Table Talk: A Sermon for the 12th Sunday After Pentecost

Photo Credit: Karen Laårk Boshoff on pexels.com

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.

Resources

pulpitfiction.com

episcopalchurch.org

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/family-dinners-are-important

"Luke for Everyone" by NT Wright

A Year-Long Exploration of the Sermon on the Mount: Week 28

Chapter 28 – The Father Knows

 

God knows what we want and what our is path is, so why do we bother with prayer? Why do we bother asking God for things?

 

I have an issue with the belief that God has created a path for us when we were born and there’s nothing we can do about it. If that were the case, wouldn’t life be so much easier? If our lives are already laid out, then explain to me the gut-wrenching feeling of anxiety that I experience on almost a daily basis. Or the panic attacks that some of us go through. Or the suddenness of illness and death that brings on debilitating grief.

 

“God knows” doesn’t mean that our lives are predetermined. God gave humanity free will which means we make choices every day about how our lives are going to play out. The result is that we are often praying to God for surface things, but God knows what’s deep down in our hearts, and God walks with us through our lives, answering our heart-felt prayers each and every day.

 

Yes, I do believe that God answers our prayers. It’s just that sometimes those answers come in unexpected ways, or simply not in exactly in the way we wanted. God answered my prayers regarding my call, but it has come with it much unexpected hardship, pain, and grief that I now have to figure out how to process. You can’t tell me that this was God’s plan for me? But I can take to heart that God stands by me through it all.

 

Finally, in our prayers, we can’t forget to thank God! After reading what I just wrote, how can I possible ask you to thank God? It is definitely a step that we often forget. God gave us all of creation, our lives, and everything we find on our path. The happy and the sad, the ups and the down, everything from birth until death. We pray to God asking for things but often forget to thank God for it all.

 

God knows us to our core. God loves us from birth until death. Thank you God for it all.

A Review of the Book "Gwendy's Button Box" by Stephen King

Title: Gwendy's Button Box

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Inc

Year: 2017

166 pages

From the Back: The little known town of Castle Rock, Maine, has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told - until now.

    In the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson encounters a stranger sitting on a park bench, dressed in black jeans, a black coat, and a black bowler hat - unusual for such a warm day. This man in black is here in Castle Rock specifically to pass along an obligation for Gwendy that is both fantastic and terrifying: on his behalf and for an unspecified period of time, she must take possession of and hide from the rest of the world a small mahogany box adorned with multicolored buttons and levers. The reward for safeguarding the box will transform her life in ways Gwendy could never imagine, but the price to pay for her failure could very will mean the end of everything.

Personal Thoughts: This is the first of King's novellas that I have read and I have to admit, it was strange to be able to read it so quickly. Gwendy's Button Box is an easy read, lacking King's usual thriller qualities, although there were still some freaky moments in the story. A fresh relief before I head back into King's darker novels.

A Review of the Book "Queer & Christian" by Brandan Robertson

Title: Queer & Christian

Author: Brandan Robertson

Publisher: St Martin's Essentials

Year: 2025

243 pages

From the Back: For too long, the Bible has been weaponized to exclude LGBTQ+ individuals, despite Jesus' radical message of inclusion. In Queer & Christian, acclaimed public theologian and TikTok pastor Brandan Robertson envisions a faith that unequivocally embraces everyone.

    Ostracized at school, Brandan thought he had finally found his community when he joined the local church. But he soon realized its parishioners were as intolerant as his peers at school had been - if not more so. After agonizing years of repressing his true identity, he discovered that God's table has always had a place for him, and for you! Jesus' love knows no bounds, embracing everyone unconditionally.

Personal Thoughts: Queer & Christian is an incredible book and an important one for queers and allies alike to pick up and read. Robertson dives into the clobber passages, celebrates queer saints, and responds to commonly asked questions, all in the name of helping the queer community to reclaim our place at God's table.

    My one critique would be the sections that discussed sexual ethics. I have no problem with the discussion itself, but I wasn't always on the same page of Robertson on this topic.

    The section titled "Seeing Ourselves in Scripture", however, was quite enjoyable. Here Robertson explored the queer relationships found within the Bible, such as Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, and Jesus and his beloved disciple.

    This book was an easy read and I strongly recommend it.

