Sermon: “Let Them Come!”
The disciples were trying to manage things. I respect that. Maybe they thought they were trying to protect Jesus, or at least, protect his image, his reputation. They wanted to see him respected. They wanted him to be seen as someone worthy of honor.
I respect that.
And, in their society, men who were respected and worthy of honor couldn’t be bothered with spending time with little children.
Spending time with children is for less important people. That’s what they thought.
So they tried to stop the children from coming to Jesus. They tried to control who was allowed to come into his presence.
And, in some ways, as often happens in these situations, I think they tried to control him.
I think their intentions were good. Mostly. They just didn’t understand: Jesus didn’t belong to them. And Jesus would not be conformed to the expectations of society.
Jesus would be nothing less than who he would be.
This story is about more than just Jesus’ love of children. It’s about the ways we try to control Jesus, or the ways we try to control who has access to Jesus.
Who is worthy of coming into Jesus’ presence? Who is qualified to be a part of Christ’s community? Who is worthy enough to enjoy that close fellowship, that intimate fellowship, to touch Jesus and be touched by him, and to receive his blessing?
Throughout the history of Christianity, the church has struggled with that question.
On the one hand, the answer seems obvious: everyone is welcome in Christ’s presence. Right?
But on the other hand, the church has felt it was necessary to manage who had access to Jesus. The church has felt it was its duty to control who has access to the Lord’s Table, where the presence of Christ is most intimately revealed to believers.
Every important person has people who control who has access to that person. Celebrities, presidents, CEOs. Shouldn’t it be the same for Jesus?
And so, one of the roles the church has played over the years is the role of gatekeeper.
This, it has done in various ways over the years.
At the dawn of the 19th century, in Scottish Presbyterian churches, communion was only celebrated twice a year.
And when communion was celebrated, one couldn’t just show up. In the days and weeks leading up to the communion service, church members were required to meet with the presiding minister. The minister would evaluate them, and determine if they were in good enough standing to receive communion. If the minister decided that the member was worthy to receive communion, the minister would give the member a token which the member would have to present at the communion service if they wanted to receive the bread and the wine.
Anyone who did not have a token would not be welcome at the table.
The communion service was a major event that took most of the day. First, there was the sermon, a lengthy discourse about how those who have been approved would bring God’s displeasure upon them if they refrained, and how those who are unfaithful—those not approved—should keep away from the table.
Then, the congregation came forward—not all at once, but one small group at a time. At the front of the sanctuary, they gathered, and a tray was passed around, and one by one they dropped their tokens into the tray.
And then, they partook of communion.
At one such service, a 21 year-old named Alexander Campbell sat in his pew, holding his token. He watched as one group after another went forward for communion.
Alexander was troubled, and perhaps a little angry. He thought it was wrong to deny anyone the opportunity to receive communion. In his mind the token was a human invention that did nothing but divide people from one another and separate them from God. And no one, he believed, should be denied communion.
As the story goes, Alexander Campbell waited until the very last group of people was called forward, wondering what he should do.
When the last group was called to the table, Alexander Campbell stood up, walked forward, and approached the table. The tray was passed around, and each worshiper placed their token in it. When the tray came to Alexander Campbell, he violently threw his token in the tray, so that it made a loud clang that echoed throughout the sanctuary; and then, without partaking of communion, he stood up, turned, and walked out of the church building, resolving that he would find a way to break down the barriers that only allowed certain people to encounter the presence of Christ at the communion table.
A few months later, Alexander emigrated from Scotland to the United States. He met up with his father, Thomas Campbell, who had already journeyed to the U.S. He shared his thoughts with his father, and was surprised to learn that his father had begun having similar thoughts.
On separate continents, both Alexander Campbell and his father, Thomas Campbell, had come to the same conclusion: that all Christians are a part of the one church, and that therefore all Christians should be welcome at the table.
