June 2005

from the managing editor...
Welcomed at Christ's table

“Come, children! Table is sprea
There’s a feast of the Lord going on!
Come on over here where the table is spread!
There’s a feast of the Lord, sure going on!”

These are the words of an old gospel song that remind me of the annual district Sunday school picnic of the denomination my family attended when I was a child. My mother wasn’t the picnic person -- or looking back, maybe she just relished finally getting a day off! -- so she packed our lunch with extra to share and trusted me to look out for my younger brother. We rode chartered buses to the designated state park for a day of fun and relaxation. The teens organized a basketball tournament, Double-Dutch contests, assorted races and took the younger kids swimming. And there was food, lots of it, spread out on every picnic table in the huge area of the park our group occupied. Sharing food was part of the joy of the day.

The love and bounty on those tables are scant reflections of what Christ offers to all at the communion table. This issue of Response looks to Holy Communion for a different model of how we can live in this church and in this world. At Christ’s table, there’s a seat for everyone who comes and nourishment for all. Likewise, God has created a world abundant in resources, enough to satisfy all. Hunger, poverty, lack of  health care or clean air or water says more about how resources are allocated, what is valued, and who is empowered to make those decisions than what is actually available or possible in our nation and world.

Yes, these are political issues. These are equally issues of faith and values. What we believe affects how we address these issues. Christ’s Gospel calls for justice, mercy, faith and love. God, like my mother at Sunday school picnic time, has provided more than enough. We can do a better job of looking out for each other. 

Peace,

Yvette Moore, ymoore@gbgm-umc.org