Discover the power of welcome and trust in this week’s sermon. From welcoming signs for dogs to cultural greetings, Jesus’ ministry, and breaking bread, we’ll explore the courage it takes to create new relationships and how giving of ourselves to those in need can produce amazing fruit. Join us as we learn to eradicate hatred and fill our hearts with love, concern, and goodwill towards our neighbors. Let’s break bread together and witness the transformative power of sharing……While picking up our dog Cordelia from the kennel last week, I learned some pretty cool stuff. Firstly, you need to know that Cordelia is a mixture of two giant breed dogs, great pyrenees and Komondor. She is bred through and through to have protective instincts, so during social time or play time at the kennel she has expressed more of an interest in being in a small group of really calm dogs. They were telling me that this time was different. Now, a rambunctious huge dog can be a big responsibility, especially around smaller dogs, so they tried her out to find a better group for this visit. She ended up with puppies and they said she was fantastic. At our apartment Cordelia gets excited around other dogs so we just pull her closer or avoid. I asked how they managed to introduce all of these different breeds, big and small to one another. It turns out , it’s all in the welcome signs. They keep them apart until they display the signs of welcome or being OK or nonaggression. They will check out the other dog and then they watch for them to yawn, lay down, or start sniffing the ground. They are saying, “I’m OK with you”. They also watch for them to get stiff or the hackles to raise or the tail to tuck, not positive relationship signs. Someone has to lower their guard. Signs of welcome and a playgroup is formed. People have also developed conventions to achieve the same things. In our culture shaking hands has been one major way. It started as a way to show that we were weaponless, and extending the hand was an act of courage and trust which provided the foundation for then building a friendship. Other cultures have developed different ways such as: Sticking out your tongue, Bumping or rubbing noses, an Air kiss on the cheek, Bowing, Putting your hand on your heart, and sniffing faces. All of these are signs of welcome and trust and have their own component of courage. Before Jesus’ ministry began, John the Baptist was out there in the wilderness preparing the way. From my viewpoint Luke sets up sort of a pyramid or hierarchy of action of what it means to produce good fruit. The bottom level is to not be aggressive or go on the attack to steal, extort or hurt others. The second level is to be fair. The third level though is to give of yourself to those in need, which is sharing your resources. Some of those greetings in their prospective cultures sort of move up a scale from showing that I am not a threat toward more intimate greetings for close family and friends. Have you ever noticed that in Jesus’ ministry that he always had higher expectations than the bottom of the scale. When he discussed the 10 commandments it wasn’t about managing not to kill someone but about eradicating hatred or ill will from your heart and filling it with love, concern and goodwill toward your neighbor. One method of greeting and welcome is the Scottish and Irish quaich. The quaich is a small bowl with two handles. Mine says, Cead Mille Failte or A Hundred Thousand Welcomes on the inside. A beverage is poured into the quaich and handed to the person that was being welcomed with two hands and it was received with two hands showing the absence of weapons and a peaceful gesture. They say over time glass bottom quaichs were developed so that you could still see and keep an eye out for treachery. Isn’t that sort of missing the point? It takes courage to trust and truly reach out and create new relationships. It’s a trust first mentality. That’s the way that we see Jesus entering into and maintaining friendships. Jesus is constantly going, sitting, touching and eating with the outsiders and strangers, many times in difficult places or circumstances. In today’s gospel we see this fantastic moment where the two disciples’ eyes are opened and recognition takes place when Jesus breaks the bread, giving of himself to those in need. During seminary and through my pastoral career I’ve noticed a debate or sometimes and argument over “the fraction”. It’s amazing, the debates that steal our time away. The fraction is the point during the communion liturgy when the celebrant breaks or tears the bread into. The big question, “When is the appropriate time?” Because of all that debate, I became gun shy of the moment so at times, especially with wafers I let Jesus’ words stand and did not break the wafer or make it obvious to the congregation. In my study this week I really learned some things that, for me, moves that debate to the bottom of the list and helps me to understand the beautiful moment of physically breaking the bread or witnessing it being broken. Why is it that Jesus broke the bread? He broke it to share it. You don’t need to break or divide bread to eat it all yourself. When we see the bread broken or divided we know it will be shared with us, we are shown that we are welcome. Think about how pervasive the idea of bread and welcome are! You go to a restaurant, “Welcome to fill in the blank, I’m going to start you off with some fresh baked bread while I etc, etc. It’s the first thing that hits the table, it’s free, without asking to inspire a sense of welcome and sharing it creates and strengthens bonds and trust. You know the word “Companion”? It’s someone with whom you share a more intimate relationship and a lot of time with. You probably knew that, but did you know that the word is the sum of two parts? “Com” meaning with and “panion” meaning bread? Jesus shared with them, and they witnessed Jesus sharing with others all through Jesus’ ministry. Healing, touching, talking, giving, breaking bread when there didn’t seem to be enough and that fear was all around he fed 5000, the night before his death, he took bread and broke it and shared it and told them it was his body. Jesus shared of himself as deep as it goes. Remember, Jesus told us that there is no greater love than to give up or share your life with a friend. Risk, courage, giving and sharing are all a part of what it means to welcome. But there’s something else going on here. Something I have never noticed before, and thanks to Tim Smith and a facebook post, I saw it for the first time. It only took about five words and I was like, “Omagosh! That’s amazing. This story ties so much together with what Jesus had previously said. It restates and really brings it home, and evidently it’s kind of easy to miss. Remember the whole “when did we see you hungry or thirsty” lesson and Jesus said, “When you do it for the least of these you do it to me”? We are told to welcome the stranger and here it is, these two guys have been out on the road and a stranger that they don’t recognize or think they know starts walking with them. Sort of latches on or gloms onto them. He’s seriously out of the loop and isn’t very aware of all that’s been going on. He sort of takes over the conversation and chastises them. Ever had a situation like that? I know I have. Conversing with a friend or in a serious moment, or having some real “me” time and boom, an interloper sort of butts in and you feel derailed. I have been interrupted and I know I have interrupted. The situation brings you to a fork or a crossroad. It did for those two disciples. They hit where they are going. It’s evening and you don’t want to be out and vulnerable after that. In that culture, hospitality dictates that you open your door to the stranger, welcome, provide and share. We almost need to see this part like a big moment in a movie. Jesus keeps walking. They don’t know its him. We start yelling at the screen, “Stop him! Don’t miss him!” What’s going to happen? Lean forward in your seat. Breathe a huge sigh of relief when they say, “Hey, wanna come in and have a bite to eat and stay with us tonight?” They had been walking together and hearing scripture all day and still didn’t have a clue, but a welcome then in the breaking of the bread and sharing that they recognize Jesus and experience the reality of the resurrection. Welcome is important. Hospitality, important. Courage, important. Generosity, charity, graciousness, openness, mercy and kindness, important. We too live in a post resurrection world. What’s the trajectory of our welcoming? How are we doing? The past week? Knocked on the wrong door…shot. Went to the wrong car….shot. Retrieved a basketball from a neighbor’s yard….shot. Turn down the wrong driveway….shot. It seems we are in a time loop to pre-easter Taught people to love one another and share….crucified. The resurrection is about the transformational power of God’s grace and mercy. When bread is broken, when our hearts are open, when we share, when we welcome, we welcome Jesus who breaks bread and shares with us. If we come to the table and don’t see the potential for the transformative power of the resurrection that allows us to break out of our tombs of fear, isolation, selfishness and self-centeredness, to extend welcome it’s not unlike reaching our door and bidding an unrecognized Jesus a good night and good luck
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