“Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table.” (Luke 22:19-21)
I heard something from a friend this week that has left me adrift in a sea of incredulity. Given the bitter divisions in our nation and my denomination I should not have been shocked, but I was. This friend is a former member of a United Methodist church I used to serve. She is one of the casualties of the great United Methodist schism of 2022-23. She told me that a relative who still attends the now Global Methodist Church reported the following from their worship service last Sunday: prior to communion the pastor told the congregation that anyone planning to vote for Issue One in the upcoming Ohio general election should probably not take communion.
Issue One is a constitutional amendment that will protect reproductive rights and access to abortion. This is a very controversial and emotionally charged issue, and while I respect the opinion of those who oppose Issue One I do not think access to the Sacrament of Holy Communion should be used to persuade or intimidate anyone to vote in any particular way.
I don’t know what the position of the Global Methodist denomination is on who may or may not receive this sacrament, but in the United Methodist Church we practice an open table. As a pastor I would never presume to judge who is worthy or unworthy to come to the Lord’s table because it is the Lord’s table, not mine or my church’s. The exemplar for that inclusive table is the Upper Room itself on the night before Jesus is crucified. The Gospels make it very clear that all 12 disciples are there to celebrate the Passover with Jesus. You can count them all in Da Vinci’s painting.
But seriously, check the Gospel accounts in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22.
According to all of these retellings of what transpired in the Upper Room Jesus not only knew that Judas would betray him and Peter would deny him 3 times, but also that all the other disciples would run and hide in his hour of greatest need. “Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'(Matthew 26:31). Does that disqualify any of the 12 from sitting at the table with Jesus? No, they all are there to receive this sacrament of remembrance.
Jesus is very clear about whose job it is and isn’t to judge others – and it isn’t mine or any clergy person’s. “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, (Matthew 7:1) Or check the parable of the weeds in the wheat in Matthew 13 where Jesus says, “Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Or my favorite, the billboard that says, “Just love them all. I’ll sort them out later.” – God.
When Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28) all means all; and this sinner is darn glad we are all invited to the table. When we all get on one side of the table for a remake of Da Vinci’s picture there will be Donald Trump next to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hamas Palestinians next to Netanyahu, Putin next to Zelenskyy, and in the middle Jesus asking, “What took you so long to get here?”
And in the background John Lennon is singing:
“You may say I’m a dreamer,
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one.”
Peacefully Harsh 