Do We Truly Welcome All to the Table?

A few weeks ago (8/8/17) I wrote a post about the Sidewalk Prophets song, "Come to the Table" because I had first heard it and it struck me as a powerful and inviting song. It also strikes me as a challenging one as I continue to hear it on the radio.

The song invites people to come to the table, all are welcome.  Who they are, how they are.  Welcome.  That's how God accepts them.  What if someone happens to hear that song, believes it, and goes to a church?  Will they find that same grace and acceptance?

What if they aren't dressed the same as those in the church?

What if they have a disability?

What if they are of a different income or perceived standard?

What if they are of a different race, color, or culture?

What if they struggle to speak "our" language?

What if they are different in any way to what we perceive is "the way"?

According to God, all are welcome.  God's grace extends to all people.  If God is willing to be open and loving, then why are we cutting people off from the table?  Why are we putting up walls, rules, boundaries where God did not and does not put them up?

My heart breaks when I am in a room full of Jesus-loving folks who have left the church because the church has betrayed them, hurt them, and/or is no longer a place where God came first and all were welcome at the table.  This gathered body of Jesus followers was and is church, yet with no community because community wasn't living as Jesus instructed.

I understand.

I have seen it recently.  And my heart breaks.

It doesn't matter what you wear.  Come to the table.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you've been through or what you're going through now.  Come to the table.

You are welcome to the table.  God's table.  You are loved.

I hope to live into loving God and loving others (as I love myself) as Jesus taught.

Jesus invited the disciples to breakfast on the beach, he fed folks on the hillside, and in the upper room.  Jesus was about relationship with others around the table.  These were teaching moments for the disciples and others.

As we look around our tables, who is missing? Why are they missing?  Have we forgotten to invite someone to the table?  Have we excluded someone who was previously at the table?  Have we not made room at the table?

May we open ourselves up truly to God as we make our way to the table, seeking forgiveness and grace for those we've ignored, excluded, and turned away.

Then, let's make sure our tables, our churches, our lives are open to God to work in us and through us for the glory of God and the good of the kingdom.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra


Lyrics to "Come to the Table" by Sidewalk Prophets:

We all start on the outside
The outside looking in
This is where grace begins
We were hungry, we were thirsty
With nothing left to give
Oh the shape that we were in
Just when all hope seemed lost
Love opened the door for us

He said come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table

Come meet this motley crew of misfits
These liars and these thiefs
There's no one unwelcome here
So that sin and shame that you brought with you
You can leave it at the door
Let mercy draw you near

Come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come to the table

To the thief and to the doubter
To the hero and the coward
To the prisoner and the soldier
To the young and to the older
All who hunger, all who thirst
All the last and all the first
All the paupers and the princes
All who fail you've been forgiven
All who dream and all who suffer
All who loved and lost another
All the chained and all the free
All who follow, all who lead
Anyone who's been let down
All the lost you have been found
All who have been labeled right or wrong
To everyone who hears this song

Ooh
Come to the table
Come join the sinners you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free
Oooh
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come to the table
Just sit down and rest a while
Just sit down and rest a while
Come to the table

Come to the Table-all are welcome

This morning I heard a song by Sidewalk Prophets for the 2nd time, "Come to the Table".  I was just pulling in to the parking lot of one of the two churches I serve where I have offices.  I sat there listening to the song, touched by the words.

I posted the song with these words on social media:

"Come to the table. All are welcome. There is NO ONE not accepted. May it be so. I heard this song for the 2nd time as I pulled into the parking lot today. May we come to the table and be set free."

When I got home this evening, I saw Our Daily Bread opened up to today's message entitled "Available to All".

The focus verse, Mark 10:45, reminds us that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve.  The devotion reminds us that Jesus was available to all.

Here are the lyrics to "Come to the Table" by Sidewalk Prophets:

We all start on the outside
The outside looking in
This is where grace begins
We were hungry, we were thirsty
With nothing left to give
Oh the shape that we were in
Just when all hope seemed lost
Love opened the door for us

He said come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table

Come meet this motley crew of misfits
These liars and these thieves
There's no one unwelcome here
So that sin and shame that you brought with you
You can leave it at the door
Let mercy draw you near

Come to the table
Come join the sinners who have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come to the table

To the thief and to the doubter
To the hero and the coward
To the prisoner and the soldier
To the young and to the older
All who hunger, all who thirst
All the last and all the first
All the paupers and the princes
All who fail you've been forgiven
All who dream and all who suffer
All who loved and lost another
All the chained and all the free
All who follow, all who lead
Anyone who's been let down
All the lost you have been found
All who have been labeled right or wrong
To everyone who hears this song

Ooh
Come to the table
Come join the sinners you have been redeemed
Take your place beside the Savior
Sit down and be set free
Oooh
Sit down and be set free
Come to the table
Come to the table
Just sit down and rest a while
Just sit down and rest a while
Come to the table
-------------

The banquet table is prepared and set for all.  As a dear friend posted on my post today:  "We should never assume that we are in charge of the guest list at the table of Jesus."

I probably should have asked more about that great quote, but I didn't.  It has been a busy day.

But, tonight I searched that quote and found something close to it by Magrey R. DeVega:

"The good news is meant for the hungry, for those who would drop everything for an invitation to the banquet.  When we lose sight of the radical grace of invitation, we have forgotten who we are. [...] we should never impose our quality-control standards on anyone else the king wants to invite to the banquet." (A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series: Thematic Plans for Years A, B, and C, Westminster John Knox Press, p. 70)

Whether you need to know that you are welcome at the table or you need to make room at the table for others, know that there is room.  It's all about God's grace.  God's grace opens up space for you, for me, for all at the table.  Hear these words for you and share them with others who need to hear: "Come to the table". 

