'the sexulaity row...as...Simon Burrow points out, is as much about the struggle for security, identity and authority among wounded people as it is about the theological concerns in which it is often dressed.'
God's realm is like this, says Jesus. It is a huge feast. And all are invited. The only issue is how we respond, whether we are prepared to be humble enough to share, whether we are willing to be changed forever by sitting at God's table as equals - rather than as rich and poor, Jew and non-Jew, male and female, gay and straight, taxed and taxing.
No one is outside the invitation to this feast, but there is a warning. If we truly share and eat we will be changed...Christ's presence is not just a comfort. It is a challenge. A test of our integrity. In our Anglican services we say these words: 'We are one body, because we all share in one bread."
And the world shouts back, silently: "hey, you Christians. Is that really true? Are you one body?...Do they live as brothers and sisters who sit at the table together? Does this breaking of bread mean anything, or are they kidding themselves? The test is how you live. That is how we know whether you are united with Christ, or just going through a little act."
So as Christians we gather to share the bread of life. And here is a humbling thought. However you understand that piece of wheat as it is pressed into your hands, there is a true sense in which what is happening is that Christ is putting himself at your disposal...This may be only half the truth, but it is true nevertheless. And it dignifies us beyong belief. The question is, what we will do with Christ and the bread he gives us. Will we share it, will we hoard it, will we waste it or will we let it rise up in us to transformatoin? The decision, says God, is yours. But know that I will always go on giving life. (For full sermon see http://www.hyattsvillemennonite.org/)
God's realm is like this, says Jesus. It is a huge feast. And all are invited. The only issue is how we respond, whether we are prepared to be humble enough to share, whether we are willing to be changed forever by sitting at God's table as equals - rather than as rich and poor, Jew and non-Jew, male and female, gay and straight, taxed and taxing.
No one is outside the invitation to this feast, but there is a warning. If we truly share and eat we will be changed...Christ's presence is not just a comfort. It is a challenge. A test of our integrity. In our Anglican services we say these words: 'We are one body, because we all share in one bread."
And the world shouts back, silently: "hey, you Christians. Is that really true? Are you one body?...Do they live as brothers and sisters who sit at the table together? Does this breaking of bread mean anything, or are they kidding themselves? The test is how you live. That is how we know whether you are united with Christ, or just going through a little act."
So as Christians we gather to share the bread of life. And here is a humbling thought. However you understand that piece of wheat as it is pressed into your hands, there is a true sense in which what is happening is that Christ is putting himself at your disposal...This may be only half the truth, but it is true nevertheless. And it dignifies us beyong belief. The question is, what we will do with Christ and the bread he gives us. Will we share it, will we hoard it, will we waste it or will we let it rise up in us to transformatoin? The decision, says God, is yours. But know that I will always go on giving life. (For full sermon see http://www.hyattsvillemennonite.org/)
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