Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Sunday, August 19, 2012

"An Invitation to the Table" Sermon Pentecost 12B (Lect. 20)

“An Invitation to the Table”
Pentecost 12B (Lect. 20)
August 19, 2012
John 6.51-58

Jesus says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I abide in them.” With these words, along with similar ones in today’s gospel, Jesus makes explicit what he has only hinted at up to this point in chapter 6. Unlike the other three Gospels, John does not have Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper. Rather, the Last Supper is reserved for the Farewell Discourse, as some wags note, is the longest after-dinner speech in the Bible. During that important time, Jesus gives his disciples their marching orders for life without him after his death, resurrection, and ascension. So, many have seen in these words John’s sacramental theology, his invitation to the Lord’s Table.

What an invitation it is! It’s a wide-open, overflowing, gracious call for all people to commune with God. The key word for this communion is “abide,” and it runs rampant through John’s Gospel. We are constantly invited to abide, stay, rest, or remain in Jesus as he does in us. God offers to abide in us in way that both stimulates our imagination and overwhelms it as well. As one of my colleagues once said, “We take into our bodies the very creator of the universe. It’s a wonder we don’t explode!” What is even more incredible is that Jesus offers us this communion free of charge. The Sacrament of the Altar, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist is a gift of God’s immeasurable grace.

It’s this over-the-top grace that informs and helps me understand my experiences of Communion. One of my most memorable experiences of Communion was my first Communion, though it wasn’t my First Communion. Let me explain. As a rising 9th grader, I attended a youth leadership conference at Gustavus one summer, which to no surprise, involved a worship service. However, to my horror, the worship service included Holy Communion. I say, “… to my horror” because I had not yet been Confirmed and didn’t know what I should do. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself by refusing Communion, but I was pretty sure I was going to go to hell by taking Communion before I was Confirmed, since that was our practice at our church at the time. As the Communion elements got closer—we were doing pew Communion—I got more nervous. Ultimately, I decided to risk going to hell and decided to take Communion. Now, you might say that I did it because of peer pressure, or because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and maybe it was. But I think God’s grace had something to do with it.

As I have grown in the life of faith, both inside the church and outside, as I have eaten at the Table, studied God’s Word, and read Lutheran theology, my assurance of God’s gracious invitation has grown. When I accepted the call to be the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, I was thrilled that we have Holy Communion at every service every week and that we have an open Table for all Christians. However, that excitement has been tempered somewhat by the fact that, although we say, “All are welcome” to the Lord’s Supper, in reality we deny the sacrament to a significant number of baptized. In our case, it is not those who have not been confirmed; it is those who are younger than 5th grade.

The fact is that our presence at the Lord’s Table comes by virtue of our baptism, not our age. That’s one reason why, in response to a council request a year ago, I included Communion of the baptized as a part of my vision for Grace, where truly all baptized, including children, are welcome to the Lord’s Table.

Now, one of the questions that gets raised about having children receive Communion is that they lack understanding. I can appreciate this question, but unfortunately, it’s a holdover from the Enlightenment when reason became superior to faith. Even so, let me respond in two ways. First, nowhere does Jesus require an understanding of what he offers in order for us to receive him. Holy Communion is a gift of God’s grace, one that we cannot earn, merit, or deserve. Second, in my experience children “get” Communion far more than what we give them credit for.

Let me tell you about Bradley. When I was called to my first congregation, our oldest daughter was already communing at an age earlier than the church’s practice and our youngest was due to communion by our past church’s practice. I told the council that I would not ex-communicate our oldest daughter and asked that we have conversation about our communion practices. We decided to do some education with parents and children and let parents decide for their children. Kathy and Steve, Bradley’s parents, were very reluctant to have Bradley attend the classes, but they decided to go through the materials I gave them with Bradley and have me come to their home for some conversation. They were astonished at how much Bradley was capable of understanding God’s gracious self, and Bradley began taking Communion.

In the Proverbs reading, Wisdom personified makes an invitation to God’s table saying, “You that are simple, turn in here.” That is both an offer of grace and an invitation for reflection for all. I could tell you many similar stories, not only about children, but also about vulnerable adults. However, the bottom line is that we come to the table at the Lord’s command, by faith for faith. I’m going to keep this conversation going, not only because I think it fits with our vision and mission of being a family-friendly church, but also because I think it is the faithful thing to do. Jesus’ invitation for an intimate relationship with him, to mutually abide, is too important not to include everyone at the Lord’s Table. Meanwhile, God invites you to come and be fed. Amen.

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