A Place at the Table

Maundy Thursday 2013

Noon

Pass it on

Break the bread, lift the cup
Pass it on
The broken will be lifted up

Every gift grand and lowly

Every purpose great and small

At this feast they are made holy

By your name you have been called

By your name you have been called

"Pass It On" by Peter Mayer

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I can remember my mother and grandmothers calling me for lunch or supper with the words, “Dinner’s ready, come and wash your hands.”

As long as I can remember, I was taught to pray this prayer before each and every meal. If you happen to know it, please join me in saying it.

“Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed.” Amen

That later came to be known as the “Common Table Prayer.”  However, there is nothing “common” about it, is there?  I mean here we are inviting Jesus to be a guest at the table with us. And Jesus, as he always does, turns the tables on us. First, he comes as guest. Then he becomes the host. Ultimately Jesus is the very feast of victory. The gifts are blessed and received by us so that we might be a blessing to our world that is hungry for bread, hungry to know that Jesus is the Bread of life.

John Donne once wrote,

“He was the Word that Spake it

He took the Bread and Break it

And what the Word did Make it

I do believe and Take it”

That’s what today is all about.  There is wonder and mystery in Spaking it, Breaking it, Making it and Taking it. Just about all the action is on God’s part for our behalf. All we have to do is to receive. All we have to do is to “taste and see that the Lord is God.” All we have to do is hear the words, “give and shed FOR YOU, for the forgiveness of our sins.” All we have to do is to come, “Just as we are, without one plea.”

Gabriel Moran once wrote, “The Eucharist is the church at her best.” Ever since I heard those words, they’ve rung true with me. For as we gather around the table, as we eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again. How can something so basic, so simple, so elementary be so very profound, meaningful and comprehensive.

During this time of year, Intern Russ, Pastor Paul, Parish Nurse Janet, Pastor Ruth Ann and myself make a very intentional effort to do as many home communions as we can. I believe we do that for, as Gabriel Moran said, “the Eucharist is the church at her best.” I think it’s also because we feel called and driven to find and make “a place at the table for everyone.”

So, as we go to memory loss centers, hospital rooms, apartments, nursing homes, rehab centers and homes, we are all connected to each other with the church on earth and the host of heaven. We join together, past, present and future as we proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection until he comes again.

This year, I’ve visited several people who have memory loss issues, one might even say dementia. As the conversation unfolds, their attention span decreases and sometimes it is confusing to say the least. But, when I get the bread and wine out of my case, as I say the Words of Institution, they begin to say the words with me. As we pray the Lord’s Prayer there is often a tear in their eye as well as mine and in the eye of a loved one in the room. “The Eucharist is the church at her best.”

Sometimes, it doesn’t take long for things to go back to the way they were before, but for that slice in time we celebrated Jesus coming to the table to be with us, blessing us, forgiving us, and giving us LIFE.

So we are here today in this holy place. I know that as we come to the table we bring our hurts, our hungers, our hopes and happiness. Today we don’t say dinner is ready, wash you hands, but rather, “dinner is ready, come and have your feet washed.”

amen