BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

Point Three:  By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that we are Christians who understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God’s feast for all peoples.

The bread and the wine have long been central symbols of Christianity, but that kind of symbolism goes back even further than the first century.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, there are many stories about the use of bread and wine as a ritual meal cementing relationships between rival groups or people.  For example, Isaiah 25:6 has this marvelous picture:

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wine strained clear.

In this vision of the banquet of all nations, note that ALL are God’s guests.  No exclusions. No exceptions.

This banquet of bread and wine has always been a symbol of inclusiveness and reconciliation.  Among some Christians, however, the Lord’s Supper has been used as a means of exclusion and narrowness, making rules and policies about who can and who cannot partake.

So many of the stories about Jesus center on his table fellowship with sinners…the least, the last, the bottom of the social ladder.  Since he always welcomed such people to the table, how can we who claim his name do any less?  The point is that at this table, all are welcome, and all are equal.

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday