THE LAST RIVER MILE

Recently I had the opportunity to introduce something called Holy Communion in a large worship gathering. Depending on the church tradition, Holy Communion also is called The Lord’s Supper or The Eucharist. (The latter comes from a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving”.) It is a small meal of bread and wine or grape juice. Simply put, it signifies a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrificial death on a cross, a recognition of Jesus’ resurrected, living presence right now, and an anticipation of Jesus’ return in final, life-and-world transforming and reconciling victory.

In my particular church tribe (United Methodist) part of the run-up to actually sharing Holy Communion is the reminder that it is open to everyone. A person does not have to be a member of a United Methodist Church or any church of any brand name to receive it. An individual does not even have to be one who buys into the Jesus thing. We believe sharing this simple meal can be a person’s doorway into experience the grace of God in Jesus the Christ. So, one of the most important parts of preparing to celebrate is the reminder to the gathering that all are welcome.

At the very moment I said those words, one of the many people at the front of the gathering who was helping with logistics of serving turned and looked at me. This person’s eyes stayed on me as I explained that there are absolutely no barriers to the Lord’s table, and everyone is welcome. The individual was near tears, and I realized that the moment had become WAY beyond me and the simple mechanics of the Communion invitation. This was someone who had extensive, painful experience with not being welcomed. I was happily pushed aside, and it was Jesus reaching in that moment to embrace that individual.

The particular soul was one of the following types of individuals: A non-white person. A person whose first language is not English. A person battling with mental health struggles. A gay or lesbian person. A neurodivergent person. An unhoused person. A person who does not identify with culturally dominant gender roles. An undocumented person. A person who cannot read. A special-needs person. A non-Christian person. A person living legally in the United States under asylum. A person with a criminal record.

I’m not going to tell you which specific type of person the individual was. It doesn’t matter. You and I need to wrestle with the truth of who is not welcome in our particular settings.

I was recently reminded of the words and thoughts of the late, great Rachel Held Evans. She noted that the scandal of the earliest followers of Jesus was not who they kept out, but who they welcomed in. Jesus himself observed that we will be surprised by those who enter the eternal Kingdom. (See Luke 13:28-30, Matthew 8:11-12, Matthew 21:31.) We’d better be practicing joining in his radical welcome now.

I’ll see you around the next bend in the river.