“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labour on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Isaiah 55:1-2
Isaiah tells us that we are welcome to come and eat without cost. Holy Communion is a time where we break bread and serve food – nobody has to pay to come to the table. All are welcome at the table and can be served – their age, gender, ethnicity, ability etc, none of that matters. The only qualification is that we are human and want to be at God’s table.
Where else in life are all so completely and utterly welcome? How can we make everyone’s experience of church like this? We sing All are welcome in this place, but how can we really mean it? During Lent I encourage us all to consider how we open the doors and our hearts to everyone, regardless of who they are, where they’re from or what they’ve done.
God of the open table
We thank you that we are all welcome
You love us all whoever we are
Wherever we are from
Whatever we have done
Your love and forgiveness is beyond our understanding
Help us to open our own hearts
To those who are different to us
So that all find a welcome
A welcome without cost or condition
Just as we receive from you
Amen
