A few years ago, an artist known as JR created a one-day art installation in the most unlikely of places–the U.S.-Mexico border. The artwork, a huge table illustrated with a human gaze—one life-like eye on each side of the border—brought divided people together to sit and share a meal. “Around the eye of a dreamer,” JR said, “we forgot the wall for a minute…”
It looked remarkably like the Lord’s Table—a gift, as familiar as breathing, and something I’ve too often taken for granted.
I’ve begun to notice the nerve—the sheer daring of the Lord’s Table. I’ve heard the invitation issued passionately—as though it matters more than anything—along with the words, “All are welcome.”
In “open communion” congregations across the land, we live out the truth that everyone belongs, defying a world that is so divided it lacks even Christian unity. At the Lord’s Table, we find ourselves, not just welcomed, but called to participate with Christ in healing our deeply broken world. And this is exactly what Jesus intended.
This message is an excerpt from “Welcome: An eye toward belonging” by Elizabeth Hunter in the May 2020 issue of Gather magazine.
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