who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another"
This is how the invitation begins in the Service of Word and Table in the United Methodist Hymnal.
Communion begins as an act of hospitality, an invitation to the table.
"Writers in the New Testament portray Jesus as a gracious host, welcoming coming children and prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners into his presence. Such welcome startled and annoyed those who generally viewed themselves as the preferred guests at gatherings. But Jesus, God incarnate, is also portrayed as a vulnerable guest and needy stranger, one who "came to his own home" and often received no welcome (John 1:11). In his life on earth, Jesus experienced the vulnerability of the homeless infant, the child refugee, the adult with no place to lay his head, the despised convict.
This intermingling of guest and host roles in the person of Jesus is part of what makes the story of hospitality so compelling for Christians. Jesus welcomes and needs welcome; Jesus requires that followers depend on and provide hospitality. The practice of Christian hospitality is always located within the larger picture of Jesus' sacrificial welcome to all who come to him."Christine D. Pohl. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality As a Christian Tradition (Kindle Locations 225-226). Kindle Edition.
And communion ends with an act of hospitality, us, the people who are invited are now the ones inviting. We are called to invite the Spirit of Christ to dwell in us.
So come join us Sunday October 2 at 11 a.m. at the Saluda United Methodist Church. You don't have to be a member of this or any church, you don't have to have previous communion experience just a desire to come to the forgiving, loving, empowering table of Jesus' amazing hospitality.
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