A Review of the Book "Forrest Gump" by Winston Groom

Title: Forrest Gump

Author: Winston Groom

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Inc

Year: 1986

248 pages

From the Back: "Bein a idiot is no box of chocolates," but "at least I ain't lead no hum-drum life," says Forrest Gump, the lovable, surprisingly savvy hero of this wonderful comic novel. When the University of Alabama's football team drafts Forrest and makes him a start, that's only the beginning! He flunks out - and foes on to be a Vietnam War hero, a world-class pong-pong player, a wrestler, and a business tycoon. He compares battle scars with Lyndon Johnson, discovers the truth about Richard Nixon, and suffers the ups and downs of true love. Now, Forrest Gump is telling all - in a madcap, screwball romp through three decades of the American landscape. It's Gump's amazing travels, and you've got to read them to believe them.

Personal Thoughts: Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies. So I was pretty excited to find a copy of the book that started it all. Unfortunately, I was completely disappointed. I haven't yet come across a book that I disliked more than this one. I have no idea how they got the movie from the story within these pages. They are completely different, except maybe the underlying love story with Jenny, although even that story has differences. The book was crass and lacked all of the innocence found in Gump's on-screen character. I am usually a fan of book over movie, but this is one book I'm telling you not to bother with, especially if you're a Forrest Gump fan.

A Review of the Book "This is My Body" by Christina Beardsley & Michelle O'Brien

Title: This is My Body

Author: Christina Beardsley & Michelle O'Brien

Publisher: Darton, Longman, and Todd Ltd

Year: 2016

189 pages

From the Back: Much has been said and written about trans people by theologians and church leaders, while little has been heard from trans Christians themselves. As a step towards redressing the balance, This is My Body offers a grounded reflection on people's experience of gender dissonance that involved negotiating the boundaries between one's identity and religious faith, as well as a review of the most up-to-date theological, cultural, and scientific literature.

    The book has been compiled and edited by Christina Beardsley, a priest and hospital chaplain, writer, and activist for trans inclusion in the church, and Michelle O'Brien, who has been involved in advocacy, research, lecturing, and writing about intersex and trans issues. It includes contributions from many people associated with the Sibyls, the UK-based confidential spirituality group for transgender people and their allies.

Personal Thoughts: Although based in the UK, this book was very insightful. It was not the easiest read, but it was good to hear experiences directly from the mouths of transgender and intersex people. There were a lot of references to the British medical process but it was still good information that could be transferrable to Canada. A lot of the books I've been reading about the transgender experience seem to be giving the same information, which means we might actually be on the right path to taking proper care of our trans siblings.

You Are Set Free: A Sermon for the 11th Sunday After Pentecost

Photo Credit: Liam Riby on unsplash.com

The following sermon is heavily influenced by the thoughts of my friend and colleague, Deacon Michelle Collins of the MNO Synod.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

My sermon this morning is heavily influenced by the thoughts of my friend and colleague, Deacon Michelle Collins of the MNO Synod.

 

What is it like to feel bent over and unable to stand up straight? Some of us have experienced spending a few hours in the garden or doing a task that requires us to bend over and then groaning as we stretch back into a standing position. Others of us are familiar with the impact and effect of age as we realize that our joints and muscles aren’t working the way they used to. Others just learn to live with the bodies that they have, which may not fit the expected norm in one way or another. But more significantly, I would imagine that all of us know the limitations of perspectives, feelings, or experiences that restrict us from leaning into our full selves.

 

Standing up straight is just as much a matter of confidence in your identity as it is a matter of stature and stability. Throughout much of my life, I walked a little bit hunched over, my face pointed to the ground. I was shy. I had braces. I didn’t like the way I looked. I didn’t want people to look at me. I didn’t like looking into people’s faces. That changed a little bit during my time in air cadets. I excelled in that program, gaining confidence in myself and in my abilities. But that really only showed when the uniform was on. It was like I was a different person then.

 

Mostly, I was bent over, in big sweaters, with my arms across my body. I had no confidence in my identity. And when I look back on those years, knowing who I am now, it makes complete sense. I was self-conscious about my body, knowing deep inside that it didn’t look or feel the way it was supposed to. Hindsight is 20/20, but it doesn’t change that I spent decades looking down at my feet as I went through the world.