Together, Thomas and Alexander—father and son— began discussing how to rid the church of these barriers which divided people and prevented people from being welcome at the Lord’s Table. Eventually, these would help start the movement that became the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Today, over 200 years later, we in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) still identify ourselves as a movement that welcomes all to the Lord’s Table, as God has welcomed us.
We have long proclaimed that the table is an open table… and we (to be honest) are still learning what that means. Not too long ago, many congregations, even in our denomination, did still discourage children from partaking of communion, saying that one should only partake of communion after one has gained an adequate understanding of what this table and this meal signify. And so, many congregations had children wait until they were baptized before receiving communion.
But, reflecting on our heritage, and after paying attention to how Jesus welcomed people, even children, into his presence, this began to change.
This was something we talked about when I was a seminary student. My theology of worship professor, Keith Watkins, liked to say that the Lord’s Supper was a meal of great thanksgiving, not all that different from the Thanksgiving meal many of us celebrate the fourth Thursday of every November.
And at that Thanksgiving meal, the one we celebrate in our homes, we don’t tell children that they can’t sit at the table, or that they can’t have any turkey, or sweet potatoes, or stuffing, or pumpkin pie, until they are old enough to fully understand why we celebrate Thanksgiving. No! Children get to eat, just like the adults do; they get to enjoy all the blessings of the day just like anyone else… and the hope is that they will learn to understand the importance of Thanksgiving, and the importance of gratitude, through their participation.
And that is how it is in most Disciples congregations today, when we gather at the Lord’s Table.
All are welcome. All can approach the table and receive Christ’s blessings. Children and adults. Disciples, as well as people of other denominations. Even people of other religions and no religion are welcome, if their hearts are sincere.
I am deeply saddened every time I visit a church where all are not welcome at the table. I am saddened when I am told, “only members of this congregation, or this denomination, can receive the elements. All others can receive a blessing, but the elements are for members of this church only.”
I am saddened, because other than that one thing, I have respect and admiration for the church I’m visiting. If it’s a friend or family member who invited me to join them for worship at their church, I am grateful for the invitation and the love and the welcome. I am grateful that we can be united in our love for Jesus and our desire to follow him.
But then, to be told that I’m not welcome to receive the elements… it hurts.
And I’m saddened, because it is a division that mars the unity we have in Christ. I believe that it is Michael Kinnamon who likes to say that we don’t pray for a day when the church might be one—the church of Christ is one! Right now! It’s just that we often fail to recognize it.
That’s why the Disciples of Christ identity statement I alluded to earlier says that “as part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table, as God has welcomed us.”
As part of the one body of Christ…
We are part of the one body. We don’t claim to be the whole body of Christ. We recognize that there are other parts of the body of Christ. There are Presbyterian parts and Methodist parts and Roman Catholic parts and Eastern Orthodox parts of the body of Christ. We are all parts of the ONE body of Christ.
And our failure to recognize this is a sin. When we fail to recognize the one body of Christ, we are dividing the church that Christ has made whole.
World Communion Sunday is a day to recognize that all those who gather around the Lord’s Table are, together, the one body of Christ.
On every continent: North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia: we are one.
In every denomination: Protestant, catholic, whatever. We are one.
People speaking every language: Korean, Swahili, Urdu, Arabic: we are one.
People in every time: all those in generations past, present, and future. All those who have died and gone to heaven, and all those who still dwell on earth. At this table, we are all one. We are all united in Christ.
Because there is just one table around which we gather. This here, is a representation of that one table. In some churches, their table is rough, and hand cut, perhaps made from plywood or even boxes stacked and covered with a cloth.
In other churches, the table is ornate; something worthy of royalty.
And yet, they are all really just representations or manifestations of the one table of Christ; and it is around this one table of Christ that we all gather.
I don’t always agree with what others think or preach in other parts of the one body of Christ; but I cannot deny that we are one body, that we are part of the same church, and that we worship the same Savior, and that God calls us to act as one body, united in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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