We in the United Methodist tradition refer to the sacrament of Holy Communion as an “Open Table.”  What that means, in a word, is that everyone is welcome.  You don’t have to be United Methodist.  You don’t have to be a member of any church.  You don’t have to be a certain age, or even be baptized.  Kids are welcome.  We offer the sacrament with the firm belief that we’re doing what Jesus did in his time - and would do today among us.  Jesus would turn no one away who sincerely desired to eat at his table.  We are a welcoming and inclusive congregation. 

            That’s important to remember on this All Saints Sunday, because we often think of Saints as those who are somehow different, more holy, more worthy, more deserving than we are.  We see a bit of this tension when we read from Psalm 24, which begins:  “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.”  But then it continues, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?  Those who have clean hands and pure hearts.”  I know what that’s trying to say, but it’s easily misunderstood, in exclusive rather than inclusive terms.  Who among us has perfectly clean hands and a perfectly pure heart?  We have all fallen short of the glory of God.  And yet, I firmly believe, we are all worthy, all welcome at the table of the Lord. 

            When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount he opened with a famous set of “beatitudes” that are sometimes referred to as “reversals and rewards.”  They’ve lost some of their impact because we’re so familiar with them, but they were radical in their day because they completely reversed the common assumptions about who was worthy and who was unworthy.  The first four are considered "reversals for the unfortunate," while the second four are "rewards for the virtuous."  But, instead of reversals and rewards, think about them in terms of freedom. (1) So, the first four beatitudes promise us a graceful and liberating freedom - from despair and grief, from want and injustice:

The second four beatitudes declare a powerful new freedom – the freedom to be healers, living with the integrity and faithfulness of true peacemakers.

The beatitudes paint a picture of what the world looks like when the Lord's Prayer is answered: "thy kingdom come; thy will be done…” Jesus is saying, "in that time and place where God's will is done perfectly, these people are blessed by receiving freedom from lack and freedom for steadfast love." And this description of the kingdom is not simply philosophical or hypothetical. Just before the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has said, "… the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matt 4:17). The beatitudes describe what the reign of God will look like as God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven, and that time is meant to be now!  That’s my ideal for this church family.  That’s my ideal for the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

And so, as we gather on this All Saints Sunday to celebrate Communion, I’d like to issue the traditional invitation in new, and far more inclusive language than is normally used.  This is an invitation to all the Saints of God, in the broadest and most inclusive terms imaginable.  To my mind, this is the way Christ and the church welcomes all:

Come to the table, for wide is God’s welcome.  You are welcome here.

If you are young or old, you are welcome.

If you have black skin, white skin, yellow, brown, or red skin, you are welcome.

If you are married, not married, or share your life in a holy union, you are welcome.

If you are sick, infirm, or well, you are welcome.

If you walk, roll, crawl, or are carried to the table, you are welcome.

If you cannot hold the cup or eat the bread, you are welcome.

If you cannot hear me or see me, you are welcome.

If you are gay or lesbian, you are welcome.

If you are not lesbian or gay, you are welcome.

If you are man or woman, you are welcome.

If you are bisexual or transgender, you are welcome.

If you are happy or sad, you are welcome.

If you are rich or poor, powerful or weak, you are welcome.

You are a child of God, and you are welcome.

And so we come, all of us together.

We come with our gifts, our pain, our hope, our fear.

We come with the traditions that comfort and sustain us. Our pews and our pulpits are open.

We come with our experience, that we may observe our trespasses and never repeat them.

We come with reason, to take all into account and discern the spirit of truth.

And we come, clinging to the scriptures, which command us to:  love our neighbor wholeheartedly, remember God continually, receive grace, seek justice, create peace, and do good works.

Amen. (2)

(1)     "Matthew's Beatitudes: Reversals and Rewards of the Kingdom," Catholic Biblical Quarterly,  Mark Allan 

Powell, p. 460-79, cited in “Blessing As Freedom,” Pilgrim Preaching, by Mary Hinkle, Luther Seminary

        (2) “Shaping Sanctuary, Proclaiming God's Grace in an Inclusive Church,” edited by Kelly Turney