Making Room at the Table
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee… Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous.”
-Luke 14:1-14
Our family goes in all different directions every day. We work hard to be able to sit down together for a family dinner, but don’t always have the ability. When we do, we ask one another what was your good and bad thing that happened today? We are making room for each other not only at the dinner table, but for each other in our lives and in our hearts. Checking in matters. We can share stories of our day, something that was funny, or something that was hard.
Jesus was invited to a prominent Pharisee’s house for dinner. On the way, he healed a man, told a story about not taking the most important place at the table, and then admonished the host to not only invite important people to dinner parties, but the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind… “and you will be blessed”, Jesus said. Jesus wants us to make room for each other and also for those on the margins. The people who cannot repay you. You will be blessed. It may be difficult for us to find people who necessarily fit those descriptions to invite over for dinner. It may not be safe or feasible. But what we can all do is make room at the Lord’s Table. Making newcomers feel welcome and invited to worship can be tricky. What if they don’t look like the typical Presbyterian? What if they just walked in off the street?
This Sunday is World Communion Sunday. Our brothers and sisters all over the world are celebrating the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper around tables just like this one. They are breaking bread and saying the same words, “This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, shed for you.” The bread might look or taste different than ours. Some will use wine, others serve juice. But Christ is present in all those places at all those tables with all those people. Let’s make room at the table for the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and we will be blessed.
This fall, we will practice sharing our stories of faith. We might even practice sharing a “God sighting” with our neighbors in church. God has given you a wonderful story to tell! Please join us in worship this fall as we share our own inspiring stories of faith.
Friends, the invitation list to the Lord’s Table is larger than any of us could ever imagine.
Let us confess the ways in which we have sought to limit that invitation.
God of Hospitality and Wonder, you welcome us to a table that invites those who are different from us. This invitation has made us uncomfortable, unsettled, and defensive. Our discomfort comes from an unwillingness to see other peoples’ perspectives. Help us to surrender ourselves to the abundance of your invitation. Inspire us to embrace the fact that diversity is strength, not weakness. Gather us to welcome the stranger, care for the oppressed, and feed the hungry. Forgive us for our short-sightedness and open us to your Gospel that we might better embody the Beloved Community you call us to be. In the Wild and Wonderful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Friends, we are ALL invited to this table. I am here to announce to you that whatever you think disqualifies you from God’s love has been washed away by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! I announce to you that our sins have been forgiven. Alleluia! Amen.