 

In our gospel reading today, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the sabbath and notices a woman who has been bent over for many years. She was unable to stand up straight. Most scholars suspect this woman was suffering from a physical ailment that was affecting her spine. Maybe it was scoliosis, or arthritis. But what if it was more spiritual than physical? What if the weight of her life was so heavy that it caused her to look down at her feet as she moved through her life? After years of looking down, your shoulders and your back are likely to start hunching over. In the time of Luke’s gospel, this woman would have received a barrage of messages about her lack of self-worth. And whether these messages were direct or indirect, they would have informed her identity – a person of low worth, undeserving of respect, and someone to be ignored.

 

Our virtual and physical spaces are filled with people who cannot stand up straight for a variety of reasons. Some are bent over from physical disease and disorder. Some are bent over from trauma they do not know how to process. Some are bent over from prejudice and bias against various aspects of their identity. Some are bent over from their age and what the common opinion is about what value they bring to society. Some are bent over from generations of internalized shame. Our world is full of people who are bent over and unable to stand up straight.

 

And Jesus sees these people. Jesus sees the woman in the synagogue, and Jesus sees you and me. Jesus’ first word to the woman is a word of freedom and validation. “Woman,” Jesus says, “you are set free from your ailment.” Jesus extends a word of invitation and freedom without hesitation. He doesn’t confirm her faith. He doesn’t ask her all sorts of theological questions. He doesn’t even demand that she becomes one his followers. Jesus healed this woman because he saw her pain and wanted to give her relief, and he demanded nothing in return. For Jesus, this was not a quid pro quo situation. He sees the woman, validates her existence, gives her the freedom to live her life with confidence, and brings her into full inclusion into God’s covenant community.

 

While the woman is the main focus of today’s reading, there is a secondary story of healing, of being set free, but this character’s ailment isn’t as obvious as the stooped over woman. The religious man in our Gospel reading isn’t too happy with Jesus healing the woman. Not because he has a problem with her being healed, but that Jesus did so on the Sabbath, a day where people are to be resting and worshiping God.

The day of Sabbath is meant to be a day of rest, and the religious law at the time stated that no work was to be done on this day. This is because on the 7^th day, after God created the universe, calling it good, God rested and created the Sabbath. Therefore, religious law observes this day of rest as a holy day, where your only task is to give thanks to God for creating the universe. The religious leader objects to what Jesus is saying and doing because it goes against the rules – specifically the commitment to rest on the sabbath. He’s not as upset that Jesus healed the woman as that he did it on the sabbath.

 

But Jesus argues back and asks how the woman is to rest if she is hunched over the way she is? In fact, she won’t be able to rest because of what it is that is keeping her hunched over. We cannot say we value a day of rest when a person in our gathering is being excluded from that rest. We cannot say we value rest when those who are bound by disease, prejudice, oppression, inequality or our ignorance are excluded from experiencing rest. We cannot say we value rest when some among us are excluded from experiencing that rest because of something that is limiting their wholeness.

 

God created the universe and called it good, and then God rested. The day of rest is meant to be holy but are we fully deserving of that kind of a Sabbath? Is the world fully and truly good? Or do we have more work to do? Our communities are filled with people bent over from a spirit that is crippling them. Our systems are bent over from attitudes and beliefs that are crippling us. Jesus desires and proclaims healing and restoration for both. We who profess a commitment to rest are both those in need of healing, and those who are called to participate in making that rest possible – rest for children and youth burdened by limiting expectations and assumptions; rest for marginalized communities exhausted by the burden of systemic injustice and generational trauma; rest for housing and food insecure neighbours exhausted by the burden of finding the very basic necessities for life; rest for those exhausted by the burden of labels, prejudice, hatred, and exclusion; rest for those exhausted from working for justice, reconciliation, and equality for the most vulnerable; rest for you and me, exhausted by the burden of grief, loneliness, shame, fear, and insecurity.

 

Jesus saw the woman bent over from the burdens of disease and daily life. Jesus saw the religious man bent over from the burden of trying to follow the law of the Sabbath. Jesus sees each and every one of us bent over from the burden of whatever it is we are carrying today. Jesus sees us, reaches out to us in love, and says to us, “You are set free.” Through the waters of baptism, we are washed and made clean. We are set free from the ailment of sin. Through the bread and wine of communion we are fed, nourished, and forgiven. We are set free and included in God’s promise of eternal life.

 

Whatever it is that’s keeping you bent over today, you are seen and loved by the One who knows your name and who stays by your side through the darkness of sin and death. You are seen and loved by the one who defeated the power of death so that you might eternally hear the words, “You are set free.”

 

Amen.

Resources:

pulpitfiction.com

Deacon Michelle Collins