outsiders and the abundance of people waiting on the
margins.
When
we give a banquet in the name of Jesus, both the doors and our arms must be open
wide. As we will sing in our final hymn,
“Draw the circle
wide.
Draw it wider
still.
Let this be our
song,
no one stands
alone,
standing side by
side,
draw the circle
wide.”
God,
help us to celebrate a life of love-filled community by seeing others through
your eyes of grace-filled mercy. May we grow in our awareness of your love, so
that we may act with openness of heart to others, seeing them as your beloved
children.
Amen.
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