This sermon was delivered on the 12th Sunday after Pentecost at Central Congregational Church in Galesburg, IL. A video of Rev. Yowler delivering this message follows the text.
There’s a piece of internet wisdom out there that says, “If you have more than enough, build a bigger table, not a taller wall.” These few words have resonated with me lately in numerous ways- the situation at the border, stories of homeless folks rounded up, white folks calling the cops on people of color for simply existing, gatekeeping behaviors in my various communities...the list goes on. It seems to me that folks are much more interested in building walls than making space for others. But I’ve gotta tell you- Jesus might have been a carpenter, but he wasn’t interested in building walls. He was ALWAYS looking for ways to build a bigger table.
Jesus was radical in his departure from social norms, and this gospel celebrates Jesus' expanding definition of love and acceptance.
Today’s story from Luke is a good reminder of what Jesus expects. When discussing a banquet and invitations, Jesus makes it clear- don’t invite those who are the richest and have the most influence. Invite those who would be most blessed by the meal- those who need it most, the hungry, the poor, the homeless. And, if you don’t have enough room for everyone, make room. And if you still don’t have room? Check your guest list- because there are some wealthy privileged folks on there who probably don’t need your dinner.
This is yet another instance of Jesus turning things around- of making sure that the focus remains on those who need it. The Gospel of Luke is often called a “social justice gospel” because in this version of the Jesus story- the focus is on love for all people- regardless of their social capital. The Gospel of Luke is about RADICAL INCLUSION- it’s in this gospel that we see Jesus dine with tax payers, lift up women, celebrate other races (aka Samaritans), and love outcasts. Jesus was radical in his departure from social norms, and this gospel celebrates Jesus’ expanding definition of love and acceptance. Jesus didn’t care about the “glitter of the guest list,”1 he cared about generosity and inclusivity. Jesus would build a bigger table.
Walls are tools of separation. Jesus was not interested in walls.
In the Broadway musical, Hadestown, Hades (yes that Hades), discusses the importance of building a wall. The musical is a retelling of the Orpheus and Euridyce story- and instead of the “Underworld” being a version of hell, in the musical, it is a “walled city whose citizens engage in mindless, soulless work in exchange for the security promised by their boss-king Mister Hades.2 Hades uses all sorts of techniques to indoctrinate his workers- one of which is a call and response song called “Why we build the wall.” Hades asks- Why do we build the wall, my children? They respond:
"The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free"3
Hades’ wall is about fear- fear of the other, fear of poverty, fear of losing freedom. And Hades plays on those fears to ensure that workers will continue to build the wall- that they will participate in their own separation from the rest of the world. I mean, isn’t that what all walls are? Real ones and metaphorical ones? They are a means of separation- sometimes to simply separate us from the elements- rain, snow, heat, cold. But sometimes they separate us from things we fear- poverty, job loss, people who look or speak differently. Sometimes the walls are real- made out of brick or stone or concrete. Sometimes they are metaphorical- built around our emotions- to keep us safe from heartbreak or disappointment. Sometimes they are social- carefully curated guest lists, rules regarding gender and acceptance, rules of dress or behavior that only “the right people” get to know. Sometimes, the walls are liturgical- who is allowed to preach, who is allowed at the communion table, who gets to make the decision. No matter what kind of wall it is- Walls are tools of separation. Jesus was not interested in walls.
Hospitality...insists that we not assign more worth to our own beliefs than those of another.
Jesus was about tables. Jesus sat at tables with those who society rejected. He dined with “the least of these” on a regular basis- tax collectors, the poor, the ill, anyone polite society wouldn’t want at the table? Jesus wanted them at HIS table. In the reading from today- he specifically instructs the host to invite those who cannot repay the invitation. And if you insist on inviting your friends, relatives, or your rich neighbors, you’d best build a bigger table so you can accommodate everyone. The best banquets don’t have glittery guest lists. Jesus says build a bigger table.
Ok- we know walls are bad and big tables are good. But aside from exercising our carpentry skills, what does it MEAN to build a bigger table?
