Friends, God loved us so much… God so loved the world… That God came to us in Jesus, our Christ. Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, he humbled himself and became our servant. He was patient, he was kind, he did not insist on his own way but told stories around the table that provoked thought.

He stood for love. Love of neighbor. Love of outcast. Love of the poor. Love of even our enemies, which is hard. Impossible. Often I don’t feel up to the task, but God is love. And everyone who truly loves is a child of God.

Jesus promised that when we gather in his name, just two or three… He will be in our midst. So we gather around his table of love. If you ever feel unloved or you’re having trouble finding it in the world. Gather with two or three friends and ask where they see it and love will show up, every. Single. Time. So come, come to the table of love!

SING LOVE VERSE

Yet we didn’t get it. As we heard in the gospel today (and this the Pastor Luke translation), when he entered the church, the pastor and the Sunday school teachers came and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things?”

They had their Bibles out and ready. Ready for a Bible fight. Ready to prove themselves. They had dog-eared all their favorite verses. They had well-worn bibles that they had read, but they had just enough bible to inoculate them from the teachings getting into their spirit. Yes, sometimes religion can be like a vaccine. It gives you just enough of Christianity to prevent you from becoming the real thing.

But Jesus was at peace with what he was doing. He knew what he was about and had no interest in giving trite clichés, empty promises, or fake comfort with those with itchy ears who only want to hear what they want to hear. So he said to them, “I will also ask you a question; if you tell me the answer then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven or from humans?”

The pastors and Sunday School teachers huddled up and argued for a while. Jesus cleaned his nails and waited. He and Peter talked about what a nice day it was. The religious leaders, they finally answered, “well… we don’t know. If we answer from heaven, you will say, ‘why didn’t you believe John?’ because we gave him a hard time and questioned his motives. Yet if we answer, ‘from humans,’ then his followers will revolt and we’re afraid of the crowds.”

And Jesus calmly said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

There’s a peace in that. There’s a peace in realizing that Jesus couldn’t change or fix these church folk. He knew as James Baldwin did that not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced. He had a deeper peace than the reactionaries who were out to misunderstand him from the start.

And you, my friends. You might be facing the same thing. You have a call. You know what you’re about. God is calling you to something and others won’t understand. This call will change things in your life. It will look like you’re departing from tradition when you’re actually keeping the tradition alive.  Take peace. Take peace. They misunderstood Jesus too. They didn’t know what he was about and didn’t know how to answer him.

If you’re seeking peace, you’ll find it here at this table. Come! Come to the table of peace!

SING PEACE VERSE

Yes come to this table. There is nothing required of you at all. You don’t need to behave a certain way. There’s nothing you can do to earn an invitation here, you’re already IN. There’s nothing you need to believe. You may be doubting this whole thing. Yet our host says, “Taste and see…” Taste and see that God is good.

This is God’s table, it’s not yours or mine.  Because you are here, it means this is freely offered to any who will participate no matter where you are on life’s journey, no matter where you’re from or where you’re going, no matter what. You are welcome here. Come to the table of grace!

SING GRACE VERSE

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, in compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete and let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Look not to your own interest, but to the interests of others. In humility regard others as better than yourself. Do nothing from selfish ambition and know that on the night he was betrayed, he gathered his friends in an upper room. His last words to them were not condemnation, not scolding them for what they were about to do. He took joy in each of them and loved them more than they knew.

We Christians are not often known for our joy. We seem to like the bible much better when it’s condemning something we don’t do than when it’s instructing us to do something that we don’t feel like doing. When Jesus was among us he turned water into wine and we’ve been trying for 2,000 years to change it back to water it seems. Don’t be afraid of joy. Don’t be afraid of laughter. We should feel something akin to joy each time we hear…

He took the bread and broke it and offered it to them saying, “This is my body broken for you. Take and eat.” Likewise he took the cup, blessed and poured it saying, “This is the cup of my blood. The cup of the new and everlasting covenant for the forgiveness of sin. When you do this, do so in remembrance of me. So lord, we remember and we take joy that our sins are forgiven! Come! Come to the table of joy!

SING JOY VERSE

We gather around this table with bread representing the diversity of humanity and of God’s creation. We have gluten free options. While the bread options are varied, the message remains the same: You are a child of God; loved by Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit. And every neighbor is as well, near or far. You can travel all over this earth and never find a face of someone whom God doesn’t love. We will invite you to stand and approach our ushers. Take a peace of bread and dip and eat it. If you aren’t feeling very mobile, just stay where you are and raise your hand and I’ll come to you. But first, let us pray.

Holy Spirit, thank you for this time together. Thank you for our neighbor. Thank you for your new covenant offered at your table. A covenant founded in your love for us all. A covenant to give us peace. A covenant of your grace for the forgiveness of sin. May we find you here at the table, your face in our neighbors’ face, and may your joy be our joy here at your table.  A table you left and suffered and died for. A table you returned to after you had risen. May we still find you here at the table. Through your many holy names, we pray. Amen.

Come my friends… for all has been made ready.

SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Lord of Hosts, we give you thanks for this time at your table with you and with our neighbor. May we act as you and host others at our table. Where they may find what we have. Love. Peace. Grace. And Joy. Through these things, you will be with us for when two or three are gathered, you are in our midst. Thank you our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. Amen!