Blessings on your journey, 

Debra

Wonderful Warm Worship at Washington Hills

Because I left town on Monday for Colorado, I wasn't able to get Sunday's blog up sooner.

This past Sunday on Father's Day, worship was at Washington Hills UMC in Chattanooga, TN.  It is off Bonny Oaks Drive and not too far from where we live in Hixson.  It was one of the three churches on my "to visit" list.  Pastor Bobby Black and his wife Lisa are very dear folks to me and though I've been there in the past to hear Lisa preach (Certified Lay Speaker), I haven't had the privilege to hear Bobby. 

Riley and I arrived about 15 minutes early to the church for the 11am service.  We were greeted warmly by a kind woman who turned out to be the organist.  When I say we were greeted "warmly", that's just the beginning of our experience, both in hospitality and temperature.

You see, the air conditioning unit there was not working.  Nothing.  Zilch.  Nada.  Unfortunately for them, they had just spent money getting it serviced too.  But that wasn't going to deter us from worship that morning.  We went on in, found a seat, and settled in.  It was warm.  But not hot.  Folks started streaming in.  Electric fans were brought in.  Hand held fans were already in the pews.  I found one, just in case. 

As folks came in and noticed us, they greeted us warmly, welcoming us into their home of worship and into their community. 

The service began a little after 11am due to the situation with the air, but it didn't deter the primary focus for the gathering-- to worship God, the Creator.  That was evident throughout the entire worship experience.

People chose to worship that morning (into the afternoon).  They chose to stay.  They chose to not allow the lack of air conditioning to take away their focus of worship, praise, or prayer.  It was a wonderful worship time.

Out of curiosity, I checked the time when Pastor Bobby began the message.  It was 12:07pm.  I chuckled to myself, thinking that in some places folks may not be as willing to continue being in a building with no air conditioning for this amount of time, with the sermon just now beginning. 

A little earlier in the service, Pastor Bobby had leaned over to a choir member, maybe the leader, and she had come out of the choir area.  He then mentioned that in a few minutes, cold water would be offered to everyone in the congregation.  Sure enough, within a little while, a brigade of women came down the aisles with cups and pitchers of ice cold water and began passing out water to everyone who wanted it.  I don't think anyone refused the fresh cold water.  What a beautiful act of hospitality and warm welcome to members and guests alike.  What a Christ-like gesture of offering a drink of cold water to those in need.

It became even more significant when a man two rows behind us later thanked the congregation for taking him in many years ago when he moved into this community.  He mentioned that this congregation had helped him assimilate and was there to offer him a cup of water when he needed it most.  He had a relative visiting him from South Sudan that day and introduced her.  What a blessing to see ministry of love in action.

Another blessing was to see Pastor Bobby's daughter there that day and to have the opportunity to talk with her a few moments after the service.  I had felt "nudged" to give her a holding cross back a couple of years during her treatment days.  Lisa introduced me to Celeste as the one who sent that to her.   Celeste explained to me that the cross was passed along to a brave young 12 year old battling cancer.  Wow.  It was a beautiful and powerful moment to hear how prayer and the prayer cross had moved.  Celeste was another blessing in that congregation of ministry of love in action as that congregation (and others) had prayed for her and the family.

A few things about the music that morning.  There was a song "Anointing" sung by the choir during a time when folks could go to the altar and pray.  That was powerful.  This was in the preparation part of the worship service prior to the message.  After the congregation prayed, the choir came down to the altar together to pray.  That was a new song for me.   It was POWERFUL!  It is by Donn Thomas and found in the African American Heritage Hymnal, #318. 

Lyrics:

Anointing fall on me
Anointing fall on me
Let the power
Of the Holy Ghost
Fall on me
Anointing fall on me

Touch my hands my mouth
And my heart
Fill my life Lord
Every part
Let the power
Of the Holy Ghost
Fall on me
Anointing fall on me
 

On me let the power
Of the Holy Ghost
Fall on me
Anointing fall on me
Anointing fall on me

Another powerful song that I did recognize was "Every Praise".  I recognized that right away as a Hezekiah Walker song.  Oh, what a blessing it was to hear that song and to join in.  I thought the roof might be blown off.  And if it had, that wouldn't have been a bad thing.☺  Well, then the church would need money for a roof AND the air conditioning.

Lyrics:

Every praise is to our God
Every word of worship with one accord
Every praise every praise is to our God
Sing hallelujah to our God
Glory hallelujah is due our God
Every praise every praise is to our God

God my Savior
God my Healer
God my Deliverer
Yes He is, yes He is

Yes He is, yes He is [repeat]

Every praise is to our God.
Every word of worship with one accord

Every praise every praise [repeat]
Is to our God

From the music, to the prayers, to the message that Bobby brought, to the meeting and greeting of folks in that community, it was a very special and wonderful warm worship that morning!

Oh, in case you're wondering.  It was around 1pm when we finished worship.  But folks didn't bolt out the door.  They lingered.  They spoke to each other.  You'd think they would rush to their air conditioned cars (or Gold Wing as was the case for one gentleman) and leave, right?  No.  Some were huddled around inside the church.  Others outside in the even hotter temperature.  Folks had gathered in community to truly worship that morning and the heat wasn't going to deter their focus.  What a wonderful blessing it was for us as visitors into their community.

Blessings on your journey!  May there be some wonderful warm worship along the way,

Debra