I think it’s ultimately a matter of hospitality.
For the church, the hospitality can be practiced in many ways, but I think the most important places for making room are in:
Our language for God and humanity
Our methods of worship
Our understanding of community
Our celebration of table
We show hospitality in our language for God and humanity. We need to be able to stand side by side, one person calling God mother, another calling God Father, and still others calling God by the multitude of names we can assign. Hospitality is more than choosing our words carefully, it’s honoring other people’s understandings and making room for their language as well as our own. Just because I see God as a mother doesn’t negate someone else’s right to see God as a father. Just because I call God, “God” doesn’t mean that other names for God are invalid! The act of hospitality though insists that we not assign more worth to our own beliefs than those of another. When we make room for other systems of belief and other understandings of God, we are practicing hospitality. We make room when we acknowledge and honor the many names we use for God, even the ones that challenge us personally.
It is no coincidence that communion and community share the same root...it is mutual participation that honors the differences we bring to the table.
We can show hospitality in our methods of worship. We can make room in the ways we choose to worship and in our liturgy. This may be as simple as ensuring that our sanctuaries are wheelchair and walker friendly or that there are alternatives fo folks who are hearing and sight impaired. We might have to shuffle the pews on Sunday mornings so that people can feel comfortable sitting where they wish. We might need to think about taking the message outside of these walls. Everything we say and do in our worship can be an act of hospitality and can welcome people to the table and into a closer relationship with God.
We can make room in our understanding of community. Letty Russell says that “hospitality is an expression of unity without uniformity. Through hospitality, community is built out of difference not sameness.” If we look around our tables and everyone we see looks like us, talks like us, comes from the same background as us? We might need to shuffle the guest list. Welcoming diversity means we invite diverse folks to the table- not as tokens, but as partners. It means that we struggle to work through differences without demeaning those we strive to include. We must value diversity of perspective because unity doesn’t mean that we agree on everything. It does mean that everyone is invited to be at the same table- even if it means building a bigger one!
The celebration of communion is the place where this “making room” can be most visible. I believe God’s love becomes tangible when the community gathers around the table. It is through communion that we can truly experience the love of God as revealed in Christ. God calls us to live in a spirit of love, but that love must be without boundaries of age, gender, orientation, baptism, or any other human made wall. Because God’s love is borderless love and it rejects the often artificial limits imposed by our world. At the table we can put aside all of the human made divisions and celebrate together in ways that affirm our own faith tradition and our own beliefs. It is no coincidence that communion and community share the same root—communis—which means mutual participation. It is mutual participation that honors the differences we bring to the table. When we practice hospitality at the table, we learn how to practice hospitality in community. When we make room at the table, we celebrate the diversity that each person brings to the community and we make room for everyone to abide in God.
When we gather for communion in a few minutes, I encourage you to think about who is missing from our banquet. Whose voice isn’t being heard? Who is on the other side of these walls that might like an invitation to this table- to this community? What walls are preventing access to this table- to this community? What walls are separating others from the love and support of this congregation? What fears are holding these walls up?
Whatever the answers, let’s remember that Jesus wasn’t interested in building walls. He was ALWAYS looking for ways to build a bigger table.
Amen.
Watch the sermon here:
1 R. Alan Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible: General Articles & Introduction, Commentary, & Reflections for Each Book of the Bible, Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books in Twelve Volumes. Vol. 9: The Gospel of Luke ; The Gospel of John, ed. Leander E. Keck, Nachdr. (Nashville, Tenn: Abingdon Press, 1998), 288.
2 Anaïs Mitchell and ContributorSinger-Songwriter-Musician, “WHY WE BUILD THE WALL,” HuffPost, 57:10 400AD, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-we-build-the-wall_b_581cbcb7e4b044f827a78c0a.
3 Anaïs Mitchell, Why We Build the Wall, accessed August 30, 2019, https://genius.com/Original-cast-of-hadestown-why-we-build-the-wall-lyrics.